Computer? Home built or name brand?

[Finkledbody]

Hey everyone, I was just curious to see what kinda hardware you all are running in your current computer. There have been some posts in the past but are all out of date so I'm starting a new one!!

Tell me what ever you want including what you got in your tower, monitor(s) size, type, speeds, colors, show pictures if you like , liquid cooled or fan cooled? Customized or bought from store? How long have you been using/building computers? I just like to know what people got, its fun for me


Personally I've been building computers for 14 years. I'm currently using a Lightly modified Dell XPS. I made the choice with my most recent computer to buy a pre-built than modify it for a few reasons but the main point was cost. I got more power through the pre-built, but knew what the faults were going to be. So I changed those items out with proper hardware, specs are as follows;

Windows 7

Hardware
1000 watt power-supply
Intel i7-8400k (Sandy Bridge version)
8 Gigs of DDR3 ram
Radeon HD 8650
1.5 TB Hard Drive
4-channel manual fan controller
Custom LED lighting

I run dual monitors: A 22" 1080p widescreen and a 26" gaming monitor. I personally prefer fan cooling over liquid cooling. I've had friends go in that direction and my computer would be running at a cooler temp. Its all about proper airflow and good wire management.

Heres a picture:

Darn good cable managment if I do say so myself.

[Fratricide]

Well.. currently I'm using the following..

CPU: i7-970 Gulftown 3.2GHz (using stock Air cooler, cuz I'm not OC'in it yet)
RAM: CORSAIR XMS3 x 12 GB
Mobo: ASUS Sabertooth X58 LGA 1366 Intel X58 Motherboard..
VID: MSI Twin Frozr II OC GeForce GTX 570 x2 (SLI Mode Active)
PSU: Thortech Thunderbolt PLUS 800W (PSU, I picked it because I like the Wattage Monitor)
Disc: LITE-ON Blu-ray Burner SATA iHBS212-08
HHD: Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s x2 (Raid 0)
CASE: Antec Twelve Hundred V3 Black Steel ATX Full Tower (Oh so many fans that come with the case)
Monitor: Samsung PX2370
Mouse: Cyborg R.A.T. 7
Mousepad: Cyborg Glide7
Keyboard: Microsoft Sidewinder x6
OS: Win7 Pro 64bit...

I did build myself, because I priced what I put in, vs what it would cost from someplace like Dell, Asus.. or where ever, and ya.. not cost effective to go the pre-manufactured versions. Plus.. this way I don't have to look at that big monster box that Dell will send you with keyboard, mouse, monitor, system case.. etc etc etc in it.. those boxes are friggin way too huge. Much nicer to have a couple smaller boxes, since I tend to move way too much.

[tjl]

Home built. It's just too much fun to build something custom I've been building for about 12 years.

Lian Li K60B Mid tower case
Corsair 650W power supply
ASUS M4A77T/USB3 Motherboard
AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition (unlocked to 4 cores)
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus CPU fan
16GB DDR3
ATI Radeon HD 5670

I've got Windows 7 and a few programs on an Intel 320 series MLC solid state drive; everything else on a run-of-the-mill 2TB Western Digital caviar green. Just made the switch to Solid state and it's been impressive!

This was also my first build with USB 3.0 ports. Amazing if you do a lot of data moving or nightly/weekly backups.

[Dhalin]

I always do home-built computers.

I don't know if factory-make desktops have changed recently (I haven't done any research on them recently) but they almost always skimp on things that people who don't know much about computers wouldn't realize, such as mainboard components. So even if you buy a dell and switch half of it out, most likely you still have a piece of junk mainboard and that's the last part you want to be junk in your computer.

Anyways, my computer is getting a little old, I made it two years ago and I don't even remember exactly what it has in it.

It has an MSI mainboard of some sort I believe.
Its CPU is a Phenom Quad-Core.
It has 8GB RAM
Its video is a Radeon 5600 series (5650? I think?) 512MB
And I have some standard half-gig Western Digital HDD
Stock CPU Fan
Antec Three-Hundred case.

