buy or build a new desktop

grendel19

grendel19

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I was wondering if I could get a few suggestions from the resident computer experts here on CAG. I'm in the market for a new comp, but I'm having a hard time deciding on whether to build or just buy one completely new.

I know most people would recommend building, but the reason I'm debating is because I would be starting from scratch. I would have to buy everything new down to the keyboard and speakers. I only have a laptop right now, and the only old part I can pass down to my future new desktop would be my mouse.

Would it be more cost effective to just buy a fairly inexpensive desktop and just upgrade later on? Or build a new one from scratch but having to buy everything (and I literally mean everything... except a mouse...)?

Bear in mind I would use this mainly for gaming, hoping to be able to run games like Doom 3 and Half Life 2 on at least medium to high settings.

Thanks in advance.
 
Well it also depends on your budget. I personally enjoy building my computer, being its cheaper and It usually runs better than store built.

If you are not tech savy and dont know how to build, more importantly fix your computer, then you might want to think about shelling out the extra cash for a computer say from Dell, where you can have tech support. Because if your home computer explodes, no warranty and its all yours man. Especially being your going from laptop to desktop and you need to start from scratch, you can get some nice deals with a monitor as well.

If you have the cash check out the XPS from dell, they have been getting nice reviews.
 
If you have patience you can search out deals on components for cheaper I think. But if you want it all soon and don't want to wait, I think it's cheaper to buy like a Dell. Especially with all their coupons floating around.
If you want to make a good gaming rig, then I think it's better but maybe more expensive to build your own.
 
If you want a good computer, but couldn't tell an RJ-45 jack from a RJ-11 jack, then you should probably not build your own. PCs have gotten very tricky to build in the past few years. You need to get the CPU, a mobo that will support it, choose from SATA/IDE drives, get a decent video card, get the right type of ram which may change between motherboards and certain processors need specific ram. If you have no idea what I just said, go to Alienware.com or voodoopc.com or ibuypower.com. Those are three good online PC vendors. The first two are a little costly for top of the line, but you really get what you pay for. ibuypower is less frills, but still good deals.

I'd say getting a Dell should be your last choice. If you get an HP/Compaq I'll fucking stab you. Gateway shouldn't even be considered. Emachines would be like chopping off your E-peen.

Oh yes, and NEVER buy a PC you're going to need to upgrade immediately. Just spend big the first time and it should last you 3-5 years.
 
I would suggest building a comp if you know how. My cousin bought a comp from dell a few months ago, he got shafted big time. It had no AGP , no PCI-express slots. If you do decide on buying a comp, make sure that its easily upgradable down the road, or you'll regret it.
 
[quote name='gokou36']I would suggest building a comp if you know how. My cousin bought a comp from dell a few months ago, he got shafted big time. It had no AGP , no PCI-express slots. If you do decide on buying a comp, make sure that its easily upgradable down the road, or you'll regret it.[/QUOTE]

Isn't that his fault? I mean, most PC vendors list the expansion slots/ports on the spec sheet.:)

I was thinking about building my own PC but it is way more complicated than I thought it would be. And if all is well, PCs should become much cheaper within the next year. It's just the graphics cards that are getting more and more expensive (SLI dual GFX cards? Costs more than the computer with TFT monitor!).
 
One benefit of building your PC is having a very precise knowledge of what's in it. I often come across situations in which it's beneficial to know these things. If you buy a complete system, you often will get a very broad description.
 
It's a toss up really. Building a Gaming PC will probably come in at a bit cheaper then buying one. It's also a good experience. It could also help you learn a lot. However if you are worried about screwing up and don't know that much about computers I would probably just buy one.

It could work out to be cheaper to buy a new computer especially if you don't have a copy of Windows XP or another OS lying around. I would definitely look around to see what sort of deals you could get on a new system. Although definitely look for something that is good now and will be that way for a while. If you are going to have to upgrade right away it probably isn't worth it.
 
If you really have to ask the question whether you should buy parts or buy an entire PC, then I would suggest going with buying a new PC from somewhere such as ibuypower.com. Granted you are paying slightly more, but they (at least with ibuypower) also give you some freedom in picking the parts that you want them to use in your computer. Plus you'll get a one year warranty for it.

