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Building your own PC vs. Buying pre-built custom PC |
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By Dr Bytes
 One of the joys of a modern Personal Computer is how easy it is to upgrade components to bring it in line with the requirements of the latest software and Operating Systems. Many computer users recommend building a new custom computer from scratch rather than buying a branded system, there can be some benefits and drawbacks of building your own custom PC system which we will look into.
One of the main advantages sighted for building a custom PC yourself is the cost savings you can enjoy, buying the parts separately online is often considered to work out less than buying a custom computer with the same parts already assembled. This advantage has deteriorated over the years as the computer industry has become increasingly competitive and with many computer suppliers the total price would be around the same as buying the components separately, at times special offer deals on custom computers can be found that have a lower price than buying individual parts.
Custom PC suppliers can often source their components at lower prices than suppliers of computer components, how do
they achieve this? A custom computer builder normally buys larger quantities as they stock a smaller range of products compared to component stores that aim to offer a larger range of components. This results in the stores with the large product range buying small quantities of each product from the manufacturer at higher prices.
The price of software, such as the Operating System and Office software, is another consideration that favours buying a pre-built system. These essential pieces of software come in either retail or OEM flavour; the latter can only be purchased with a new custom computer system and is far cheaper, normally around half the price of retail.
Time spent on assembling a custom PC yourself is another consideration, this normally takes 1-2 hours to put together the system and set up the Operating System and drivers. But, if youre not well versed in the latest range of components, it will take a few hours to look into the right parts that are compatible with each other, and a few hours to read the instruction manuals and put the system together correctly.
Once you have ordered all your parts and they have arrived at your door, its time to unpack the individual components and read through the manual. You would need to get familiar with the design of the case and how to fit the drives inside the case and connect the wires to the motherboard. The moment of truth comes when the power button is pressed, as you hold your breath and wait for the fans to start spinning and something to show up on the monitor. As the monitor comes out of standby you can pat yourself on the back, and breathe a sigh of relief. If this isnt the case, you have a big headache finding out which component is the culprit, as a fault with any of the crucial components will prevent the computer system from booting.
Certain components can have compatibility issues with each other that are not outlined by the manufacturers, but only become apparent once the PC system has been assembled and first switched on.
This is where buying a pre-built custom PC has its merits, a firm that assembles computers on a daily basis will have experience in resolving these issues, as well as stock of replacement parts that they can slot in and isolate the faulty part. Building the system yourself does not grant you with that luxury, and once you have isolated the faulty part you would need to go through the hassle of shipping the part back to the supplier and waiting for a replacement part to arrive, all adding to cost and time expedited.
If you are in the market for a more high-performance gaming computer, it is commonly perceived that building yourself is the best way to go about it as you can assemble the system from exactly the parts you require and be confident that the parts used are only high quality branded components. With the increasing popularity of gaming PCs and wide range of components available that cater for the enthusiasts, custom computer suppliers have taken note of this growing market sector and are offering a wider range of high performance PC parts when configuring a system to order. Some gaming computer suppliers have strong expertise in this area and can offer a selection of parts that is tried-and-tested to deliver the best performance and stability for gaming.
High performance gaming PC systems use the latest chipsets and technology and need to be set up with the correct BIOS firmware and drivers installed to work correctly. This knowledge only comes from experience, and it would take hours to find the correct settings. If assembling the system yourself there are plenty of community forums that can assist in that area, if you are an enthusiast this is part of the puzzle of building your own gaming PC, and once you have it working perfectly you will really appreciate the machine after all the hard work and research you have put into it. If an out-of-the-box gaming experience is your preference a pre-built gaming system would be a far more accessible and simple option.
All in all, it is far more convenient and cost effective option to buy a pre-built system. The main drawback is the parts used and assembly process can vary in quality from one company to another. Before purchasing your dream PC make sure you find out the make and model of the parts used, especially important is the motherboard, memory and PSU, as these are crucial components and the brand is not often mentioned by computer suppliers.
At www.dinopc.com we aim to eat up the competition by providing top deals, wide range of quality components, a user-friendly ordering process, excellent build quality and great customer service.
http://www.dinopc.com
http://www.dinopc.co.uk
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Last Updated ( Monday, 26 January 2009 )
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