Nothing special but it gets the job done well enough. I'm not really an FPS gamer (I used to enjoy the older FPS games but haven't been doing them recently) and I haven't really met an RPG my computer wouldn't run, so I'm good.

When I build a computer, I tend to look for the most bang for the buck. Been building them for, oh, about 9-10 or so years now.

[Finkledbody]

Got some really nice rigs so far!! SSD's are definitly something I want to get into. Its amazing to see what can be done with these things. Load times are unbelievable.

I don't know if factory-make desktops have changed recently (I haven't done any research on them recently) but they almost always skimp on things that people who don't know much about computers wouldn't realize, such as mainboard components. So even if you buy a dell and switch half of it out, most likely you still have a piece of junk mainboard and that's the last part you want to be junk in your computer.

Agreed and disagreed. Ive done from scratch computers many times, and just as often, the mother board will let go just as soon as a named computer.

When anything lets go on a computer, its almost always from heat soak. If your computer never over heats, it will almost never burn out. I can prove this with every computer I've ever built. Ive had home builds burn out hd after hd, mobo after mobo, just to learn it was poor wire management and poor airflow.

Corrected those problems, used new components that were the same as I used before and alas, had one computer run none stop everyday for 7 years. It was a mid-build for its day. But proof to all my friends at the time that it really is in the temp.

Any store bought computer for people that don't know, they take it home, stick it in a poorly vented area never turning the computer off. They use it everyday endlessly for 6 months than it just shits the bed. What most people think is "Oh its junk, it burnt out so fast" never placing the blame where its due. Its the fact computers aren't meant to run at temps in excess of 80c-160c for 6-16 hours a day.

Personally, my computer NEVER hits anything higher than 65c (room temp is around 76-78f). I can be running the computer into the ground with every game, every program running all at once and it wont make a difference because of proper airflow, and wire management.

I personally have 6 fans, not including the processor fan, power supply fan, or hard drive fan.

[Finkledbody]

Well.. currently I'm using the following..

CPU: i7-970 Gulftown 3.2GHz (using stock Air cooler, cuz I'm not OC'in it yet)
RAM: CORSAIR XMS3 x 12 GB
Mobo: ASUS Sabertooth X58 LGA 1366 Intel X58 Motherboard..
VID: MSI Twin Frozr II OC GeForce GTX 570 x2 (SLI Mode Active)
PSU: Thortech Thunderbolt PLUS 800W (PSU, I picked it because I like the Wattage Monitor)
Disc: LITE-ON Blu-ray Burner SATA iHBS212-08
HHD: Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s x2 (Raid 0)
CASE: Antec Twelve Hundred V3 Black Steel ATX Full Tower (Oh so many fans that come with the case)
Monitor: Samsung PX2370
Mouse: Cyborg R.A.T. 7
Mousepad: Cyborg Glide7
Keyboard: Microsoft Sidewinder x6
OS: Win7 Pro 64bit...

I did build myself, because I priced what I put in, vs what it would cost from someplace like Dell, Asus.. or where ever, and ya.. not cost effective to go the pre-manufactured versions.

OOOhhhh Good build here!

[Dracana]

I am currently on my second home built machine. Here are the specs

Intel Core i5 2.67 Ghz quad core processor (pre sandy bridge)
4 gigs DDR3 G.Skill RAM
EVGA FTW 200 motherboard with SLI compatibility
EVGA NVidia Geforce 9800 GT with 1 gig of video memory
LITE-ON SATA CD writer
Asus SATA CD-ROM
640 gig Western Digital SATA hard drive
320 gig Western Digital SATA hard drive
750 watt Antec power supply

Cooler Master Centurion 534+
21" Widescreen Asus Monitor
Hercules XPS 3.0 speakers

Lite-on keyboard (cheap as I could get)
Logitech Mouse (ditto)
Wacom Graphire tablet

It runs on Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit

Don't have any pictures of it since the case itself is very plain and I'm lazy so I don't feel like dragging it out and opening it (steel/aluminum cases are heavy). Maybe some other time.