Buying parts is always a good idea for those who have experience w/ hardware, because they're able to tell what is the source when things happen during assembly or installation of OS and drivers. It's a big headache when you do run into problems if you've never built or upgraded parts by yourself before. I mean you can't really post here whenever you run into problems when building and diagnosing your computer; technically you could, but I'm sure the answers won't be too much of a help (from past threads).

And don't buy desktop PCs from Dell. Even if they have those sales.
 
Thanks for everyone's input.

Just seems like if I do a quick estimate on the cost of buying all the parts I need, especially the most expensive parts (graphics card, cpu, mobo, monitor, maybe even a new O/S), I would easily go over the cost of buying one prebuilt (midrange). Then again, I'm probably looking at the higher end video cards, cpu's, and monitors.

If I build, this would be my first, but I'm not worried about building one, I'm fairly tech savvy and tech interests me greatly so I can learn real quick. But setting it up afterwards might be a pain in the ass. I might end up tossing out the newly built desktop out the window.

As someone stated earlier, just seems building a gaming rig might possibly end up costing more since you go for the higher end components (if you want it to last a few years).

Would it be wise to buy a cheaper expandable refurbished (say Dell for example) and at least just have a basic desktop to upgrade piece by piece?

[quote name='Kayden']I'd say getting a Dell should be your last choice. If you get an HP/Compaq I'll ing stab you. Gateway shouldn't even be considered. Emachines would be like chopping off your E-peen.[/QUOTE]

LOL, thanks for that good laugh.
 
[quote name='Vinny']Isn't that his fault? I mean, most PC vendors list the expansion slots/ports on the spec sheet.:)

I was thinking about building my own PC but it is way more complicated than I thought it would be. And if all is well, PCs should become much cheaper within the next year. It's just the graphics cards that are getting more and more expensive (SLI dual GFX cards? Costs more than the computer with TFT monitor!).[/QUOTE]


No its not his fault, its Dell's fault for using cheap parts to cut down on price. Go to dell.com and you'll see that they don't list the motherboard nor the slots/ports.


I'd say getting a Dell should be your last choice. If you get an HP/Compaq I'll ing stab you. Gateway shouldn't even be considered. Emachines would be like chopping off your E-peen.
Click to expand...


And whats wrong with Gateway? I'm using one and its decent. I don't know about HP but i do agree, Compaq blows. They make their crap *compact*. A few years back I tried to upgrade my nephew's comp, it was impossible. I don't know about how compaq is now but back then, their cases sucked. The mobo would fit horizontally into the case instead of vertical. They would WELD the fuggin cd-rom/hard drive onto the case.
 
[quote name='gokou36']I would suggest building a comp if you know how. My cousin bought a comp from dell a few months ago, he got shafted big time. It had no AGP , no PCI-express slots. If you do decide on buying a comp, make sure that its easily upgradable down the road, or you'll regret it.[/QUOTE]

Now if i beleived that a computer came out "2 months ago" with NO agp slot, then I would agree. If that was possibly the case, then it would of had come with on board video. And with dell they have a drop down menu of graphics cards and it would give you options to upgrade. Being this has "No agp" slot, then it would say " no cards avaliable for upgrade"


But i dont beleive the mother board has no agp slot, they all do. If this was a e machine then i might wonder, but from dell 2 months ago...

Pictures of the mother board would be intresting to see...

::edit:: or a link to the computer he got::
 
Actually more and more mobos are coming out with no AGP slot, but in these cases they have PCI-E in lieu of it. AGP is slowly being phased out.
 
[quote name='Kayden']If you want a good computer, but couldn't tell an RJ-45 jack from a RJ-11 jack, then you should probably not build your own.[/QUOTE]

You silly person! I had to google that to figure out what the hell you were talking about, making it all complicated and stuff. Considering I build my own computer and never heard of these I was pretty confused. But after google I realized you were talking about simple ethernet and phone line cables. You silly person you! Trying to confuse people.
 
All comes down to video Card from all the deals i've seen. If you want a high end. $400-600 video card you will get a better deal from looking from buying the system outright. For me I know enough about computers that I don't need a warrenty so I usually build. But i've seen more then a couple good deals for prebuilt that had very good video cards at a spectacular price.
 
