Buy or build?

radman99

radman99

CAGiversary!
Of course, the CAG way is to build it since it's cheaper than a ready-made PC.
But what if you want to save time and just buy it, plug it in and play?

Here's a few items from today's Fry's ad:

Compaq SR5210NX CeleronD 420, Vista, 1GB, 120GB HD 17" LCD $399.98 after rebate
Compaq SR5152NX AMD 64x2 4000+ Vista, 2GB, 250GB HD 17" WS LCD $549.98 after rebate
Gateway GT5622 Pentium Dual E2160 Vista, 3GB, 400GB HD, 18xDVDRW $599.99 (no monitor)
HP Pavilion Slim S3120N AMD 64x2 4200+ Vista, 2GB, 320GB HD, 16xDVDR/RW, 17" LCD $699.98 after rebate

Are any of these good enough after adding memory and a videocard to play some modern games? I'm thinking Battlefield 2142, WOW, FEAR, etc.

Thanks!
 
BUILD! BUILD! BUILD!

You will get a way better system that way. You just have to be patient and wait for good deals on Newegg for the part you want.
 
Build. If you are really going to buy... then check out www.avadirect.com ... it's gonna be about a $200 - 300 mark up from building it (closer to $200), but they are very reputable. Their monitors are expensive though buy one from new egg (go with a 22")
 
Buy if you want a machine for very basic tasks like internet and homework. These days, it's no longer true that building is always cheaper... it's cheaper sometimes but not always.

If you want a highly customizable, upgradeable machine to do more than basic tasks then definitely build.
 
Build is always better. Even if it's not always cheaper anymore, once you've built one, you get a sense of accomplishment as well as a better understanding of what's going on inside your computer so you can do your own troubleshooting instead of relying on tech support (especially if the brand's support is nonexistent or stupid).
 
[quote name='Vinny']Buy if you want a machine for very basic tasks like internet and homework. These days, it's no longer true that building is always cheaper... it's cheaper sometimes but not always.

If you want a highly customizable, upgradeable machine to do more than basic tasks then definitely build.[/QUOTE]
true, you can get a pretty cheap dell these days...would be hard to build a PC cheaper than $350 with windows vista included.
 
[quote name='Vinny']Buy if you want a machine for very basic tasks like internet and homework. These days, it's no longer true that building is always cheaper... it's cheaper sometimes but not always.

If you want a highly customizable, upgradeable machine to do more than basic tasks then definitely build.[/quote]

Agreed, but in his case he does want to do some gaming.
 
Basically, if you've considered building a computer as an option, you have the technical knowledge to assemble it. It's really very easy and you get a much better computer for the money.
 
... Personally I lean towards building my own. But... with companies offering programs where they take back your old computer and properly dispose of it, buying a prebuilt seems more and more attractive.
 
Looks like it's build by a landslide.
My brother built his and is happy with it. I need to get off my a$$ and do it too. Thanks for the opinions. I will look into getting all the parts together. There are some good links on this site for help. I will let you know what I put together.
Go CAGers!
 
I just finished rebuilding my machine, and am very happy with it. And to be honest, looking at some of those deals you listed my machine was built for about the same price, if not cheaper for better components.

I'd also suggest signing up for Newegg's newsletter as they'll have the occasional deal with an additional $5-10 off. It's a hit or miss thing, but you might get lucky if they list something that you're looking for.
 
Build if your trying to go high end gaming and/or just high end with lots of memory. RAM,HD etc. BUILD!

If your just trying to get by and be able to play some games, get on the internet, hw, just to mess around on. Find a good deal and buy.
 
Build if you know what you're doing, as it's not going to be that much cheaper than buying pre-built.

Of course, you'd end up with a better machine if you build it yourself but considering what you want to play "WoW, Battlefield" just about any machine pre-built with a better video card thrown in will run great.

You just have to decide if you want to personally choose each component yourself, or have it done for you. You're paying for the convenience.
 
The only real advantage I see to pre built is that they tend to come with a monitor. If you have one already it's build all the way.
 
