High End / Gaming
| Dell XPS Gen 4 | Build | |
| Price | $3,687 – $300mir* = $3,387 | $3,162.69 |
| Processor | Intel Pentium 4 EE 3.4ghz | Pentium 4 EE 3.4ghz |
| RAM | 1 GB Dual Channel DDR2 533mhz | 1 GB Dual Channel DDR2 533 MHZ |
| OS | Microsoft Windows XP Pro | Microsoft Windows XP Pro |
| Optical 1 | 16x DVD +/- RW | 16x DVD +/- RW |
| Optical 2 | 16x DVD-Rom | 16x DVD-Rom |
| Hard Drive 1 | 74 GB SATA (10,000 RPM) | 74 GB SATA (10,000 RPM) |
Hard Drive 2 | 250 GB SATA (7,200 RPM) | 250 GB SATA (7,200 RPM) |
| Floppy Drive | Yes | Yes |
| Monitor | 17 inch LCD | 17 inch LCD |
| Video Card | ATI 850 XT PE, 256 MB | ATI 850 XT PE, 256 MB |
| Sound Card | Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS | Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS |
| Keyboard / Mouse | Standard | Standard |
| Case / PSU | Standard Dell | Enlight / 350 watt |
*Mir = mail in Rebate
Link to build page: http://secure.newegg.com/app/WishR.asp?ID=1316649
Comparison
It appears that if you intend to purchase a gaming or very high end computer, building it is the way to go right now. The total savings are $224.31, even after a $300 mail in rebate from Dell and the fact that they throw in a free 17 inch LCD. Both systems are top of the line, with the newest PCI-Express video card from ATI, a very nice sound card to compliment the already wonderful onboard sound, and plenty of storage for those gamers who need it. The parts in this system are only needed by those who do extreme amounts of multitasking, video editing, graphics work, or do lots of heavy gaming.
Tyler Thompson A native of Derby, Kansas, Tyler is the man who brings you our weekly newsletter. He is currently interested in programming, hardware and networking systems, and technology integration.
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[...] at various articles comparing a high-end pre-built PC to a similar custom built one (such as this one), and they seem to show a few hundred dollars saved when building a computer. So building a [...]
[...] I also found a site I thought did a great job of easily educating you about buying vs building a computer, in a quick and easy way. The site has Gaming, Mid-Range, and Budget/Office computers separated into different section. If you went into gaming computers, the page has a table where it shows the price of a pre-built computer, then how much it would cost if you were to buy the parts separately and built it yourself. The site has a poor design, with big spaces all over the page. Also, for my site I would like to go into more detail, like the user would compare a buy vs build, and notice they’d save $250 building it themselves. From there, they could look into adding different features to make an ever better computer with the money saved. Buy vs. Build Research [...]