Community Newsletter: Q&A: 4/22/05 Should I buy or build a computer?
- 4/22/05 2:56 PM
Build it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by berndogh - 4/22/05 3:41 AM In reply to: 4/22/05 Should I buy or build a computer? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
---James is Cool---James Rules---
I built mine 2 yrs ago and I love it. I studied up and put it together. I got RAID, ATI TV, Terabytes, 400W speakers, stylish see through case, lights and more lights. But I warn you, don't overlook anything. The case I bought came with a power supply cool, (NOT). I smoked it baddd. Didn't have the power to run 5 drives and two Sony dvd burners and lights too. I had to replace the power supply and luck was on my side, it only destroyed the on board sound. Diabled sound in the bios and installed a new sound card too. Build it and have fun
Power
by dweave - 4/23/05 11:40 AM In reply to: Build it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! by berndoghDon't ever skimp on power. Don't go any lower then 480 watts. And it's ok to over clock depending on what mobo you install. Myself I'm pro Asus; it gives you the choice of over clocking automatically or manually. And don’t skimp on a Case either, cases are cheap.
Don
dcweave@msn.com
Sad but true
by googey10 - 4/22/05 3:42 AM In reply to: 4/22/05 Should I buy or build a computer? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
It used to be so much cheaper to build a PC, and I built several dozens in the past, for me, friends and as a part - time job.
Just a couple of years ago it was still the only way of getting a decent PC. All off the shelf stuff was in bad need of changing a few components, adding memory or HDD's etc. which made it a more expensive solution than DIY.
Yesterday I received an ad from a local electronic superstore:
They sell their good looking midi tower
3.4 HT P4,
1 GB dual DDRAM (no clue whether that can be upgraded w/o wasting the bricks, or what is the latency - it's Kingston, guess ValueRAM),
1000/100/10 Ethernet, 6 channel sound (ok, on mobo, same as the lead out pins for included 4 front, 2 rear USB, 1 front Firewire, .g WiFi with antenna)
good and quiet 200 GB SATA drive,
quiet CPU and tower fans / 450 W silent PSU,
two very decent DVD drives, one of them a 16/4/48 DL burner,
NVidia PCI-x mid class card - VGA/DVI/TV out,
PCI TV tuner (PVR w. remote),
all the litlle extras like card readers, good looking wireless KB / Mouse,
Windows XP SP2 (ok, home edition), Nero, Ulead, some other multimedia sw + an office suite (can't remember which one)
PLUS:
a 17" (BenQ, w speakers - ok I would prefer a 21" Eizo) TFT display,
a solid Epson photo printer.
All that is now bundled for just EURO 899 including 20% TAX (shouldn't be more that $1100). And it is not a promo / special offer.
Just about all an even a bit over average user, even a gamer (I'm not a gamer, so that's a guess) needs.
OK, a scanner and surround boxes should be added, but nothing really exchanged or upgraded.
I didn't even try to add up the cost of the parts - it just makes me somehow sad. No effing way to do it myself.
I'm not going to buy it, I'll wait for the dual-core Opterons and build my new system myself just because I love doing it, but with such stuff on the shelves - what sense could DIY have for the regular let's say medium - power user?!
Just a bit frustrated,
An ex-guru
wait wait wait!
by SolskjaeR - 4/22/05 3:45 AM In reply to: 4/22/05 Should I buy or build a computer? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
just had a thought. if you wait around 6 months to a year to build or buy your pc youll get one massive advantage. a dual layer processor. they things are going to be awesome and aren't to far away so if you can i would suggest waiting for them. amd and intel are bith releasing 'families' of them, but i believe that teh AMD is being released earlier. ill find the article and get some dates later.
Solskjaer
Now or Later
by berndogh - 4/22/05 3:53 AM In reply to: wait wait wait! by SolskjaeREvery couple of monthes or so some company will come up with something new. Wait if you want but how long will you wait. No matter! Build it when you are ready!
Maybe I Missed The Song & Dance Here
by berndogh - 4/22/05 4:18 AM In reply to: Now or Later by berndoghJames is still cool.
Many other responants are correct as well. Look man, I'm broke, but I (personally didn't want just another pc)I wanted something special. That why I built it. The answer was always in yourself. You want an upgrade cheap, yes the self has it. But something special, that has pride will cost ya. Build it.
Dual Core
by dweave - 4/23/05 11:48 AM In reply to: wait wait wait! by SolskjaeRIntel released theirs first. AMD released theirs yesterday 4-22-05. AMD's are for servers according to the news.
Don
dcweave@msn.com
Build AND Save
by Zuidema - 4/22/05 4:33 AM In reply to: 4/22/05 Should I buy or build a computer? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
It can cost less to buy an off-the-shelf computer compared to building a completely new system from scratch. However, you are looking to upgrade. And for this it's quite possible you can save money, have fun, and learn a little bit -- by opening your case and "building selectively."
You can purchase a new motherboard, processor, and RAM bundle for less than $200 and use the remaining components already in your computer. Hard drives, CD-ROM drives, video cards, sound cards and peripherals from four years ago will work just fine on modern boards.
The speed of this combo will generally outperform anything you can buy as a complete system for the same price. The more you are willing to spend on these core components, the higher performance you will get.
You will generally be able to use all the other existing parts in your system on the new motherboard. Of course, if your components are very old, you won't get as much of a performance boost as possible. (For example, hard drives are constantly getting bigger, faster, and cheaper.) However, even just upgrading the MoBo/CPU/RAM will make a dramatic improvement.
