Build vs Buy

[BaldEagl]

I always wonder at this forum.  For those of us that frequent it, we all know it's less expensive to build a computer than to buy one and we all have our ideas of what the ideal build is.  That's great for those who log on and say they want to build a new computer and ask for help/suggestions or those who post a parts list for feedback. 

Of course, then comes the question of budget.  What I so often see is people suggesting upgrading parts with no regard for the budget someone's laid out.  Soon that $700 build is nearing $1000.  Of course we all know that spending about 50% more is going to build a nicer machine but that wasn't what the person asked for.  Occasionally someone will up the budget for better parts but that should be at their option (based on your budget I'd get this and this but you know, for $50 more you could have this instead and the benefit would be...).

I worked in the RV business for a very short time once.  The last thing we ever did was show someone an RV over their budget.  If a guy comes in to buy a Yugo you don't show him a Cadillac.  It's the fastest way to lose a sale.  On the other hand, if the guy comes in to buy a Cadillac and you also show him a Volvo he'll be a happy customer.  On this forum, we don't care about a sale, but we should care about helping within the "customer's" paramiters.

Then we come to the computer novices who want to buy a new machine but are scared deathless of trying to build one or they want instant gratification or they want the comfort of tech support and a warrantee program.  I see no harm in asking those people if they are willing to try to build and pointing out the ballpark benefits, but if they don't express an interest right away then my guess is they aren't interested.  That being the case, I think we should help guide them to making the best purchase possible rather than make them feel bad for spending too much.  Not everyone is willing to build.

This isn't directed at anyone in particular or at any particular threads; it's just a trend I see here all too often and I have been guilty of it myself on occasion.  I've posted something similar in the past but I felt like it was time to say it again.

Anyway, I'll step off the soapbax now and let you all flame away.

[Fulmar]

+1

[infowars]

Thanks Eagle...  We'd appreciate that...

[smokey23]

With the state of the economy these days building one youreself makes all the sense in the world. Most of the companies offering PC components have drastically cut there prices trying to stay afloat. I was one of those that was freakin over the thought of building a machine that at first glance seems like a huge daunting task. However after doing research on the web watching video's on the building of a PC i realized even a novice can do this. My suggestion is for anyone wanting to attempt to build a rig just google "assembling a computer" and watch the video's and read the articles. it doesnt take a PHD in computer science to build one. Take youre time get the components you can afford and give it a try. I think you would be pleasantly surprised on how the fear about trying to build  youre own computer wasnt warranted. Most of the components you buy come with a manufacturer's warrantee and will be replaced if these parts are DOA when they arrive. Buying a rig already built at youre local bestbuy or circuit city is to me a waste of hard earned money it takes a few hours to build a rig youreself and just because a computer says COMPAQ or alienware on it doesnt meen its better than any other rig on the market. They are all built useing the same parts as every other computer out there.I say just shop around buy the parts you can afford and go for it.

NO FLAME: just an opinion

[1701E]

I always wondered if it was just me noticing that people jump out with 900$ do-it-yourself PCs when all the people want is an AH machine.
Most times I see people suggesting the high-end parts for such a simple Computer.  Yet a much cheaper, still good PC is available.  For example, my PC ends up being rather cheap and for AH it is ideal, runs on high with low level AA at 50-72 frame rate, refresh rate at 72.

For all the needed parts: Motherboard $50 - CPU $60 - RAM $40 - PSU $30 - GPU $100 - Hard drive $80 - DVD drive $30, my total comes to about $400.
  So, why is it so many people instantly throw out 900$ options if a cheaper options is available?  Are they afraid a cheap PC is not worth it, or simply trying to keep them in good shape for a few years?

Ok, back to you BaldEagl.

[Getback]

I always wondered if it was just me noticing that people jump out with 900$ do-it-yourself PCs when all the people want is an AH machine.
Most times I see people suggesting the high-end parts for such a simple Computer.  Yet a much cheaper, still good PC is available.  For example, my PC ends up being rather cheap and for AH it is ideal, runs on high with low level AA at 50-72 frame rate, refresh rate at 72.

For all the needed parts: Motherboard $50 - CPU $60 - RAM $40 - PSU $30 - GPU $100 - Hard drive $80 - DVD drive $30, my total comes to about $400.
  So, why is it so many people instantly throw out 900$ options if a cheaper options is available?  Are they afraid a cheap PC is not worth it, or simply trying to keep them in good shape for a few years?