[quote name='Vegan']Actually more and more mobos are coming out with no AGP slot, but in these cases they have PCI-E in lieu of it. AGP is slowly being phased out.[/QUOTE]

Well yeah i know that, but with him saying he didnt have agp or Pci express.... I think thats rediculous and thats what i dont beleive...
 
[quote name='Lice']Now if i beleived that a computer came out "2 months ago" with NO agp slot, then I would agree. If that was possibly the case, then it would of had come with on board video. And with dell they have a drop down menu of graphics cards and it would give you options to upgrade. Being this has "No agp" slot, then it would say " no cards avaliable for upgrade"


But i dont beleive the mother board has no agp slot, they all do. If this was a e machine then i might wonder, but from dell 2 months ago...

Pictures of the mother board would be intresting to see...

::edit:: or a link to the computer he got::[/QUOTE]


Hey genius, i'm not lying. Go to Dell.com yourself and you'll see what i'm talking about. I checked and it seems like the one that my cousin has isn't on there anymore(and he bought it around summer), I don't remember the name but its one of those Dell Dimensions that has a REALLY slim case. Looks like its discontinued or something.

Anyways, you are wrong saying that ALL Mobos have AGP slots and that Dell offers upgrades on video cards if it has AGP. Click on the dell dimension 3000 desktops, except the XPS one. They offer NO video card upgrade options, and that they all have onboard integrated intel graphics.


Look what I found at dell's support page, a Users Guide that has a pic of their motherboard.

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim3000/en/SM/techov.htm
 
With Dell you get what you pay for. If you're willing to spend the money you can get a hell of a machine for gaming (The XPS series) but if you go for the mid to bottom of the line, expect those kind of parts.

-Proud owner of an XPS Gen 5
 
[quote name='gokou36']Hey genius[/QUOTE]

well atleast we both agree on that ... :p

Yeah the 3000 series has only pci slots... and its $350 for the enitre computer... i didnt know dell sold such low end computers as that anymore.

Even if it did have an agp slot, the processor couldnt handle any games.

Anyways, yeah as genocidal said, you get what you pay for. And your cousins mistake for not readin the specs is his own fault and is not the fault of dell nor does it make them a bad company....
 
If your going buy one go with a compaq, my compaq served me well until I decided to switch cases and fry the mobo.



And seeing the following above be very careful if you decide to build your own comp.
 
Another thing to keep in mind, if you are thinking about buying a Dell or a Gateway, and then upgrading it later, is that these computer makers often use non-standard cases, which means that upgrading the mobo (and thus the processor) would be out of the question. You would also need to be very careful that you didn't get an integrated video card, that you had enough free DIMM slots, and that you didn't get a wimpy power supply.
If you build your own, you can get a standard ATX case, an off-the-shelf mobo, a reliable power supply, and whatever video card you want. When it comes time to upgrade, you can just drop in your new standard component, whatever it may be.
 
I have always debated buy vs build myself. I end up buying because I think its more cost effective when buying a complete system. I bought a Dell in 1998 and used it until this summer. Over the course of the 7 years, I added new graphics cards, new hard drives, more memory, CD-RW, 1394 card,. Dells can be upgraded as long as you don't want to swap out the motherboard. Last year I bought another Dell - I priced out the system and waited... until the end of the corporate quarter when more coupons came out and I bought just behind the technology curve - not top end but close. You can get coupons at sites like www.dealnews.com. When I bought mine I used a 40% off coupon and I think it came with a free DVD-RW drive. It used to be that Dell would have 3 models - low, middle, high end. Now it seems that they have a lot more and that just complicates things in my opinion.

What you will get by building is control over every piece that goes into the PC. For example, with Dell you can buy 1 GB of DDR2 Dual Channel Ram at 533 MHz but you won't know the manufacturer or the timings (i.e. CAS latency) until you open up the case when you get it. When you build you decide what components matter to you. Also, you won't get a PC saddled with a lot of trial software. But deciding what components to get will take research on the components and research on the shopping. www.tomshardware.com has done many articles about building PCs even 1 about building a sub $1000 gaming rig. They also test and recommend motherboards, memory, graphic cards, etc...
 
See, to me, having the same motherboard for 7 years is unacceptable. Of course, it all depends on whether or not you're using it for modern games.
 
