Community Newsletter: Q&A: 4/22/05 Should I buy or build a computer?
- 4/22/05 2:56 PM
Learn & build your own!
by TBolt - 4/22/05 7:58 AM In reply to: 4/22/05 Should I buy or build a computer? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
If the user has the time, he ought to take an A+ course (no need to pay for the final exam if the certification doesn't matter to you). One class will teach you far more than you know today, & you'll understand how great it is to know more about computers than the average user dweeb. 
Have fun with it!
Should I Buy Or Build?
by jalandry - 4/22/05 8:11 AM In reply to: 4/22/05 Should I buy or build a computer? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
You can shop and find a store built comp[uter at a very conservative price. BUT Is that all youre looking for. Most OEM Computers have Propieritary operating systems and tons of software. If youre looking for a computer that you want special Software on and special perifials, go shop at a reptuable computer builder. Ask and let them explain what they have, and does it meet your specific needs. Are you a gamer or a person that needs a computer for speciality work? Check more than one dealer and make youre purchase a complete acceptable computer that you either build yourself or one that has all you need or one that is UPGRADEABLE in the future. A custom built computer will cost a little more but you won't be buying a locked in OEM Product. JOHN
Yes. You definitely CAN save money, but...
by cadavatar - 4/22/05 8:17 AM In reply to: 4/22/05 Should I buy or build a computer? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Tiger Direct is a source I look to for good deals on computer stuff.
Want to buy a 17" flat panel from Dell? it'll cost over $100 more than at Tiger Direct. Add a 17" flat panel to a complete barebones system, and you can come in a couple hundred or more under the price of a similarly configured Dell system, and Dell is the most reasonable of the major computer brands, so yeah... money can be saved.
I don't know if the author of this article has completed his homework on this subject, but working for some frugal bosses has led me to the path of least resistance. Ironically, we standardized as a company on Dell and it's not their call for generic machines anymore, but I still keep close watch on where the best deals are for my own interests.
The downsides are 1. you probably have to deal with rebates, 2. warranty coverage is by component, not for the entire system and 3. you have to put it all together yourself and provide an operating system. I would just migrate my Windows 2000 over because XP is a memory hog with no real advantages over its predecessor, except burning CD's directly from explorer.
depends on what you are building
by sword - 4/22/05 8:28 AM In reply to: 4/22/05 Should I buy or build a computer? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
If you want a highly responsive gamer baord then building your own is the way to go. I recently was pricing dells a very good computer high end models and although the price seemed right the power supplys were only 480 watts ...video cards were not capture ready..and if you wanted falt screens etc it was all extra. something the advertisements do not tell you.i built a amd 2600+processesor 1 gig 400mhz drr ram,265 ddr vid card dvd rom writer cd rom writer duo boot xp system 160 + 80 gig harddrives 600 watt powersupply killer cool see through case the suusal floppy drive anda creative 5.1 sound card with 30 harmon kardons speaker system with bass kicker all for around 1500 dollars getting exactly what i wanted.that beats about anything you can buy off the shelf and the mother board is a gamer k7sem pro 5a.
My HP 3400+ refurb cost me only $550
by lingsun - 4/23/05 3:27 PM In reply to: depends on what you are building by swordMy HP 3400+ refurb cost me only $550. It has a 128 meg video card, 512 megs ram, DVD burner, and a 160 gig hard drive, among other things. Best of all I got it for $550 when HP.com was selling refurbished models for $799. I bought mine from compusaauctions.com on eBay. It seems like an incredible waste of money to build a system for $1500 when you couldn't sell it for half that today. And a year or two from now it will be SLOW by current standards.
