build your own computer questions

[dax3005]

Hello. I was doing research on which computer I will purchase next and I came across the “build your own computer” section of PC-Mechanic. I was intrigued by how simple the author makes it sound and I do tend to enjoy doing my own work rather then have someone do it for me. But, if there is anyone with experience building computer and don’t mind answering a few questions, then I have a few I’d like answered before I take anymore steps.

1) What are the advantages and disadvantages of building your own computer? For instance if I printed out a copy of the best Gateway computer, bought all the same parts, and installed it myself would I save money? If so, about how much? And about how many hours would it take a beginner, from start to finish, to completely build a computer?

2) Where are some good places to do research? Are there any sites that give reviews on specific parts designed for people building there own computer? For example how do you find out what one hard drive does opposed to another? Or that everything I want is compatible together?

Sorry if my questions are too beginner for this site but like I said I just started. Anyway Thanks in advance.

[raftero]

it would take a long reply for everything you ask but!1. build your own,you know you have quality components,and you know where they go in the computer, you probably wouldn't save any money,after acquiring all parts it would take maybe 1 to 4 hours to build depending on how much you have researched and how careful you are.
2.there are several sites that review,someone will probably list them,but here is the most reliable i think,just don't be afraid to ask questions,everyone is nice here.once you decide what computer you want to build AMD or INTEL then look at newegg.com for motherboards,ask questions about them here.

[t0y]

usually you do save money... :\

[Cricket]

Originally posted by dax3005 1) What are the advantages and disadvantages of building your own computer? For instance if I printed out a copy of the best Gateway computer, bought all the same parts, and installed it myself would I save money? If so, about how much? And about how many hours would it take a beginner, from start to finish, to completely build a computer?

No, you wouldn't be able to save money against a high end computer because you could never buy those same exact parts at the same price Gateway does. But, your cost might be close to what Gateway charges for the computer because they can make more profit on a high end computer and price it accordingly.

One advantage of building your own PC is you get to choose the parts you want to use and end up with a computer that can run rings around a name brand computer. You set it up how you want and install the software you want to use. And you get the satisfaction of knowing you built it yourself.

It shouldn't take you more than an hour to assemble the computer together...maybe a little longer if you like to double check your work or are very meticulous.

Originally posted by dax3005 2) Where are some good places to do research? Are there any sites that give reviews on specific parts designed for people building there own computer? For example how do you find out what one hard drive does opposed to another? Or that everything I want is compatible together?

There are loads of computer parts review websites out there...too many to list. You might want to check out TomsHardware.com and Anandtech.com to start with...but there are just too many to list. StorageReview.com is a good place for hard drive reviews.

And of course you can ask all the questions you want right here.

Cricket

[rhdb52]

i remember when i built my first PC i was deciding between building one vs. getting a DELL....i know i really wanted to build one but since it was for college i also wanted a reliable PC with good tech support incase i should run into any problems

anyway....i decided to build my own and it was one of the best decisions i ever made.

i basically priced the system from DELL i was going to get out...and then priced out the same system on newegg (with of course better quality parts)
...i realized that with all the special rebates and discounts that dell offered, i wasnt going to save myself much money, but i figured i'd build my own anyway (i found this forum and became convinced it was the way to go)

anyway to answer your questions (more to add on to what raftero and cricket said):
1. it didnt save me much money, except maybe in the long run...where now i can upgrade my parts because i have a very expandable machine, rather than a proprietary dell....building it only took about 1-2 hours (windows XP took just as long to install), its really no problem to install
2. i think this forum is one of the best places to research parts and components...if you are having trouble on putting together a system, then try to plan out a basic system and post it here, and the people here will help you figure what is best for you

good luck!

...sorry for long post...i was pretty bored

[LawyerRon]

Don't build your own computer because of cost. Building your own cannot compete with low-end Dell and Gateway packages. By the way, open up one of these cheap machines and take a look inside; I've got one sitting on my workbench right now; it has a grand total of 1 PCI expansion slot. My new system I just built with an Intel motherboard has 6.

On the other hand, if you're talking about one of the high-end Dells or Gateways, (costing several thousand dollars) it probably is cheaper to build your own.

However, building your own computer is a much better "value" in my opinion because you can choose better quality parts that will suit you budget.

You'll really discover how important this is when you decide to upgrade; brand name computers have a very, very, narrow upgrade path; the idea is to sell you a new Dell or Gateway.

If you had built your own, upgrading is easy; you re-use your case, hard drive, floppy drive, and upgrade the components you choose, ie cpu, video card, etc.

Finally, if you're truly interesting (and motivated) to LEARN about computers, there is no better option that to build your own; you built it, you set it up, and you know how to fix anything related to it, with our help of course.

If you're not much interested in computers, I would recommend the brand name computer.

[Gjc856]

I suggest building your own. It really isn't all that dificult. I just completed my first build a few weeks ago, and if you look at some of my posts, it's obvious I'm no expert. I basically put it all together in one evening, and it's up and running fine. It's truely a great feeling knowing you put it together yourself and can fix it if need be. I got my parts from these websites: Newegg.com, Hardcorecooling.com, Xpcases.com, Excaliberpc.com, and I got a good deal on a monitor at Office Depot.