I also own a customized Sager NP5160 laptop. Yeah it's brand name however Sager is known for building custom systems with name brand parts. Besides I don't think there is any way you could build a laptop from scratch. That computer is for graphic design, not gaming so it remains game free. It came with windows 7 home 64 bit.

I have built two other systems but they belong to my mother and father respectively

[Fratricide]

OOOhhhh Good build here!

Why... thank you Finkle....

[Dhalin]

Got some really nice rigs so far!! SSD's are definitly something I want to get into. Its amazing to see what can be done with these things. Load times are unbelievable.



Agreed and disagreed. Ive done from scratch computers many times, and just as often, the mother board will let go just as soon as a named computer.

When anything lets go on a computer, its almost always from heat soak. If your computer never over heats, it will almost never burn out. I can prove this with every computer I've ever built. Ive had home builds burn out hd after hd, mobo after mobo, just to learn it was poor wire management and poor airflow.

Corrected those problems, used new components that were the same as I used before and alas, had one computer run none stop everyday for 7 years. It was a mid-build for its day. But proof to all my friends at the time that it really is in the temp.

Any store bought computer for people that don't know, they take it home, stick it in a poorly vented area never turning the computer off. They use it everyday endlessly for 6 months than it just shits the bed. What most people think is "Oh its junk, it burnt out so fast" never placing the blame where its due. Its the fact computers aren't meant to run at temps in excess of 80c-160c for 6-16 hours a day.

Personally, my computer NEVER hits anything higher than 65c (room temp is around 76-78f). I can be running the computer into the ground with every game, every program running all at once and it wont make a difference because of proper airflow, and wire management.

I personally have 6 fans, not including the processor fan, power supply fan, or hard drive fan.

I wasn't talking about longevity of the mainboard; I was talking about the quality or performance of the mainboard.

Things like the FSB, what exactly (and how good) the North/Southbridge chips are, how many RAM slots it has, how many USB slots it has, how many PCI-Ex16 slots it has (and whether or not you can link GPU cards together) blah blah blah.

Name-Brand computers usually have junk mainboards that are missing features entirely, or what they have is very cheap and slow. Many people who buy Name-Brand computers (Dell, HP, Compaq, etc) are not usually tech-savvy people and they know that people who aren't tech-savvy don't know about things like FSB, North/Southbridge Chips, and other similar features of the mainboard. Heck, many people buying these computers don't even know what a mainboard is and why it is one of the (if not THE) most important parts of the computer. They know they can afford to skimp on the mainboard to turn a better profit; most other people know to look at things like HDD, RAM, the disc drive, etc.

I've personally taken a person's Dell, pulled the CPU and everything out of it, got rid of the mainboard, put some random mainboard I bought from Newegg in it, put the same parts back in the computer (I made sure to get a mainboard that supported that CPU/RAM) and the computer already ran loads better.

But then, Name-Brand computers aren't the only ones suffering from this. Another word to the wise: Don't know if they've gotten any better, but VIA back in the day (I last tried one about 5-6 years ago) sucked compared to its competitors. Someone had a VIA-based computer (North/SouthBridge both VIA) and complained about it running slow. I checked, it wasn't loaded down with crap software. I loaded some random game on it (Diablo2 back then) and then I tried some random n-Force board I had laying around, and guess what? Diablo2 ran much better. All I did was swap the mainboard. Same RAM, Same CPU, same HDD.

[Frith-Rae]

Been building for...um...uhhh...(carry the 1..add 2..) 17 or so years now ever since an old boyfriend taught me how..LOL.

And like most here, I will never go pre-built again! So much more efficient to build your own...

I honestly don't remember all my specs (Iknow bad computer nerd!!). I built my current system about 4-5 years ago now and I haven't had to replace/fix/upgrade anything with it since so Ive forgotten the details!!