Building is not always cheaper. Bookmark SlickDeals.net and wait for one of those Dell deals. You can get a basic machine for $300 or less. The Dell power supplies are great -- they can support four sticks of ram, two HDs and a nice video card quite easily. Their BTX cases offer great airflow with stock fans. So just get one of those for $300 and add whatever you need, if you need anything.

Most come with a low Core 2 Duo, 80 to 160 GB HD, 1gb of RAM and either a crappy videocard that uses your RAM or integrated video on the motherboard. Either way -- spend $50 on upgrading RAM and $100 on a decent video card and you'll have a great CAGaming machine that can outperform any custom built in the same price range.

I have a similar machine -- a $300 Dell that I put a 7600GT in, just using the gig of RAM that it came with. Everything stock. Total price to me: $385. I just got done playing the Quake Wars demo at 1680x1050. I challenge you to build a machine for $385 that can do that...


Edit: Also of note is that I bought this machine (Dimension E510) about 9 months ago. I bought the video card about 3 months ago. Things, especially processors, are quite a bit cheaper now.
 
I am out of it. I came in to this thread thinking you were contemplating about buying OR building a house. I need to remember the words "gamer" from now on.
 
The problem with SlickDeals on Dell PC's refurbished or whatever, is the one problem that ANY bought computer has, and that's the motherboard.

The reason I build my own PC is because of customization. And there's a certain scale you pass, where no matter how much you save on the core essentials, it'll be cheaper to build.

Let's say you get a $300 Dell ($320-$330 if you include shipping)
It comes with:
Low model Core 2 Duo
1gb ram
80-160gb hard-drive
Basic CDRW/DVD combo drive (Non-DVD burner)
Basic cooling
Basic power supply (Usually reliable but limited in 12v rail amperage)

You want to play games, obviously you have to upgade:
Video card
Memory
Hard-drive* Recommended

Let's say you want an 8800GTS 320, that's $275. You get another stick of ram, so okay you have 533 DDR2 2gb, but that's not very fast ram and a 1gb stick of that is another $30-40.

Another hard-drive, another $50-60.

The Dell PSU can only support mid-range cards, probably won't have PCI-E power connectors, so you have to get a power supply, $50.

Total upgrades run you over $350 just to get a moderate high-range gaming PC. That, on top of the $330 you initially spent and you're up to $680-700-ish spent to get there. And what do you have?
Low range core 2 duo, slow budget ram, Dell's funky snap on parts case, a very limited functionality motherboard (No over-clocking, voltage changes, power changes, customization), but hey, you have a nice video-card and power supply lol.

Custom built?
Quality motherboard, with over-clocking, safety features, quiet fans, great cooling, reputable company, long warranty- $100
Quality ram, G.Skill, 5 year warranty, fast speeds (DDR2 800 instead of 533), matching sticks for Dual-channel - $60
Quality processor you can over-clock - Dual core, possibly even E2140 with half the cache of a Core 2 Duo - $75 (Will out perform Core 2 Duo in Dell because you over-clock it, so cheaper + faster)
Functional PSU from the start - $50 (Comes with PCI-E connectors)
Your choice case, with quiet big 120mm fan, reliable, easy to use tools - $50
Optical drive DVDRW instead of a CDR/DVD combo $30
Video-card 8800GTS $275

Plus you get to build it yourself and know how it functions. Pre-built "deals" are only good if you have limited goals-
Small video-card upgrade
You're happy with processing power
Don't have a lot to spend initially but want a computer "Now"

If you have $300 now and want to spend $300 later, but you need a computer now, I'd agree, get a cheap Dell refurb with a nice processor and just upgrade it along the way.

But even going that route, I strongly recommend upgrading the core parts and selling the extra parts on Anandtech.com or Craigslist.org.
 
Build, build, build

You have more control, more options, and your dollar goes further. A quality custom rig will generally last longer too. My current PC is three years old and I'm still playing the latest games, albeit at lower graphical settings. The three year old Dell in the other room would explode if I tried running Team Fortress 2 on it.

And Dell/Compaq/Gateway/Whoever overcharge for their top of the line PCs. There's no reason to buy Alienware, for example, when you can build a similar PC for much less (plus you won't have to deal with the retarded case).