Ok, back to you BaldEagl.

I'm guilty of this in a big way. However, my bias and my successes probably dictate where I should really be focusing on budget constraints.

[DREDIOCK]

I always wondered if it was just me noticing that people jump out with 900$ do-it-yourself PCs when all the people want is an AH machine.
Most times I see people suggesting the high-end parts for such a simple Computer.  Yet a much cheaper, still good PC is available.  For example, my PC ends up being rather cheap and for AH it is ideal, runs on high with low level AA at 50-72 frame rate, refresh rate at 72.

For all the needed parts: Motherboard $50 - CPU $60 - RAM $40 - PSU $30 - GPU $100 - Hard drive $80 - DVD drive $30, my total comes to about $400.
  So, why is it so many people instantly throw out 900$ options if a cheaper options is available?  Are they afraid a cheap PC is not worth it, or simply trying to keep them in good shape for a few years?

Ok, back to you BaldEagl.

LOL I started off trying ot build a budget bang for buck machine.
Then did it to myself. "yea well this part will do. but for $X it would be so much better.
Cant even blame it too much on the folks here. Like I said. I did it to myself.
Aint complaining though. This should hold me over for alot longer then a less expencive build would've.

I get call from friends asking my advise on what they should get.
First question I ask is "what are you going to be doing with it"
If all they are going to do is surf the web a bit and do Email and maybe burn their photos onto CD occasionally.
I tell em even an EMachine will do them nicely.

If they say they want to be able to run the latest greatest games.
Then I will try to steer them to higher end machines.

The largest problem I see people I know who run out and buy lower end machines is they run out of hard drive space and/or not get enough memory.
so fo trhe lower end machines I usually reccomend a higher capacity HD and more memory then some of these come with stock.

Be nice if my sister in law listened to me.
Now her hard drive it literally FILLED to capacity.
And there isnt much I can do to help her untill she either gets rid of some of the junk she has on it. or gives me the go ahead to install a second hard drive.

But thats getting a bit off topic

[Ghosth]

Right on target as usual bald, well said.

[eagl]

One thing that is disappointing nowadays is that it's tough to learn how to build PCs.  The upgrade paths for many pre-built computers is not terribly obvious or cost-effective.  You buy a nice machine, and find out that it uses a discontinued line of CPUs or can't handle the voltages for the latest cpu.  Or it only has 2 memory slots and you have to toss out the old ram to get new stuff.  Or they left off the pci-e slot.  Or even if there is a pci-e slot and you want to make a substantial upgrade, the case is 3 inches too short for the latest video cards.  And worst IMHO, are computers sold with cases that will not accept standard ATX motherboards.

That's how I and most others learned, but I was lucky and my first computer was built by UNISYS under a special contract with the USAF Academy.  The computer used a SCSI bus and several business-grade components and the only thing non-standard about it was the ram was soldered on the mobo and the mobo had a special memory bus slot for ram upgrades.  Of course that special memory card was not sold to us, so to add more ram we used ram expander cards that slotted into standard 16-bit ISA slots (yea, that's slow, but it was the only way to get some software to run).  Upgrading that computer one step at a time, starting with another hard drive, going to more ram, putting in an ISA hard drive card and ISA hard drive, plopping in a math co-processor, getting one of the first "windows accelerator" video cards, adding a soundblaster "pro" (skipped first soundblaster and adlib cards due to a monthly salary of $60) going to one of the first AMD "clock doubled" cpus (one of the first lines of cpus with a clock multiplier!), and finally going for a new mobo to start clean, was how I learned to do everything.  By the time I discarded that old case, I was pretty damn good at linux, networking, windows 3.11, dos, could work my way around in a sun workstation, and was familiar with almost all conventional hardware configurations since I'd tried them all.

When I had the money, I treated myself to a premium pre-built computer (anyone remember Zeos?  Damn good computers) around the time CK hit public beta, and I splurged on 32 meg of EDO ram, one of those spiffy S3-968 video cards which gave an astonishing 640x480 with accelerated 3D graphics in CK, and it was in a huge case that the magazine reviewers said was a model of upgradability.  That case lasted about 4 years, and it was the last time my main computer was pre-built.

It's hard to do that today unless you buy from a boutique shop and get parts that you know up front have an upgrade path.