I do know -

Asus MB
I've got dual-core CPU - AMD pretty sure (I..don't think its quad..but now that I am really thinking I cant remember if I upgraded before or after quad-core price dropped)
8 gigs of RAM
at least 750watt or more PS
Duel 9800GTXs Video Cards (SLI all the way)
Rest is standard stuff (dvdrom burning drive, some fans, the hard drive...SSD I think).

But yea - home built. Also built my in-laws system and my hubby's .

[Dhalin]

Been building for...um...uhhh...(carry the 1..add 2..) 17 or so years now ever since an old boyfriend taught me how..LOL.

And like most here, I will never go pre-built again! So much more efficient to build your own...

I honestly don't remember all my specs (Iknow bad computer nerd!!). I built my current system about 4-5 years ago now and I haven't had to replace/fix/upgrade anything with it since so Ive forgotten the details!!

I do know -

Asus MB
I've got dual-core CPU - AMD pretty sure (I..don't think its quad..but now that I am really thinking I cant remember if I upgraded before or after quad-core price dropped)
8 gigs of RAM
at least 750watt or more PS
Duel 9800GTXs Video Cards (SLI all the way)
Rest is standard stuff (dvdrom burning drive, some fans, the hard drive...SSD I think).

But yea - home built. Also built my in-laws system and my hubby's .

Home-building is:

1). Easy to do: They made all of the wires/connections/etc only go on one way so you can't have any accidents. Each plug is shaped different, so you can't hook something to somewhere it doesn't go, and there are lots of guides on the internet if you're not quite sure how to do something.

2). OS is easy to install, pop the CD in, and it installs itself. No hassle.

3). Either Cheaper, or better bang for your buck: If you buy Alienware or some pre-built "gaming" computer, you're going to pay more. Buy Apple and you'll sure as heck pay a LOT more. Buy a cheapo (Dell, HP, Compaq) and you'll get it for cheaper, but it will be a lot weaker and lower-quality.

4). FULLY Customizable. Want a gaming computer? Pick the parts. Want an internet typewriter? Go a little cheaper. Want (insert this feature here)? Get it!

5). No Warranty Seals, each part has its own warranty as long as you don't do anything stupid like burn a chip or something. Can't even open a pre-built without breaking the warranty seal sticker.

6). Fix it yourself, quick. If a part blows, a quick trip to a computer parts store will fix it. Compare that to having to ship your machine to the manufacturer and wait for its return. And it will most certainly have the contents of its HDD erased.

The list goes on and on.

[Finkledbody]

I'll say it first before I go off, I'll say I agree that a home-built will more than likely be better (given that you actually use quality parts) But have to disagree STRONGLY about the cost. You all are just so, so very wrong about this aspect.

3). Either Cheaper, or better bang for your buck: If you buy Alienware or some pre-built "gaming" computer, you're going to pay more. Buy Apple and you'll sure as heck pay a LOT more. Buy a cheapo (Dell, HP, Compaq) and you'll get it for cheaper, but it will be a lot weaker and lower-quality.

4). FULLY Customizable. Want a gaming computer? Pick the parts. Want an internet typewriter? Go a little cheaper. Want (insert this feature here)? Get it!

If ya'll have actually built computers for this long; you all should know by now that pre-built is cheaper.. It just is. Case in point. My computer. I paid $1200 on a pre-built. I already listed the parts in it. So lets break it down.

Windows 7 premium = $200 +tax
Radeon graphics card = $300 +tax
Intel i7 = $400 +tax
1.5tb harddrive = $100 +tax

So in four items: adds up to over $1000 dollars.. (not including mobo= $100, case= $80-$100, powersupply= $100-$200, ram= $100-$200, cd/dvd burner= $50-$100, ble-ray player= $80-$100, wireless card= $50-$100, cpu heatsink= $50-$100, fans= $40, microsoft software including: powerpoint, word, excel, etc. $200+). In no way can anyone build a comparable computer for the cost of this pre-built. That I can personally garentee with my mods will last atleast 5-7 years...