By the way, BF2142 runs like shit even on monster rigs. Expect to have terribe performance if you're using a prebuilt computer.
 
[quote name='NamelessMC']The problem with SlickDeals on Dell PC's refurbished or whatever, is the one problem that ANY bought computer has, and that's the motherboard.

The reason I build my own PC is because of customization. And there's a certain scale you pass, where no matter how much you save on the core essentials, it'll be cheaper to build.

Let's say you get a $300 Dell ($320-$330 if you include shipping)
It comes with:
Low model Core 2 Duo
1gb ram
80-160gb hard-drive
Basic CDRW/DVD combo drive (Non-DVD burner)
Basic cooling
Basic power supply (Usually reliable but limited in 12v rail amperage)

You want to play games, obviously you have to upgade:
Video card
Memory
Hard-drive* Recommended

Let's say you want an 8800GTS 320, that's $275. You get another stick of ram, so okay you have 533 DDR2 2gb, but that's not very fast ram and a 1gb stick of that is another $30-40.

Another hard-drive, another $50-60.

The Dell PSU can only support mid-range cards, probably won't have PCI-E power connectors, so you have to get a power supply, $50.

Total upgrades run you over $350 just to get a moderate high-range gaming PC. That, on top of the $330 you initially spent and you're up to $680-700-ish spent to get there. And what do you have?
Low range core 2 duo, slow budget ram, Dell's funky snap on parts case, a very limited functionality motherboard (No over-clocking, voltage changes, power changes, customization), but hey, you have a nice video-card and power supply lol.

Custom built?
Quality motherboard, with over-clocking, safety features, quiet fans, great cooling, reputable company, long warranty- $100
Quality ram, G.Skill, 5 year warranty, fast speeds (DDR2 800 instead of 533), matching sticks for Dual-channel - $60
Quality processor you can over-clock - Dual core, possibly even E2140 with half the cache of a Core 2 Duo - $75 (Will out perform Core 2 Duo in Dell because you over-clock it, so cheaper + faster)
Functional PSU from the start - $50 (Comes with PCI-E connectors)
Your choice case, with quiet big 120mm fan, reliable, easy to use tools - $50
Optical drive DVDRW instead of a CDR/DVD combo $30
Video-card 8800GTS $275

Plus you get to build it yourself and know how it functions. Pre-built "deals" are only good if you have limited goals-
Small video-card upgrade
You're happy with processing power
Don't have a lot to spend initially but want a computer "Now"

If you have $300 now and want to spend $300 later, but you need a computer now, I'd agree, get a cheap Dell refurb with a nice processor and just upgrade it along the way.

But even going that route, I strongly recommend upgrading the core parts and selling the extra parts on Anandtech.com or Craigslist.org.[/QUOTE]

Those are all extreme exagerrations... my computer, after tax and shipping, was $375. It was $300 shipped from Dell, and I put a video card in it that I got for $75 from Sam's Club. That's it. A comparable machine could not have been built for anywhere near that price. I agree that building is the way to go if you have $600+ to spend, but if you just need a basic rig for cheap, a prebuilt with a video card is the way to go.

I just got done playing Team Fortress 2 without any problems at all...
 
Yeah, and you missed the ENTIRE point of my post.

My ENTIRE point was that your goals will always decide the better route.

If you have $300 now, and will have $300 later, then your option is simply:
Save the $300 and wait, or buy a $300 Dell and upgrade later.

But I said, no matter what, once you pass a certain point, building will offer more performance even if you get a steal price on a Dell PC, unless that Dell PC has some of the components you wanted initially and you won't be put at a loss when you sell the left over parts, using it as a build-up.

Just because YOU are happy with a $75 video-card, doesn't mean everyone else will be. That's where the difference is. And like I said, have fun over-clocking your Dell.
 
[quote name='yukine']I think you'd be an idiot to spend over $200.00 for a video card for PC gaming nowadays, but I digress.[/QUOTE]

Geez, I just spent $350 on an 8800GTS 640MB lol...
 
[quote name='yukine']I think you'd be an idiot to spend over $200.00 for a video card for PC gaming nowadays, but I digress.[/quote]

In a way this is true, but for people that don't like console systems/games, this is a rather foolish statement.

