Computer Building vs Buying

[Canadan]

Put this in the hobbies section as I feel like those who would answer this probably enjoy this as a hobby.

I'm thinking about getting a new desktop computer. I enjoy my Macbook pro, but based on my usage, I'd like to have the MBP to be mobile with limited use, and then have a solid workhorse for things like gaming and photoshop etc -- something that I don't need to be mobile at all.

Can you guys encourage me to build vs buy? If I had a budget of let's say 5-700 USD, what would you recommend?

 

[Girardcorp]

I built a desktop from scratch to handle just flight sim stuff and thought it would be real tough. In actuality it was very simple and cost me about a third of what they can be built for online. I especially liked being able to pick specific components. Then with a copy of windows 7 from newegg and I was all set. Works fine. Had an issue with a power supply but as I built it swapped it out easily. I'd definitely do it again.


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[Canadan]

I built a desktop from scratch to handle just flight sim stuff and thought it would be real tough. In actuality it was very simple and cost me about a third of what they can be built for online. I especially liked being able to pick specific components. Then with a copy of windows 7 from newegg and I was all set. Works fine. Had an issue with a power supply but as I built it swapped it out easily. I'd definitely do it again.


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Thanks for the thoughts Girard. What kind of specs did you go with, how much did you spend, and what were the comparable pre-built options prices? You said it only cost you a third of what the unit would be that was pre-built? That's impressive.

 

[Martsy]

at that budget, you honestly might be better off buying. I build all my computers, both for myself and my father and his office. Been doing it for 15 years. But at the lower end, i just can't justify the savings building on my own. The major OEM's have really fought for this market, and between the lack of hassle and ease of return/RMA if something goes wrong, i personally would just buy one from a retailer or direct from the OEM. Especially if you're using windows as an OS, as that's going to run you roughly $100 right off the bat.

 

[Canadan]

at that budget, you honestly might be better off buying. I build all my computers, both for myself and my father and his office. Been doing it for 15 years. But at the lower end, i just can't justify the savings building on my own. The major OEM's have really fought for this market, and between the lack of hassle and ease of return/RMA if something goes wrong, i personally would just buy one from a retailer or direct from the OEM. Especially if you're using windows as an OS, as that's going to run you roughly $100 right off the bat.

This is something I've read a LOT. I'm sure it has plenty to do with buying in bulk, and then being able to have that warranty as a package rather than individually.

What price point do you think it would take to justify a computer build?

 

[Miller Time]

Thanks for the thoughts Girard. What kind of specs did you go with, how much did you spend, and what were the comparable pre-built options prices? You said it only cost you a third of what the unit would be that was pre-built? That's impressive.

I think 5-700 bucks is a little optimistic for something you're going to want for gaming, photoshop, etc. unless you can find the parts you need for super cheap.

 

[mpeterson]

I've done both - if I was going to use a windows desktop, I'd probably build it myself. It ends up being a whole lot cheaper for the quality of components than buying. On the flipside, you're doing your own support.

Actually trying to decide whether to go PC Desktop/Mac Laptop, or just go all Macs.

 

[Girardcorp]

Computer Building vs Buying

Thanks for the thoughts Girard. What kind of specs did you go with, how much did you spend, and what were the comparable pre-built options prices? You said it only cost you a third of what the unit would be that was pre-built? That's impressive.

For flight simming there were a few resources that recommended set ups for different price points. I went with an Intel i5-2500k at the time which can be over clocked. I think it has 16gb (4x4)of g skill sniper memory and a smaller ssd( Microsoft flight sim works better on small hard drives). I have an additional hard drive for OS and whatnot. Bought a sound card for a couple bucks at best buy. Case was only 50 or so. If you shop around you can get good deals and the components are better. If I had bought it would've been between 1500 and 2100 shipped to my door.


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[rtparty]

I've built half a dozen computers in my day. Super easy and a lot of fun learning a new skill. There are some pros and cons though to it all.

Pros:
New skill learned
You control EVERYTHING about the build and can easily replace/upgrade parts yourself
Can be cheaper/better bang for your buck
You don't have to worry about voiding any warranties for the most part (this can be a con as well. See below)

Cons:
No warranty/company to cover the computer (although most parts come with some type of warranty)
Can cost more on the lower end stuff (just can't compete with major companies and their discounts)
Can fry things very easily without proper research first

Those are just a couple I came up with. Again, I love doing it and have found it very easy to do. The first is a little nerve wracking just because you're unsure about it all. Not dealing with all the junk software and stupid crap that companies install is super nice.