I have a feeling here, that ya'll are like I once was... Stuck in the age where you all still really believe.... That building it yourself is cheaper... It just isn't. lol

IF anyone is curious what I modded when I bought it, (thinking that I paid more because of mods) Its as follows,

-1000 watt ps, Took it from my last build = $200 but previously purchased, so doesn't count (I put the ps from new i7 computer, into my old quad core tower that I did build from scratch 2 years ago.)
- Manual fan controller (again old computer = $40)
- added 4 fans, replaced 2 (Might have spent $60)
- Custum LED lighting = $0. I saudered the wires from left overs and led lights I took from previous builds. (Even added a on/off button that I stole from a old tower)


So I have a computer that would have cost well over $2000 dollars for $1200. How in the world could building it myself have been cheaper?

[Frith-Rae]

Home-building is:

1). Easy to do: They made all of the wires/connections/etc only go on one way so you can't have any accidents. Each plug is shaped different, so you can't hook something to somewhere it doesn't go, and there are lots of guides on the internet if you're not quite sure how to do something.

2). OS is easy to install, pop the CD in, and it installs itself. No hassle.

3). Either Cheaper, or better bang for your buck: If you buy Alienware or some pre-built "gaming" computer, you're going to pay more. Buy Apple and you'll sure as heck pay a LOT more. Buy a cheapo (Dell, HP, Compaq) and you'll get it for cheaper, but it will be a lot weaker and lower-quality.

4). FULLY Customizable. Want a gaming computer? Pick the parts. Want an internet typewriter? Go a little cheaper. Want (insert this feature here)? Get it!

5). No Warranty Seals, each part has its own warranty as long as you don't do anything stupid like burn a chip or something. Can't even open a pre-built without breaking the warranty seal sticker.

6). Fix it yourself, quick. If a part blows, a quick trip to a computer parts store will fix it. Compare that to having to ship your machine to the manufacturer and wait for its return. And it will most certainly have the contents of its HDD erased.

The list goes on and on.

Did you misread what I posted??

Or are you putting the argument here as to "reasons to build yourself" in response to someone else..

Seeing as how I build my own and have for years - not sure why you attched this in response to my post LOL.

Confused...


IN response to Finkle - I cant argue price points there. I do know that consistently, when I shopped around building systems, it was always cheaper to build what I was tryiing to do than to buy it pre-built elsewhere. Either because I had to put in upgrades or because of shipping or..well whatever the reason.

Each time I upgrade I always check around to see if I can get something I TRUST (lol) pre-bulit for the same price and it always ends up being cheaper for me to do it myself.

Now that isnt always the case for every type of system (if its a non gaming computer thats just being used for word processing or internets I often tell people buy DELL or some other pre-made name brand system as it is cheaper and just plain easier).

Now, the last time I upgraded was like I said 4-5 years ago (cuz I try to get as top of the line as possible when I make a computer so I can at least have another few yeras before I need to upgrade again LOL).

[Dhalin]

Did you misread what I posted??

Or are you putting the argument here as to "reasons to build yourself" in response to someone else..

Seeing as how I build my own and have for years - not sure why you attched this in response to my post LOL.

Confused...


IN response to Finkle - I cant argue price points there. I do know that consistently, when I shopped around building systems, it was always cheaper to build what I was tryiing to do than to buy it pre-built elsewhere. Either because I had to put in upgrades or because of shipping or..well whatever the reason.

Each time I upgrade I always check around to see if I can get something I TRUST (lol) pre-bulit for the same price and it always ends up being cheaper for me to do it myself.

Now that isnt always the case for every type of system (if its a non gaming computer thats just being used for word processing or internets I often tell people buy DELL or some other pre-made name brand system as it is cheaper and just plain easier).

Now, the last time I upgraded was like I said 4-5 years ago (cuz I try to get as top of the line as possible when I make a computer so I can at least have another few yeras before I need to upgrade again LOL).