On one hand, I don't see the justification in spending $300 on a video-card because that's pretty much spending the price of a PS3 to play PC games. (Video card, processor, memory, power supply)

On the other hand, a graphics card's rendering capabilities far exceed a game consoles, and the amount of tasks you can do on a computer far expand gaming as well.

I spent $800 on my last rig. It has a $300 video-card, a very powerful processor, lots of storage space, great cooling. That's only $200 more than a PS3, it has way better graphics capabilities and it can be used for my home-work, studying, meeting chicks on Myspace, anything.

I have a 360 too, I spent $250 on it (Premium too) but I won't do nearly as many tasks on my 360 as I'll be doing on my PC besides gaming. And no, a cheap PC wasn't an option. I play games on my PC and I like to crank the settings up. I also plan on getting UT3 on PC. There's no way I'd get a competitive arcade FPS on the 360. Orange Box is about as far as I'll go in a competitive FPS on 360.
 
[quote name='SOSTrooper']Geez, I just spent $350 on an 8800GTS 640MB lol...[/QUOTE]


haha! Idiot!


oh wait, I just bought one of those too. :(
 
Build a system.

This is what I recently built and I was way under budget for a very good system:

Abit I35-E Motherboard
Intel E2160 1.8 GHz overclocked to 3.2 GHz with Stock Cooler
ATI X1950 Pro PCIE
Seagate 500 Gig SATA /300 HD
Ampro 2 Gig DDR-2 667 (overclocks well to over 800 MHz)
Antec NX4400 Case with 400 Watt Power Supply.

Amazingly this system cost only $360 including all taxes and shipping.

I am using a Dell Ultrasharp 19" LCd that I've had a couple of years now that isn't worth selling but you can pick up a 19" Widescreen under $150 these days. So with everything, this system is better than all the systems you listed.
 
[quote name='NamelessMC']In a way this is true, but for people that don't like console systems/games, this is a rather foolish statement.

On one hand, I don't see the justification in spending $300 on a video-card because that's pretty much spending the price of a PS3 to play PC games. (Video card, processor, memory, power supply)

On the other hand, a graphics card's rendering capabilities far exceed a game consoles, and the amount of tasks you can do on a computer far expand gaming as well.

I spent $800 on my last rig. It has a $300 video-card, a very powerful processor, lots of storage space, great cooling. That's only $200 more than a PS3, it has way better graphics capabilities and it can be used for my home-work, studying, meeting chicks on Myspace, anything.

I have a 360 too, I spent $250 on it (Premium too) but I won't do nearly as many tasks on my 360 as I'll be doing on my PC besides gaming. And no, a cheap PC wasn't an option. I play games on my PC and I like to crank the settings up. I also plan on getting UT3 on PC. There's no way I'd get a competitive arcade FPS on the 360. Orange Box is about as far as I'll go in a competitive FPS on 360.[/quote]
I'm not saying having a good PC is useless, but is that $300.00 video card really going to make Myspace look better? Do your homework faster? No, it's not.

Like everything else, I think people buy an expensive video card just to say they have an expensive video card. "I have a 8800 GTS! Look at my massive e-cock!", when something half the cost would most likely be suitable for their needs. In your case, it makes sense to have a bitchin' card in your rig, as you do the majority of your gaming on the PC.
 
[quote name='yukine']I'm not saying having a good PC is useless, but is that $300.00 video card really going to make Myspace look better? Do your homework faster? No, it's not.

Like everything else, I think people buy an expensive video card just to say they have an expensive video card. "I have a 8800 GTS! Look at my massive e-cock!", when something half the cost would most likely be suitable for their needs. In your case, it makes sense to have a bitchin' card in your rig, as you do the majority of your gaming on the PC.[/quote]

Would you say the same thing to someone who spends $900 on an NES game they have no intention of playing?

Having a $300 video-card for the sake of accomplishment, is the same as any collector/hobby buyer that spends money on things they don't necessarily use to the fullest, just for the sake of saying they own them.

The same can be said to: Collectors (cards, jerseys, comics, video-games), people who fix up cars, people who collect movies, people that spend money on home theater beyond a screen and basic 5.1, people that renovate guest houses.