buy or build why not upgrade
by goofytechie - 4/22/05 8:36 AM In reply to: 4/22/05 Should I buy or build a computer? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
replacing Motherboard & CPU with todays versions
gives SATA choice,Ultra ATA133 IDE,USB 2.0,8x AGP,etc,
Motherbrd+CPU for $150 avge
gives at least 2.0ghz CPU or higher,maybe 4yr old Mem
replaced with latest DDR also at 400mhz
allow $200 for Upgrade to 2004 specs,
existing Floppy,CD/DVD-ROM,Writers ,Hard Drives
all can be used,if Power supply is less than 300
it can be replaced also cheaply $20 to $30
This is what I did with Slot one type PC which was 500mhz
MSI Motherboard+AMD XP 2400+, 256MB DDR memory,
replacing original items,very quickly done parts switch over,then Drivers CD came with new Board,installed them
of course Radeon AGP was moved from old to new Board,
as Dive C: had allready Radeon Drivers
only Board driver were needed,
this way U still keep all youre Hard drive items as is,
But now its New it can use WindowsXP if it was using Windows98SE, as Dual Boot,on another partition,
retired techie Keith
Upgrading still costs hundreds
by lingsun - 4/23/05 3:07 PM In reply to: buy or build why not upgrade by goofytechieDon't upgrade, sell the old one on eBay. Then buy a new one for $600 or less. It's always the cheaper way to go.
Buy or Build?
by Phazer500 - 4/22/05 8:38 AM In reply to: 4/22/05 Should I buy or build a computer? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I'm a PC support specialist by trade so I'm doing it all-- network admin, database programming as well as day to day user support. I, of course have to repair PCs as needed. I build PCs for people as a side business as well. When someone asks me why they should buy a PC built by me instead of an "off the shelf" system I say this.-- 1) When I build a PC it is extremely non-proprietary meaning that when upgrade rime eventually arrives, they will not have to rely on purchasing components from a single company. 2) They get exactly what they want for features 3) Windows comes optimized--when you buy an "off the shelf PC" and turn it on, Windows is NOT optimized. It's full of useless 'eye candy' that can cause even the fastest PC to run slowly and there are things that need to be turned off for performance as well. and 4) You don’t get al kinds of useless trial and demo versions of software installed on your PC that you’ll never use
I can assemble a PC in about an hour because I've built so many. What takes all the time is loading the operating system and any other software the customer may want such as Office and antivirus programs.
## If you research different parts vendors, you’ll see that you can purchase top quality components at extremely reasonably prices.
**My point is that after you've built your first PC, you'll see that it's quite easy as everything is now very standardized.
Good luck.
Recycle Parts
by baileyde - 4/22/05 8:42 AM In reply to: 4/22/05 Should I buy or build a computer? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hopefully when you are ready to build you a system you can recycle some of the parts from you old computer, such as floppy drive, hard drive (if you are satisfied with size, or use as a slave). Maybe use power supply is is rated high enough for your new system. The only negitive thing I have found over the years, is buying a 20 meg, yes meg hard card drive for $800.00 and years later chuck it. Getting back to building. I would build, it just seems the sysem you build is more solid, the ready to go just seem so cheap. It is a really great feeling to build a compuer and have it come to life without those company logo. Good Luck. My first computer was an 8088.
Build it
by David - Arizona - 4/22/05 8:55 AM In reply to: 4/22/05 Should I buy or build a computer? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I agree with much of what has been said but disagree as to cost. For all but the most high end computer, we are talking about having the operating system be a considerable percentage of the overall cost of the machine. Why would you buy a dell or other with xp preloaded rather that use the version that you already paid for? Same with other components. Maybe you need a new monitor but if your existing one is fine, dont buy a machine from someone else that includes a monitor. Same with your disk drives, same with your hard drive. Keep your existing drive and add it to your new machine. Get the features you want, assuming that you know what you want, and only pay for what you need.
I am a big fan of the bare bones systems. Pick out a motherboard, case and processor and let them put it together and test it for you. You can add the rest of the items easily and inexpensively. And, by doing so, the bare bones assembler will give you some warranty protection.
Builder Parts...Quality?
by auntetr - 4/22/05 9:04 AM In reply to: 4/22/05 Should I buy or build a computer? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I purchased a computer from a local PC shop and there are pros and cons.