It was more of a "I agree with you and here's why" post.




Anyways, to the person who said it _isn't_ cheaper to build your own, you still need to deal with breaking the warranty seals, not getting *exactly* what you want, and other problems.

And I still question it. I looked up on HP's website, and they are offering a tower for $600, but that seems dubious at best. It has a Quad-core CPU, 1TB HDD, and such but again, it doesn't tell you what the mainboard has on it, so how much you wanna bet the mainboard is a piece of junk, lol.

And also you're talking about ridiculously high-end equipment, which is not really what I deal with. As I've said in previous posts, I go for "most bang for my buck" and when you do it THAT way, you can make a computer yourself for the $700-800 range that is far more powerful than anything HP or Dell will offer you for the $600 range, but yet is cheaper and almost as powerful as some top-of-the-line prebuilt for $1200 or so (but yet is 30% cheaper).

AND, when you build your OWN computer, you can re-use your previous computer case and OS license. That alone is saving you about $150-200. Other parts could be re-used too, like Mouse/Keyboard/Monitor. Also, if you're not interested in Blu-Ray (or had a Blu-Ray in your previous setup), those are commonly re-used too. Heck, I've re-used HDDs before (like I said: you customize the computer to your unique needs. My 1/2 TB HDD still has 40% free space on it, so a 1TB drive is overkill and not needed, though I might check out the new drives if they are faster loading).

[Fratricide]

I will have to say that, after building my own since... ~1998... the only pre-made PC's I've purchased would be the laptop that the wife thought she needed. The biggest reason why is because I always try to go for the biggest bang for my buck... and with the system I posted previously, I did just that, biggest bang. I wanted a Gaming system that isn't necessarily the best out there, but that is pushing it as far as I could on the budget I was allowed (the wife gave me a spending limit.. cant go spending all the money on a PC).

Everything on that system was purchased New.. Including the OS. I purchased everything online, and most of it was shipped free, and no taxes. For the OS I purchased the OEM version... which is way way cheaper then the one that you can get Windows customer support from (In all the years Ive used a Microsoft product Ive never ever called their support.. so why pay for it).

At the same time I built this system, I built two other mid-towers for my kids. Both Identical, except for the case color, the daughter wanted a Pink case... go figure. Those 2 systems were indeed budget systems, but you could still game on them quite easily if desired. The specs are as follows...

CPU: Intel Core i5-760 Lynnfield 2.8GHz
RAM: G.SKILL 8GB
Mobo: ASUS P7H55-M PRO LGA 1156 Intel H55
VID: ASUS GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 768MB
PSU: Thermaltake Black Widow 850W ATX
Disc: ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner
HHD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
CASE: APEVIA X-CRUISER2 SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower
Monitor: Samsung SA100
Mouse: Whatever I had laying around.
Mousepad: same as mouse
Keyboard: same as mouse
OS: Win7 Home Prem (oem)

If one were to price that... well it was pretty cheap... got both of those systems for less then what I built mine for. But, also as I stated, they were designed so that my Kids could use them, in which, they both tend to play Flash games on the internet, more then overly demanding games. Also, when they do play more demanding games, thats what I have the PS3 for... considering, they'd rather play on the PS3 most days then on their PCs.

What you can afford in your budget is also determined by what you can... live without I guess. With my system build, I wanted the 6core processor.. and the SLI video with gtx570's... I didnt "need" them, but I didnt want to have a new system without the upgrades. I know if I were to try to replicate that with a dell or alienware(which is essentially dell) or HP or any other manufacture... I'd honestly have to go to alienware cuz most of those other companies wont do the multi videocard unless you call cust support and order over the phone. It would take even more time for the system to come in because of the extra custom nature that it would be. They would have to build it, basically, the same way that I would... my system would take me over a month to get it, vs build myself and have it running in 2 weeks or less, and thats if something took longer then expected to ship, usually no more then 8 days to be up and running.