 

[Martsy]

This is something I've read a LOT. I'm sure it has plenty to do with buying in bulk, and then being able to have that warranty as a package rather than individually.

What price point do you think it would take to justify a computer build?

if i was building a high end gaming or workstation it woudl definitely be more cost effective to build on my own, not to mention I'd be using better quality parts. But even building on my own for $500-700, i'd have to cut some corners, especially if i'm buying an OS. To put a $$$ amount on it alone, probably $1200+, with the benefit obviously increasing as you get further into the higher end. Really the savings is going to be on stuff like storage, memory, and higher end video cards, where the oem's really mark up.


edit: there is something to be said for the enjoyment of actually doing the build, and becoming more familiar with how it's put together...on the flip side though, trouble shooting somehting like a no post, can be a hair-pulling event, and you have no one ot really fall back on for help. (unless you're like my neighbors, who just come over and ask me)

 

[Canadan]

I think 5-700 bucks is a little optimistic for something you're going to want for gaming, photoshop, etc. unless you can find the parts you need for super cheap.

I figured I would start there to see if I could debunk the arguments I've read suggesting prices at that level would be equitable between builds and buys. I'm not looking to drop 2k on a computer, but I would really enjoy having a tank that can handle most everything i could throw at it.

What would you suggest?

For flight simming there were a few resources that recommended set ups for different price points. I went with an Intel i5-2500k at the time which can be over clocked. I think it has 16gb (4x4)of g skill sniper memory and a smaller ssd( Microsoft flight sim works better on small hard drives). I have an additional hard drive for OS and whatnot. Bought a sound card for a couple bucks at best buy. Case was only 50 or so. If you shop around you can get good deals and the components are better. If I had bought it would've been between 1500 and 2100 shipped to my door.

So your build only cost 5-700? That's quite solid.

 

[Germerican]

I personally love building computers, especially gaming PCs and tricking them out. If you know what you are doing, then PC building is generally cheaper than buying it whole. Plus you can pick the parts you want and not settle for a cookie cutter machine.

I built this one below and had a lot of fun designing it.

 

[Girardcorp]

I figured I would start there to see if I could debunk the arguments I've read suggesting prices at that level would be equitable between builds and buys. I'm not looking to drop 2k on a computer, but I would really enjoy having a tank that can handle most everything i could throw at it.

What would you suggest?



So your build only cost 5-700? That's quite solid.

Took awhile but yea. Maybe a fraction more but not much.


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[lightningbolt44]

I think you can find enough deals online to build a quality machine for 900-1000. It is not going to have top of the line everything but it will get the job done. I for one always prefer building my own. Let me see if I can find my last build and what it costs but I think it was only around 900 or so. Built it primarily to run iRacing (racing sim)

 

[Miller Time]

I figured I would start there to see if I could debunk the arguments I've read suggesting prices at that level would be equitable between builds and buys. I'm not looking to drop 2k on a computer, but I would really enjoy having a tank that can handle most everything i could throw at it.

What would you suggest?



So your build only cost 5-700? That's quite solid.

I'm not sure what the specs on your MBP are, but an iMac 16GB of memory and bumped up processor are around $1700. You could go the Mac Mini route and save about $3-400 bucks, but then you'd need a display. It just depends on the specs you're looking for, I guess. I've never built a computer from scratch, just knowing how much replacement parts are it would seem 5-700 couldn't be done unless you had a hookup or something.

Most of my gaming buddies don't deal with Macs, either, so maybe that's not the route you want to go. (If you can't tell, I'm pretty Mac-biased)

 

[Canadan]

Kind of enjoying the yes I can build a good one for 700 vs no, must be more!! I am sure the experiences are quite unique.

I've been checking out pcpartpicker.com and logicalincrements.com and it seems like mid range possibilities can be accomplished for 700 or so. I just figured there were some guys on here that would be able to tell me than a simple part list.

 

[Canadan]

I think you can find enough deals online to build a quality machine for 900-1000. It is not going to have top of the line everything but it will get the job done. I for one always prefer building my own. Let me see if I can find my last build and what it costs but I think it was only around 900 or so. Built it primarily to run iRacing (racing sim)

Thanks LB, I'd really appreciate that!