I mean, a lot of people are going to spend money on things they're not really using just to make themselves feel better than others in some way or another. I think it's ignorant, yes, but I won't belittle someone for doing it because it's their money, their choice.

I'll tell you one thing though. When people ask what they need to play X game with Y settings, I have almost NEVER recommended a video-card higher than $300. Yes that's right, I even leave out 8800GTS 640's and 2900XT's. The 2900 Pro and 8800GTS 320 are ALL you need to play today's games at a respectable resolution with high settings. Anything higher than that and you're over-compensating and wasting your money, because by the time something DOES come out that pushes your hardware, there'll be a $250 card flying around that out performs yours, so you essentially wasted $300.
 
[quote name='yukine']I'm not saying having a good PC is useless, but is that $300.00 video card really going to make Myspace look better? Do your homework faster? No, it's not.

Like everything else, I think people buy an expensive video card just to say they have an expensive video card. "I have a 8800 GTS! Look at my massive e-cock!", when something half the cost would most likely be suitable for their needs. In your case, it makes sense to have a bitchin' card in your rig, as you do the majority of your gaming on the PC.[/QUOTE]


I think you're wrong-- people only buy a bitchin' card because they want higher quality gaming. Why would someone get a 360 over a PS2-- there's tons of gaming that can be done on a PS2 for an exponentially cheaper price, but people like the quality of the 360, so they go for that instead. Plus, the card stays relevant for longer and gives you a nice little honeymoon period where you won't have to worry about specs for new games.

(Though yeah, if you look around, a lot of PC users have their specs displayed-- and that's...perfectly okay. not every mention of one's equipment is for the purpose of extending their e-member. If there's anything I've learned over the past month of owning a gaming PC, it's that specs are to PC geeks what meth is to a meth head ;) )
 
... I just bought a GTX. Why? Because I build a new computer once every 3 years or so. The last rig was my first new computer in /five/ years.

I hate to use the 'Time is money' meme, but in my case it really /really/ is cheaper for me to spend /less/ time deliberating over infrequent purchases that cost less than two thousand dollars. Building a new rig every year wouldn't be worth it for me, so I need to buy high and just coast.

After all, the computer I build right now may be the computer I am stuck with for five years; I get tired of PC gaming now and then, and console gaming keeps getting better and more rewarding.

Edited to add:

... The Wife and I lead a childfree, upwardly mobile, incredibly stressful life, if you have to ask. Sometimes to keep my stress levels down, I decide to do something, don't overthink it, and just go with it. Just grabbing the GTX is part of that. I don't really expect understanding.
 
[quote name='Apossum']I think you're wrong-- people only buy a bitchin' card because they want higher quality gaming. Why would someone get a 360 over a PS2-- there's tons of gaming that can be done on a PS2 for an exponentially cheaper price, but people like the quality of the 360, so they go for that instead. Plus, the card stays relevant for longer and gives you a nice little honeymoon period where you won't have to worry about specs for new games.

(Though yeah, if you look around, a lot of PC users have their specs displayed-- and that's...perfectly okay. not every mention of one's equipment is for the purpose of extending their e-member. If there's anything I've learned over the past month of owning a gaming PC, it's that specs are to PC geeks what meth is to a meth head ;) )[/quote]
You know, that was true a few years ago. But I just don't get it when the PC exclusives are few and far between. People are not just buying a 360 for it's greater graphic capabilities, but also for its exclusives, which the PC really hasn't had lately (not that there aren't any, Company of Heroes is fucking awesome.)

I really don't mean to "belittle" any of you guys, I just don't understand it. Even if I'm really passionate about something, I'm a total cheap ass still. Where as my girlfriend, will spend $200.00 on a fucking statue of a character from her favorite anime. :lol:
 
Build!

Ive built every desktop Ive ever had (I had friends help with the first one, before I knew what I was doing). The only Compaqs, IBM's, or Dell's Ive ever used were work PC's, and they all sucked compared to building your own.

The ONLY reason to buy vs. building your own is if you are lazy.
 
