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Desktops: Poll: When it comes to a new PC, do you build or buy?
- 10/16/09 3:18 PM
dream machine
by kami2k - 10/16/09 8:57 PM In reply to: Poll: When it comes to a new PC, do you build or buy? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
well, the pcs from most companies, have built in sound card, graphics, that doesn't have true performance,
i highly recommend that you buy the components and give them to hardware shop and let me build you a dream machine for you.
Build My Own
by Dashkatt - 10/16/09 9:24 PM In reply to: Poll: When it comes to a new PC, do you build or buy? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Build myself -
(a) 1/2 the price of buying a new store-bought unit and much better quality.
(b) I know the quality of each piece of hardware that's inside
(c) It's easy to do
(d) Did I mention cost?
(e) I'm trying to put Mr. NewEgg's kids through college
Build or "build"?
by StigR - 10/16/09 11:59 PM In reply to: Poll: When it comes to a new PC, do you build or buy? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I "build" i.e. I replace the weakest link...
Last replacement was a faster DVD writer, and before that a new (=used) motherboard w/3.4GHz/2GbDDR2 and before that a new (brand new!) PSU 500W
All in a case from -1996..
Good enough for me, even for making PCH-layouts and electronic simulations.
Slow when converting videofiles, but who waste time on watching crappy videos???
Big bad machine
by wlwhipple - 10/16/09 11:59 PM In reply to: Poll: When it comes to a new PC, do you build or buy? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I didn't want a game machine, yet I wanted significantly more compute capability than my failing Dell M70. By building my own, I have a machine that pegs the Windows Vista performance at the max 5.9.
I build it myself
by Ocarinist - 10/17/09 1:58 AM In reply to: Poll: When it comes to a new PC, do you build or buy? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I choose all the components myself, and I build a PC out of it together with my father. I can do most things alone though. Only the PSU is still a bit confusing to me, but so far, I've only done one PC. I will certainly build one again next time.
Buying one can cause so many catastrophies. A classmate of mine recently bought a simple office PC for 600 euros (900 USD) (1,8GHz Core 2 Duo, onboard video...). My gaming PC costed me 650 euros (970 USD) one year ago. I can max every single game @1650*1050. Buying a complete one can be really expensive (although this was an extreme example), and you still get **** for your money.
It's a Learning Experience
by High Desert Charlie - 10/17/09 2:25 AM In reply to: Poll: When it comes to a new PC, do you build or buy? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I got started with computers in the early 80's, and the first thing I wanted to do was tear one apart to learn what components were being used, how easily they could be repaired/replaced, and the investment of time I could expect. It was just as exciting for me as running to the Christmas tree as a kid, and it still is.
For me, part of the whole computer experience from the very beginning was to learn how they worked, learn to write programs and then make them work on a computer that I had built myself. When something went wrong, if you had done your work well you knew right where to go to find a solution.
I've fallen behind on the programming side of things, but I still like the excitement of picking out the ideal parts for every rig that I build. Getting the right motherboard that runs perfectly for the selected CPU, and choosing memory that is well suited to sizzle with your other components. Even picking out a rad looking CPU Cooler is fun. Tack on one or two brand new hard drives (maybe I'll try those Raptors on this one) and throw in a Multidrive and a Blu-Ray player, stick on your favorite card reader and open up that new monster case you've been drooling over for the past 6 months. You may need to lease a crane to haul in that 1200 Watt modular power supply, and wire everything up like a Christmas tree, bolt in a couple new Vid Cards and before you know it, you've got it all together, you decide to Raid or no Raid, you pop in your Brand New Windows 7 disk and after a few hours of loading up your favorite apps, you're screaming down the information highway on your own, brand new, home build Hot Rod.
Now what could be better than that?
See Ya
When it comes to a new PC, do you build or buy?
by BenShami - 10/17/09 3:27 AM In reply to: Poll: When it comes to a new PC, do you build or buy? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I build my own PCs. I started building my own PCs to save money. I found that I could save about a third of the price if I carefully shopped the parts. The other advantage is that I could make sure of the quality and functionality of the PC by buying the parts that supported my needs. I have also managed to find out so much about the parts through reading articles posted on the web. To date I have built or rebuilt about fifteen computers, some AMD builds and some Intel builds. I was even considering building a Mac, mostly because I hadn't built one before, as I did my research I found that its just a PC that supports its own software and has all the same problems a PC has with a much more limited selection of software and I decide it didn't really fit my "multi-media, gamer on a budget" building style. In the process of building my own PCs I have also learned to troubleshoot problems and eliminate potential problems by building around them. It has also given me confidence to tackle other things in my life, I think its not for everyone, yet, I feel like I'm in a bit of a club...like being a member of something larger than myself.
Build For Satisfaction & Cost
by tamarack20 - 10/17/09 4:57 AM In reply to: Poll: When it comes to a new PC, do you build or buy? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have built several PCs over the last few years to use in my business.
I find that they last longer than the PCs I have purchased, probably because I use quality components and pay close attention to ventilation and layout.
Also, I can get a comparable PC at a lower price because I can re-use so many components & peripherals.
I replace monitors, keyboards, mice, CD/DVD writers, as needed so these are seldom as old as the old CPU & MotherBoard & HardDrive and may be quite new.
Software can be the most expensive expenditure so I use free open source software(such as OpenOffice) as much as possible. Windows can usually be purchased at an OEM discount with the CPU and/or Motherboard although I will try a free Linux distro such as Ubuntu with the computer I am just starting to build.