[EndobioticChaos]

Definitely build your own. It gives you so many more options. Most of the advantages have already been mentioned. There's a few slightly different angles on a few of them though that I'd like to add. One is, if you build your own, you know exactly what you have in it. This may not seem like a big deal, but it sure is nice when it's time to troubleshoot. Another is, if you build your own and something gets broke/fried, you can replace the part on your own. No need to wait for Dell or whoever to do it.

And just for what it's worth... right now you actually can beat even Dell's best prices, if you use a completely integrated motherboard like the Epox 8RGA+ ($99 @ Newegg). I did some quick calculations, and using that board I can build a very decent machine for < $400. That's pretty much what Dell's best prices are. Sure, it has GF4 MX graphics which anyone will tell you are junk. But it'll still whup up on any integrated graphics used by Dell.

[Ryan2318]

what are you talking about building your own costs 1/2 of buying one from a manufacturer

[dax3005]

Thanks for all your help. One thing that concerns me is that a couple of are saying dell or gateway doesn’t use quality parts. Does that just mean the motherboard? I am looking at my print out for a gateway 700xl and isn’t a Intel Pentium 4 processor 3 GHz equal to any other Intel Pentium 4 processor 3 GHz? Do brands matter or just a parts specs?

Mainly I am looking to build a computer for video editing. That is the main reason I am looking at the high-end computers. I want a fast processor and big hard drive. I don’t really care about games but I do use my current computer as my CD and DVD player. It’s hard trying to figure out what the perfect combination is for me. I guess I’ll research for a couple weeks till I feel comfortable with the ins and outs of computer lingo. Then I’ll be more ready to ask the right questions.

And thanks again to everyone that helped me out.

[Ryan2318]

i'd suggest a lot of ram for video editing.

and well that depends maybe dell/gateway are gonna give you an old B core p4 instead of a C core p4

or maybe they'll give you ram with really slow timings. or a hard drive say that has 2mb cache or has only 5400 rpms... i'm sure they'll cut corners to lower price and state the same speed

[SARGE]

Originally posted by LawyerRon Finally, if you're truly interesting (and motivated) to LEARN about computers, there is no better option that to build your own; you built it, you set it up, and you know how to fix anything related to it, with our help of course.

My old bud the Lawman is correct. Years ago I was afraid to even touch a pc then became "brave" enough to add some RAM. I've built 2 in past few years with nary a hiccup (well maybe a few but very easily fixed). My other 3 were store bought. I can honestly say, though, that with my first PBell 75, then a CTX P-II-266, then Gateway 450 as store boughts, and the latest 2 I built, I've been blessed, as they ALL still run. Rolling your own feels good, is easy with these folks at PCMech, and will make your chest stick out as you walk.

Go For It!!

[Cricket]

Originally posted by Ryan2318 what are you talking about building your own costs 1/2 of buying one from a manufacturer

Are you taking into account the cost of the monitor, keyboard, mouse, OS and all the software you install? Are you choosing high quality parts or just the cheapest parts you can find? And are you comparing systems that are very similar (same CPU speed and comparable parts), or are you comparing the best system available from the manufacturer against a budget build?

Cricket

[ZeratulsAvenger]

Well I gotta say, after just gettin my first built PC to boot up(4 hours of fumbling ) it is very pleasing to the eyes to see it run, and run right. I even had a problem(power switch wasn't connected right ) but that was even fun to fix... even thought it took awhile to figure out I was one pin to the right of where it should have been. I say build cuss it's fun

[Vladiator16]

I've found that high end systems are usually priced around $300 to $400 higher that what you can build at cost. I recently quoted one of those Dell Gamer systems against my quote and my system came out around $700 lower with a $200 system build charge included.

Alienware seems to be very close to cost though. I used to be able to price my systems with a decent profit against Alienware around 6 months ago but Alienware is really pricing their systems to compete against custom systems with the same specs.

[Spyda]

My PC was almost half the price a comparable shop bought would be, and that includes a Ti4200, when they all had MX440s

even if i take into account the monitor (i already had it) even at full brand new price, its still a good few hundred cheaper

[Gjc856]

Originally posted by Vlad16 Alienware is really pricing their systems to compete against custom systems with the same specs.

Good point, just a few weeks ago I was reading pcgamer and I saw almost my exact bulid (down to the case) for only $50 - $100 more.

[Karnevil9]

You can also go to www.buildyourowncomputer.net for more instruction. They also have a breakdown of each specific component. They also sell computer parts but their selection is limited and not as well priced as New Egg. I would try to get most of my equipment from New Egg.

[glc]

Don't diss the top end Gateway too much - I took a real close look at one the other day. It had a 3.0C on an Intel 865G board and a 160 gig Seagate SATA drive. Yes, the integrated graphics sucks for gaming but it has an AGP slot. The winmodem was a joke but with broadband, who cares?