The only component I'm aware of that could be of concern is the power supply, which might not have the necessary connectors or wattage for newer motherboards. In this case, you might consider a "barebones" kit that includes the case and power supply, plus the MoBo/CPU/RAM bundle I mentioned already. These are still very inexpensive compared with buying a completely new system and also give you a "new computer" look and feel.
Not only is upgrading a computer this way environmentally friendly, but it also allows you to invest as you go along. Rather than dropping $1200 on a completely new system, you can spend $200 here and there as you like.
I agree
by dweave - 4/23/05 11:57 AM In reply to: Build AND Save by ZuidemaI agree with Zuidema, I up graded my Dell 1 Gig to the max till I couldn’t upgrade no more. Then I built my P4 3 Gig, over clocked at 3.6 and plenty more to go.
Don
dcweave@msn.com
Build it yourself.
by Ingeborgdot - 4/22/05 4:46 AM In reply to: 4/22/05 Should I buy or build a computer? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Every new computer that I have bought off the shelf has had problems from the start. It has taken me days to get all the kinks out. Never have I been up and running in an hour.
I have built 4 computers in the last 2 months for people and the time it took to be up and running after installing all the updates was about equal to the new computer.
It was mentioned that when you buy off the shelf you get a guarantee. Yes, you do get a guarantee for 1 year and if you pay a bunch of extra money you get a couple more years of a guarantee. IF you build your own you will also get a guarantee and if you buy the right brands you will get a 3 year guarantee or better. Some hard drive companies offer a 5 year warranty. Motherboards of good companies offer 3 years. Memory you get lifetime. CPUs get 3 years.
When you buy your parts it is important to buy from a reputable place and a place that has good return service. I have bought from many places but have found New Egg to be the best for me.
I can build a better quality machine for cheaper than I can buy a new one. Piece for piece my machines come out cheaper than the shelf ones if you are comparing apples to apples. And if not cheaper a LOT better quality. Companies put in the cheapest components they can to get the cheapest price.
BUILD YOUR OWN and you won't be sorry.
What guarantee?
by wresnick - 4/22/05 11:03 AM In reply to: Build it yourself. by IngeborgdotIngeborgdot is correct. But it really depends on the user.
A guarantee is helpful for a novice user who needs to call a first level technician to solve a problem that a small bit of research could have fixed. Yes, things sometimes go wrong with hardware. I've had disks fail when under warranty. Calling Maxtor instead of calling Dell is not a problem for me. Neither company will fix your disk drive or get your data off it, but either will send you a new one.
If you want a single place to call when you have no clue what's causing the problem, and you don't want the memory vendor and motherboard vendor pointing fingers at each other, a ready made PC may be for you.
Personally, I've had some ready made PCs and the problem is that they don't come with a manual for the motherboard. It's far better in the long run to know your components.
Pointing fingers
by Ingeborgdot - 4/22/05 6:35 PM In reply to: What guarantee? by wresnickI have not had anyone point fingers at the other at least up to this point. The one thing that I am trying to say is if your hard drive goes bad in 3 years you get a new one from the manufacturer etc...
As for support for your computer, don't count on any good support from any manufacturer anymore. You can't understand most of them. I have a Dell (my mistake) and I can't get them to do anything. I have to fix it myself.
Should I buy or build a computer?
by vicktor - 4/22/05 5:06 AM In reply to: 4/22/05 Should I buy or build a computer? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Unfortunately, I have to live in Italy because of family ties. I have built and upgraded to 6 computers from the old 8088 days with win 3.1, Win 95, 98, etc now have Win XP. It was all trip, stumble and fumbling to do so, lots of problems etc. Now what I was wondering to do is to buy a whole already built computer, but unfortunately for me, it will contain the Italian language. I was wondering if I purchased a whole computer here, then installed my present HDD which is all American English language, would that work out? Otherwise I would have to build a new upgrade computer from scratch again and perhaps encountering all kinds of problems. Any thoughts on the above please? Can I just install my present HDD into an already built computer? On turn on, would the HDD recognize the new hardware? There are million of Americans living overseas, I wonder how they handle such a situation with purchasing home usage computers, do they buy on the local markets, or have one shipped in. If shipped in, in Europe they would also have to buy duty and VAT taxes, literally murdering prices?
Maybe not cheaper, but it can be rewarding in other ways
by Geek091 - 4/22/05 5:40 AM In reply to: 4/22/05 Should I buy or build a computer? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I always build my own PC's, as do most consultants and techies I know. For me, it winds up being less expensive because I have access to wholesale parts. For most people, this usually isn't true unless they're very good at finding discounts and/or spend some time at computer shows.
But planning and building your own machine has other benefits, as well. It's personally rewarding to build your own computer, you get exactly what you want, you learn how the different components interact with each other, you can brag to your friends, and last but not least, it's fun.
So I would say give it a shot. Here's a site that can help:
http://www.kitchentablecomputers.com
By the way -- my decision to enter IT as a profession came as a result of my building my first PC years ago. I enjoyed it so much that I stayed, putting me in the enviable position of making a living from my hobby. Sometimes you just don't know what will happen.
Here in the UK
by roystonw - 4/22/05 5:46 AM In reply to: 4/22/05 Should I buy or build a computer? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I build computers on a regular basis (buying components at retail prices from the internet) and have found here in the UK that I can still beat 90% of the retail outlets on price
| Forum legend: | |
 |
Locked thread |
 |
Moderator |
 |
CNET staff |
 |
Samsung staff |
 |
Norton Authorized Support team |
 |
AVG staff |
 |
Windows Outreach team |
 |
Dell staff |
 |
Intel staff |