I have had two Gateways... the first was an old 700 series back from 2000, which was the worst computer ever. It was nearly impossible to upgrade... and I just wanted to put in some f*cking RAM! And it was full of crap Gateway software and it came with the worst monitor ever made (it was like the thing was permanently on lowest brightiness even though I turned it up to max).

But I currently own a Gateway laptop... I swore I'd never buy Gateway again but the price was decent and I didn't want to spend too much. All I have to say is that it's one hell of a laptop for school and handles everything but most newer games well.
 
Trust me, a little research goes a long way.

I came into building computers as a total noob and within a few days, I was putting different PC parts on Newegg's shopping cart.
 
[quote name='Vegan']See, to me, having the same motherboard for 7 years is unacceptable. Of course, it all depends on whether or not you're using it for modern games.[/QUOTE]

Me too. I hate replacing motherboard and doing whole new system build, but I do it about once every 2-3 years.

Build IMO for a better and more stable gaming PC.

You can then spend money to customize it as you please.

Thus you can, for example, skimp on the processor and spend the money where it is more needed: the video card, for example.

Most pre-built systems put high-end CPU with high-end video card, and low-end CPU with terrible video (or Intel integrated).

For example I run a socket 754 Althon64 2800+ and a 9800pro. I will replace the 9800pro with a better card one of these days.

You can buy a 3200-3400+ these days for about $130. Then spend the $100 you saved vs a higher end P4 or 4000+ and spend it on the video card :D

I built my gaming PC in January for $500 or so - and that was a new case, refurb motherboard, new CPU, new video card, new 1GB ram - and swiped a 350w Antec power supply from a $35 fatwallet special case deal (the case and my old 300w went to my wife's PC - my old handmedowns). Later I tossed in a Saitek eclipse keyboard and an MX1000 laser mouse at about $50 apiece.

For example:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103424 A64 3000+ with free skyhawk case - $135

nforce4 board - $70 or so
1GB Corsair Value Select PC3200 RAM - $90 or so
Grab a cheap deal on a HDD after rebate from BB, CC, Staples, etc: $30 or so
Decent power supply : $50 or so
cheap quality Lite-On DVD-combo or maybe Pioneer DVD+/-RW drives: $30-$60

Big expense: 6800GT or x850pro/XT: $200-$300

Same mouse/keyboard as me: $100

That's $705-$850 or so.


The again, a Dell deal on a cheap $1k or so XPS with a free 19" LCD could pay off, if you could sell the LCD off (or if you are willing to deal with an LCD for FPS games). You're just going to end up paying dell $250-$500 for a decent video card, or installing it yourself (make sure the PC has an AGP or PCI-X slot).
 
^ In regards to above post, you may want to consider a 939 board, as they are the newer build and will probably go longer.
 
really I know most people say build your own. But if you look hard enough there are some decent deals on pre-build PCs.
 
Actually, nevermind all that. My mom won't get me the PC for X-mas, so looks like I'll have to start saving. Oh well, I'm probably getting a job after Thanksgiving so I can fund the PC. It can wait, I guess.
 
Thanks for everyone's input, really appreciate it. I managed to snag a cheap refurb from Dell's outlet. Gonna use it to play around and practice upgrading and setup/troubleshooting, get some good experience out of that. Then somewhere down the road, when I have a need for a new PC, I'll build from scratch.

Can't wait to get started.
 
Nice work on the dell. They make fairly solid computers.

I built my own in July/August.... these could all be found on newegg.com at similar prices.. maybe even lower.

Specs:

$40 Case - Suntec 3719D + 480W power supply
+ $280 Mobo + CPU - ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe with/ AMD Athlon 64 3000+
+ $85 RAM - 2 512mb DDR400 sticks
+ $155 Video Card - Leadtek Winfast PX6600GT PCIe
+ $75 Hard Drive - Maxtor 160GB ATA 133
+ $45 DVD/RW - LiteOn 16x DVDRW/CDRW combo
+ $20 DVD-ROM - LiteOn 16x DVD-ROM/48x CD-ROM
+ $0 Floppy - free with case
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
$700 for everything

I would recommend pricing out some of the components if you want to upgrade. :)
 
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