I'm not sure what the specs on your MBP are, but an iMac 16GB of memory and bumped up processor are around $1700. You could go the Mac Mini route and save about $3-400 bucks, but then you'd need a display. It just depends on the specs you're looking for, I guess. I've never built a computer from scratch, just knowing how much replacement parts are it would seem 5-700 couldn't be done unless you had a hookup or something.

Most of my gaming buddies don't deal with Macs, either, so maybe that's not the route you want to go. (If you can't tell, I'm pretty Mac-biased)

I kind of fell out of love with Mac during my experience with this MBP. I thought it was going to be exceptional, and for the most part I've just been underwhelmed. Will likely go PC for this build. I just can't justify what I got for 1300 dollars for this unit.

 

[lightningbolt44]

Kind of enjoying the yes I can build a good one for 700 vs no, must be more!! I am sure the experiences are quite unique.

I've been checking out pcpartpicker.com and logicalincrements.com and it seems like mid range possibilities can be accomplished for 700 or so. I just figured there were some guys on here that would be able to tell me than a simple part list.

Well I think many people hear gaming and automatically think need to run everything at max settings. I think in that case no it cannot be accomplished at your budget but if you just want a decent mid range machine I think if you add a couple hundred you can. Just understand you will have limitations. However I think you would have the same limitations buying a pre built computer at that price point

 

[Mulligan9111]

I'd imagine to build a PC for gaming that will last a couple years without upgrading, you will probably want to be in the $900-1000 range. GPU and memory are the two most important parts for a gaming PC and you definitely don't want to have to skimp/settle with those two parts.

 

[Canadan]

I'm good with moving into the 1k range, and am definitely looking to have this last a couple years.

I've also heard a lot of interesting opinions on running a smaller SSD with the OS on it, and then have something like a 1T HDD for data. Going to make things run quite a bit smoother?

 

[Miller Time]

Thanks LB, I'd really appreciate that!



I kind of fell out of love with Mac during my experience with this MBP. I thought it was going to be exceptional, and for the most part I've just been underwhelmed. Will likely go PC for this build. I just can't justify what I got for 1300 dollars for this unit.

Fine, be that way.

Haha. Hope you find what you need.

 

[lightningbolt44]

I dont have the exact video card I put in there but I think it was about $250. This was built about a year ago so the prices may be a bit different now. This build ran 1100 or so after taking the OS into account but lots of room for lower priced components





1 x ($134.99) ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard




1 x ($109.99) CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply




1 x ($99.99) OCZ Vertex 4 VTX4-25SAT3-128G 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)




1 x ($89.99) G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-16GXM




1 x ($29.99) COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible with Intel 1366/1155/775 and AMD FM1/FM2/AM3+




1 x ($19.99) ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM

[h=1]Corsair Carbide Series Black 500R Mid Tower Computer Case $112.99[/h]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Intel Core i5-3570K BX806237i53570K Processor - Quad Core, 6MB L3 Cache, 3.40GHz (3.80GHz Max Turbo), Socket H2 (LGA1155), 95W, Fan, Unlocked, Retail (I69-3570K)

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]MPN: BX80637I53570K[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]1[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]$179.99[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]$179.99[/FONT]

[/FONT]

 

[Canadan]

Fine, be that way.

Haha. Hope you find what you need.

hahaha I know, I know -- I really tried man, it's been 6 years with Mac, and a lot of money later, I still don't know what I got for it.

 

[mpeterson]

I'm good with moving into the 1k range, and am definitely looking to have this last a couple years.

I've also heard a lot of interesting opinions on running a smaller SSD with the OS on it, and then have something like a 1T HDD for data. Going to make things run quite a bit smoother?

I'd definitely go that route. Machine will be faster since the OS is on the ssd, and you can use the 1TB for archiving and stuff

 

[Mulligan9111]

I'm good with moving into the 1k range, and am definitely looking to have this last a couple years.

I've also heard a lot of interesting opinions on running a smaller SSD with the OS on it, and then have something like a 1T HDD for data. Going to make things run quite a bit smoother?

If you can swing it, I'd definitely opt for an SSD for the OS. The boot up times and general operations are a lot faster with the SSD. Another option if you want to stay with 1 single hard drive is to look into a Hybrid SSD drive. These aren't quite as fast as SSD's, but they are in between a normal hard drive and SSD's.