Building Computers for Fun
by ebclarke - 10/17/09 5:15 AM In reply to: Poll: When it comes to a new PC, do you build or buy? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Just built a couple so far, mostly for the FUN of it to see if I could. I was a shipboard electronics technician in the Navy back in the 60's, and was curious to see if the electrons we used back then were the like the one's used today, as my impressions are that some people give me the impression that they are a recent development/discovery. Oddly they seem to behave nearly the same way.
Seems as though, although a lot of developments have taken place in the last 50 years, some aspects of electronics that we learned then still apply today.
Also, some people don't seem to realize that a lot of the "cutting edge" technology employed in today's electonics were actually invented 40 or 50 years ago (this has been a revelation to me). The main reason that you did not see them then were due mostly to manufacturing limitations as well as marketing perceptions at the time. Also applications programming was pretty much still not developed to the extent that it is today.
I am not convinced that with today's prices for low end boxes that it makes economic sense to build one for general usage. (e-mail, web surfing, word processing, simple spread sheets etc. I do think that for special purpost high end boxes it probably is more economical to build yourself, plus you can customize it to the extent that would be very expensive to have made for you.
E.C.
building computers for fun
by davidwheeler - 10/17/09 8:53 AM In reply to: Building Computers for Fun by ebclarkeI bought the last one complete from Aldi because it was so cheap. The previous one I had had built but modified it greatly over the years to keep it updated. This new one is so good I don't see myself needing to do this until the guarantee runs out (only 2 more years to go) when I shall open the box and stuff some new stuff in it I expect.
Build your own if...
by luke24.5 - 10/17/09 10:19 AM In reply to: building computers for fun by davidwheelerYou run powerful programs. Anything will search the net these days and word process. Bottom end computers with dated chipsets are plenteous at Walmart/Best Buy/Dell but your getting minimum power both in psu's and cpu's.
Proprietary prices go up much more quickly when you upgrade than you can buy the same upgrades your self. Beward uprading proprietary machines.
12/03 & 02/04 i built 2 mic-range computers at the time for my church for a total of <1500. But they wanted a Dell to run the data projector so I didn't stand in the way. I took the computer home they rejected and still use it. Meanwhile the $1600 Dell came with a 250W PSU and as a result lacked the power to drive the upgraded video card/projector. Had to replace both he vid card and the psu in 3 years. Both the office computer which I built and the one I brought home have been great.
Low end junk.
by salsashark - 10/17/09 10:05 AM In reply to: Building Computers for Fun by ebclarkeSure you can go to walmart or aldi's and buy a low end box but what you are probably going to get are old, refurbished and out of date parts that you cannot upgrade. For example, I was at walmart the other day just humoring myself and looking at their computers. For the most part none of them were upgradeable. Most of the motherboards that are in their computers will not hold any more ram and still use older slower ram and their onboard video was so far behind the times.... For the exact same price I can build an econo-box machine that IS upgradeable and doesn't have refurbished parts. I know alot of people may say hey, no way there have computers with refurbished parts but it's true, I work in a local computer store where we deal with fools that buy these things and we love it, more business for us, but in reality if you want a computer that will work for years and is upgradeable, don't buy an econo-box from these places, save yourself the headache that will soon follow. I can build an econo box machine for around $225.00 if I buy parts from Newegg.com.
Build your own and save money and know what is in your PC!
by salsashark - 10/17/09 9:53 AM In reply to: Poll: When it comes to a new PC, do you build or buy? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Build my own of course. I went with building my own, and have for years, because of the price savings, not to mention I know there are no discontinued or refurbished parts in my computer (gateway & emachines). If I had went with a Dell it would have cost me over $2000.00 but I built an AMD Phenom II 940 black edition with a XFX 260 GTX+ black edition, huge WD HD black edition, 4GB of Kingston Hyper X, Logitech gaming mouse, keyboard, headset and speakers, 2-22" Acer widescreens and so on, and I spent right at $1000.00 from Newegg. By building my own I got the exact case and parts that I wanted. You still get the manufacturers warranty on parts so that's not an issue. Buying from Newegg I know if there are any problems I can return the part or parts for different ones or even get my money back if I don't need a particular part. Also, when you build your own, you can make sure the parts you put in it are upgradeable, unlike manufacturers of computers that put the bare minimum of parts in it to make sure you come back soon to buy another. Also, if you build your own, you can make sure you don't use parts like Dell that require you buy parts from Dell or whatever manufacturer you buy from (proprietary parts).
Upgrade, upgrade, upgrade.
by hinkdog - 10/17/09 10:30 AM In reply to: Poll: When it comes to a new PC, do you build or buy? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
PC's were designed to be upgraded, but in practice, few people do. I always upgade, and it adds years to how long I keep my box. I always start by buying a quality up-to-date motherboard and a high quality PSU. Then I buy solid middle of the road components for the rest. I don't have the need, or the extra cash, to pay $400 for a video card. But guess what? Two to three years later, you can probably pick up that same $400 card for $59 somewhere. And for less than $100 you can probably pop in a new cpu that's twice as fast as the one you had. Add a couple of sticks of RAM and you have a seriously rejuvinated computer. If you buy preconfigured from the big vendors, they purposely design them so that you can't just plug in aftermarket parts. I would never buy a Dell!
When it comes to a new PC, do you build or buy?
by dxjanis - 10/17/09 12:58 PM In reply to: Poll: When it comes to a new PC, do you build or buy? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have purchased all of my computers on-line (Dell outlet) or Dell home & small office. I have customized the order(s) and I have also updated the computer(s) after delivery. I could build my own but why bother, the parts generally cost more than a factory job.
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