The biggest Pro is that you can upgrade what you want and not be forced into a "package".
I called Dell three years ago and some ambitious sales kid advised me I could not get "just the box" which was all I needed, (not true) and that I would buy the system and get a "free" printer, monitor and keyboard. I stated "nothing is free" and went to the local shop as I wanted all the cash to go into the best box I could get.
The second Pro is that if something is wrong, I can take it to the shop and usually as I wait it is fixed. (And if so inclined, you have someone live to complain to in person.)
The Con is I have found a few sub-standard parts that were obtained to make the PC as cheap as possible. Sort of like some American auto makers...
I would study up as suggested by the other posts and do it yourself! Everything in life is scary to some degree the first time. The first time I dug into my computer I was nervous, but I just recently installed a Toshiba dual-layer DVD writer and although it didn't boot the first time, a quick read through the instructs again revealed a possibility of needing to move a "jumper" piece over on the terminals and Voila!
it works awesomely.
Courage!
I DISAGREE!
by cirecomputers - 4/22/05 9:05 AM In reply to: 4/22/05 Should I buy or build a computer? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Without a doubt this is a NO brainer. BUILD YOUR OWN PC!
Get all your parts online i.e Newegg.com or pricwatch.com.The cost will be about the same as a "so called Bargain PC". I have worked on Dells,Hp's,E-machines etc. and the so called bargain models all have one thing in common; They're CHEAP! and I don't mean inexpensive. You basically get from these company's a fancy case and an "everything but the kitchen sink motherboard. Video is onboard sharing precious SYSTEM memory and causing possible crashes and or conflicts. Lan, modem and sound are on board as well. What does this mean to you? Well if your motherboard dies, EVERYTHING DIES! With a "build it yourself" PC you can choose all your own SEPERATE quality components. For Example, ATI or Nvidia Video with its own SEPERATE very fast memory. Your own awesome sound card like Creative labs Audigy. The secret to keeping the cost down is buying all your parts online. Each vendor is quality rated. Don't buy from your local CompUSA, it's just not cost effective.
My 9 year old cousin put a PC together. Nowadays its as easy as building a small puzzle. One last note on Proprietary models. They not only have their own cheap boards built solely for their company's, but they have the BIOS built as well.This means NO tweaking for you! It's your choice buy a cheap computer that you pray will last a year or build your own for about the same money that will last 4 or 5 years minimum. YOU DO THE MATH!
No, you don't want ANY computer for 4 or 5 years
by lingsun - 4/23/05 3:16 PM In reply to: I DISAGREE! by cirecomputersNobody in their right mind should want a computer for 4 or 5 years. Instead, buy a cheap computer this year. Next year sell the old one on eBay and buy another cheap one. In 2 years the cheapest emachine will be better than the most expensive computer today.
I buy refurbs online. The most I spent was $600 for a Compaq 3000+ with a DVD burner and I got that 2 years ago. In January I bought a Compaq 3200+ for $430 and I sold the 3000+ on eBay for $399, less fees.
U didnt take into count
by Rexo - 4/22/05 9:10 AM In reply to: 4/22/05 Should I buy or build a computer? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
U can not only save in your hardware, but how about users who dont use windows, like me, i use Linux!!!
Then, u will also save on your software, ´cause HP , Dell or any, you are also purshasing the Operating System(Windows) plus office and some other software. Then, if u have the chance, learn , prepare your self and then build it, u will save a lot. I did save 600 bucks on a very similar HP pc, and i do know the pieces i bought are extrem quality!!!
BUILD BUILD BUILD
by HerrRolf - 4/22/05 9:34 AM In reply to: 4/22/05 Should I buy or build a computer? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
The response of you can't save money building a computer is untrue. I built my own computer and it cost me $400 less than a comparable off the shelf one. Plus, off the shelf computers have poor optical drives (for the most part), plastic galore, cheap power supply, and questionable craftsmanship. Build your own, it is not difficult and so much more cost effective.
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