Consoles may have tons of exclusives, but I don't really give a damn about any of them yukine :D PC gaming has been dead for 8 years if you believe everything you hear
 
[quote name='yukine']You know, that was true a few years ago. But I just don't get it when the PC exclusives are few and far between. People are not just buying a 360 for it's greater graphic capabilities, but also for its exclusives, which the PC really hasn't had lately (not that there aren't any, Company of Heroes is fucking awesome.)

I really don't mean to "belittle" any of you guys, I just don't understand it. Even if I'm really passionate about something, I'm a total cheap ass still. Where as my girlfriend, will spend $200.00 on a fucking statue of a character from her favorite anime. :lol:[/quote]

It's called having high standards.

Is dinner at a nice restaurant really worth $120? No. You'll never see that money back, the food is over-rated, the waiters are snobby and might hit on your date, the price and environment might even be so cheesy you'll lose your appetite.

But does that make it any less of an experience your girlfriend will appreciate that you might say it was worth it down the line? Of course.

People that buy a $300-450 video-card, definitely have their reasons. When I see a guy that has two of them SLI'd, a water cooling configuration, a raid 0 Raptor 150gb x2 array, a standalone Xi-Fi sound-card, a quad-core processor and an LCD displaying temperatures, I don't think "Wow that guy wasted his money." Why? Because it's just like a guy spending $200 a pop on anime figures, $1500 on his car for rims/performance parts, $1500 in a game collection, $1500 on an HDTV. They're all something you don't need. No one in this world will NOT survive without having an expensive computer, but they also will be healthy without an HDTV, video-games, casual sex, friends, a fast car fixed up or anime figures. It's a question of what you enjoy and what you find pleasure in.

Some people are practical about it. They spend around $1000 on a PC, upgrade every 1-2 years, but are so heavily involved in the PC environment, they get their money's worth. For some people it's a collector's hobby. They want the experience of owning the parts just because it's a hobby they're enthusiasts about. We don't have sites like Hardocp, Tomshardware, Anandtech, Xtremesystems and guru3d for nothing. People want to know how good this hardware is and they're willing to spend money to find out.

And you might say, 360 exclusives this, PC exclusives that. I'm sorry but, 360 is trying to REPLACE PC gaming as a viable option. It's not going to do it. Maybe the Xbox 720 will, but the 360 won't. November 2006 was the month/year PC gaming already beat 360's hardware, software is only catching up.

Crysis, World of Warcraft, Starcraft 2, Company of Heroes, Oblivion, Counter Strike Source, Battlefield, Guild Wars, Quake and any variation of it (Quake Wars, Quake 4), FEAR (Say what you will, it rocked on PC and even has FREE multiplayer), Project Origin, Supreme Commander, Neverwinter Nights 2, Unreal Tournament 3 (Consider this a PC title, trust me), Warhammer, Hellgate: London, Left 4 Dead, They, World in Conflict, Obscure

And that's just like, the last 2 years up to the next year, keeping it close to 360's timeline. There's some things you just can't put console gaming next to PC's for. You think Orange Box is even slightly as popular on 360 as it is on PC? Right now it might be somewhat close, but over the next 2-3 month period, it's going to remain strong on PC, keep higher sales from Steam-loading and people picking individual games from the pack. On 360, it'll be "Eh". Especially with it launching so close to Halo 3. There's PC gamers that don't give a crap about Halo 3 that were looking forward to orange box the way Halo players were looking forward to Halo 3.

Games like Oblivion are much better on PC when you have good hardware, because you can download custom mods, maps, texture packs and customize the game to no end. On Counter STrike Source, download custom made maps, custom weapon skins, things like that.
 
Sorry dude, I don't have the patience to read all of that right now.

I'll just agree with you, you're absolutely right about everything you just said.
 
Once I started building I could not stop. Its like suping up a car.

Also with an easy learnign curve you will know exactly what is wrong with your PC when something fails and avoid the repair fee. Plus you get the sense of pride that you totally crafted the best gaming experience in the world. Also you can upgrade incrementaly which takes the sting out of buying everything at once. Once a year I put about $200 into my rig, which is great! Right now I am eyeing a DX10 card. 8800 come down in price! :eek:)
 
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