The other main reason I like to build my system myself... I don't have to reinstall the OS when I get the system out of the box... Every single Dell or HP that I've ever pulled out of the box has so much crap on the install they do, that it is ridiculous. I worked on PC's for the military for nearly 10 years... so, when they get new PC's in... typically they are Dell... you boot them up see what software the have on them. The ones we ordered we always ordered them "clean", no software or OS installed. That isn't necessarily how they arrived. One system we got had a 500GB HHD in it and 200GB+ was used out of the box... Just stupid stuff like that, not only the OS, but Games, office programs.. etc.. etc.. etc... We always reformat/reinstall because the people working on the computers were to do just that WORK. Reinstalling the OS from format is the easiest way to remove bloatware.

Dang.. I guess I should stop rambling on and on.. Continue with the discussion... roflmao.

[Dhalin]

Bloatware is yet another good reason to not buy Pre-built computers.

They likely get $$$$ from software companies to stick the software on all of their computers (which is partly how they can shave off the price) hoping the consumer will pay for the full version of the software when the trial runs out.

I had a laptop laying about that I originally bought to dual-box Istaria with (I don't like the idea of trying to run two instances of it on my desktop) and I never really actually USED it for this purpose yet. Just a few days ago, I had go to into msconfig and disable like 10 crap programs I didn't even want running just to get the thing to run decently. I loaded Istaria up at least once and it ran though a little slowly (all it needs to do is stand at a crafting machine and craft when I finish gathering a load on my Desktop).

Anyways, I'm still going to go with "It is easier, and just better to build your own". You might get a pre-built for "Cheaper", but like I said: I can almost guarantee that they are skimping you somewhere in the system, usually the mainboard like I said. If you can't buy individual parts for less than the price that they're selling it to you, then there is something going on that you're not aware of and I'm willing to bet it is a mix of sponsor money from software companies for their stupid bloatware, or it is skimping on equipment that you aren't aware of (again, mainboard).

Also, have you seen the mice and keyboards that come with these systems? I have. They suck. lol.

[Finkledbody]

Also, have you seen the mice and keyboards that come with these systems? I have. They suck. lol.

Hahaha!! Right, your not actually suppose to use those things.

___________________________________________


First computer I ever built was 14 years ago. It was a budget build, I only had $1200 to spend on my tower.

-LED Tower-CoolerMaster- It was cool, had red LED lights all over it with LED fans and such.
-Asus 8 Motherboard - Socket 478
-Intel Celeron processor @2.8 ghz FSB: 800 mhz
-1.5 gbs of Cosair sdram
-SoundBlaster Live! 24bit - Sound card
-Nvidia 5700 le - 512 mb - Graphics card
-80 gb HD @7200 RPM - Seacoast
-52x cd burner
-Windows 98

I remember after burning up a few hd's in a few years, I replaced all my ribbon wires with proper ones and replaced the LED fans with ones that actually flowed air. lol

[tjl]

I'll say it first before I go off, I'll say I agree that a home-built will more than likely be better (given that you actually use quality parts) But have to disagree STRONGLY about the cost. You all are just so, so very wrong about this aspect.

Yes they usually are cheaper. They are cheap for a reason though. They come bundled with third party junk, and are made from lower quality parts. For the same money, you could buy your own OEM parts and come out with a better computer.

Not sure where you're buying your parts... a lot of your prices seem exaggerated.

My system cost me about 900 dollars. A comparable pre-built model would easily be twice the cost, and come with a lot of stuff I don't want or need.

Win7 professional x64 (don't need ultimate, the additional features on that edition are pointless for home use) $130
Case $90
Asus mobo $95
16Gigs of DDR3 $105
after market CPU fan $30
DVD drive $30
500Gb HD $55
AMD quad core processor $90
Power supply $90
1GB DDR5 Video card $105

If you already have a monitor, mouse, and keyboard, these parts alone would get you up and running... total cost is of the above is about 860 including shipping. No sales tax, all bought online.

