Ready made computers vs custom build???

[AWWWCRAP]

I saw this hp computer at Fry's for $699:

http://www.netaffilia.com/ad/electronics/frys/i/2006/10/25/20330.html


After adding costs (i.e. motherboard & other parts) to build a computer that are the same as hp, I'm finding that I would actually spend much more money if I would add a video card & a nice case w/ front usb/media card.

Am I looking at the wrong places (Fry's Electronics) to buy parts? Or are the computer co. finally competing against just building it yourself?

Very frusting! :|

 

[DaveSimmons]

It depends. The P4 D 915 2.8 GHz is a second-rate CPU compared to an AMD X2 3800+ (roughly equivalent to P4 3.1 GHz x2) or an intel Core 2 E6300 (better than P4 3.6 GHz x2).

You might be better off looking at Dell's desktops with those processors instead if you want a prebuilt.

If you want a budget gaming computer it can be cheaper to build your own because most of the prebuilt budget computers like this come with either integrated graphics (useless) or only very low end cards like a Radeon X1300 or geforce 7300. Some intel-based systems don't even have a PCI-E slot to put in a better graphics card.

What do you want to do with the PC?

 

[AWWWCRAP]

I would like to use it for the most advanced games & at max settings, make dvd movies, watch movies, multitask etc.

I have an agp motherboard right now, & my goal is to move to the next generation.

its my nvidia 5200 pos that made me look in to all of this. I'm trying to save money for the long run.

 

[DaveSimmons]

For heavy gaming you want an Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 or E6600, 2 GB of RAM, and at least an nvidia 7900GTX or 7950GX2 or a Radeon X1900XTX.

Click the Video tab up above and read the "Fall '06 NVIDIA GPU Refresh - Part II: GeForce 7950 GT and SLI" for what kind of performance to expect.

You'll see that even those cards have trouble delivering very high resolutions with the most demanding games like Oblivion.

Expect to spend $1,500 - 2,000 for a heavy gaming system.

 

[AWWWCRAP]

I've thought about that too. It just sucks that its so expensive.

How many years do you think that can system last? Games like fear & Oblivion make these systems last in short duration.

by the way, thx for the quick response!

 

[theheartofwinter]

Are Alienware computers any good? They seem very expensive or would you be better off building a computer by yourself?

 

[jodoog]

Alienware are seriously overpriced for high end computers. But there are some less well known sites that can build computers for similar (or slightly more) than the price of building your own.

 

[benplaut]

From my experience, stay away from Cyberpower/Ibuypower/American Frontier Tech. Their prices are great (and the parts, too), but you'd better hope nothing goes wrong -- customer support is horrid.

 

[dfuze]

Personally, I think it's better to build your own. 99% of the time it will be cheaper, and you can be sure to install quality parts, instead of whatever is the cheapest to give the company a better monthly bottom line. Sure, it's up to you to diagnose problems, but to be honest, when you have quality parts going into it, most of the time a system will be solid.

I don't know about Fry's prices, as they aren't here in the east coast. I haven't checked their website either. I have bought most of my stuff at Newegg and can say I have been 100% satisfied w/ their prices & service. Hell, the last 4 times I've ordered something that has been marked as "Free 3 day shipping", I've had it delivered the next day (I'm in CT, they have one of their warehouses in NJ).

 

[hurtstotalktoyou]

Yup, building your own is *almost always* cheaper in the short run, and you save even more in the long run. Dell offers some competitive deals, but unless they're configured just right (and they never are, in my experience) you can build something better for the same price or less.

 

[pushVTEC]

IMO it may not always be cheaper to build your own pc. If you are building a regular pc that isn't very high end, dell and other manufacturers will most likely be cheaper. They use specialized parts and can get deals on them that we can't. Now I think that if you know what you are doing the reliability, performance, and quality of your home built machine will surpass that of a regular manufacturer, so it may be worth the extra $$$. Where you start saving money by building your own is in more high-end pcs. The pc I built for $1300 would have cost me $1500 to have a local company do it or if I did a dell, alienware, etc it would have cost me in excess of 1700 easily. Basically your savings increases with the price of the machine you are building. My .02

 

[Boyo]

In the long run, you are actually better off building your own PC. You will have a solid PC that you can upgrade as you go along. With a Dell, you pretty much end up having to buy a whole new PC as your upgrade.