I compare that with what 900 dollars could buy me at Dell, HP, or Sony... and I clearly have a better system for less money.

I don't need to pay Microsoft for office. There are plenty of free open source alternatives that work fine with those documents.

[Dhalin]

Yes they usually are cheaper. They are cheap for a reason though. They come bundled with third party junk, and are made from lower quality parts. For the same money, you could buy your own OEM parts and come out with a better computer.

Not sure where you're buying your parts... a lot of your prices seem exaggerated.

My system cost me about 900 dollars. A comparable pre-built model would easily be twice the cost, and come with a lot of stuff I don't want or need.

Win7 professional x64 (don't need ultimate, the additional features on that edition are pointless for home use) $130
Case $90
Asus mobo $95
16Gigs of DDR3 $105
after market CPU fan $30
DVD drive $30
500Gb HD $55
AMD quad core processor $90
Power supply $90
1GB DDR5 Video card $105

If you already have a monitor, mouse, and keyboard, these parts alone would get you up and running... total cost is of the above is about 860 including shipping. No sales tax, all bought online.

I compare that with what 900 dollars could buy me at Dell, HP, or Sony... and I clearly have a better system for less money.

I don't need to pay Microsoft for office. There are plenty of free open source alternatives that work fine with those documents.

^^
Pretty much, this.

I was planning on eventually typing up my own price comparisons, but to be honest he's right.

If you buy a Dell or something, you're going to pay about $600, BUT, the system will be much weaker, loaded with bloatware, and its mainboard is going to be a piece of junk, as will the keyboard and mouse that comes with it. I don't know what kind of monitors these things come with (if they come with monitors at all, is that extra?), but still.

If you get a system that's actually good, you're probably buying a gaming computer from something like Alienware which has huge tricked-out systems that have 3 graphics cards in them or some-crap, which are usually overkill.

That's why I use the term "bang for the buck" -- a GOOD but yet cost-effective solution is usually, in most cases, almost as good as a "top-of-the-line" setup, but yet less than half the price.

Sure, you could build your own for $2,000 and it would have the highest performance parts on the market. Meanwhile, I could build my own for roughly $900 and guess what? Except for the most demanding games on the market, both of these computers would do exactly the same thing, except mine would use less electricity, put out less heat, and save money in the long-run.

I've seen several screenshots of Skyrim, on High, Ultra-High and absolutely max settings.

I could barely tell the difference and when you're swinging at some dragon in-game, you're not going to notice that you can see the pretty trees 500 miles away in Cyrodiil while standing at the Throat of the World, to be honest.

I just don't think that a barely noticable difference is worth spending $1000+ more for a computer (plus the extra electricity use). I could build a whole 'nuther computer for that.

This computer I'm running now runs Skyrim at "High" with at least 60 FPS with the occasional FPS drops due to loading (these are rare and only last a second or two) and this computer was built three years ago this January with "Best bang for the buck". That system cost me (then), roughly $980 partly because I bought a 3-pack Win7 upgrade along with the system as I had two other computers needing Win7.

With it running Skyrim this good, I think I'm set for at least another year, unless Mass Effect 3 requires me to buy another setup, and that ain't until at least March.

Edit: Let's not forget that many of the parts used to make a $2000 computer right now might only cost one $1500 in about 4-5 months, if even that. So even if you did drop $2000 on a computer you likely didn't even really need, you could have just waited a few months and saved yourself a few hundred bucks. Trying to stay "on top" of the computer world is a very costly and wasteful quest.

[Darkwing_Duck]

Right now mine`s store bought but once the warrenty runs out I`m gonna pimp it out a bit ^^

as stands I`m running Windows 7

CPU is AMD duel core 3.5 GHz
4 GB DDR3 RAM
1 TB Harddrive
NVidia Geforce 9200 graphics with built in cooling fan

I`m planning on upgrading the ram to 6 GB, though it can handle 8
then upgrading to a quadcore CPU.