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- icexe, on 12/09/2008, -9/+148Obviously, building from scratch is the way to go for maximum savings, it's senseles to buy a "fixer-upper" when you can build a much better system for a lot less money from scratch.
But if you've never built or upgraded a PC, it may actually save you a lot of aggravation if you just spent the extra money on getting the PC you want built up front. Even minor upgrades require some technical knowledge about the system. Did you buy the right size and type of RAM? Do you know how to diagnose the problem if suddenly your upgrades started causing BSOD's? Have you ever swapped out a hard drive? You'd be surprised how something as simple as a SATA connector can be completely baffling to someone with no technical knowledge. And god help you if you accidentally pulled something loose while fishing around inside the system. Not to mention that in many pre-built systems, opening the case instantly voids your warranty.
As for laptops, I see no reason to ever buy anything but the cheapest one available, since 99% of laptop buyers are just going to use it to do web surfing and email, there's really no point in splurging for a faster CPU, video card, or more RAM. It's a total waste of money to opt for say, the 2.4Ghz CPU over the 1.8GHz, or 4GB of RAM over 2GB. The rare exceptions are those who want a laptop for gaming, and they won't be satisfied with anything in the middle price range. - moothemagiccow, on 12/10/2008, -2/+88No! This can't possibly be a good idea! Where will I be without my 30-day software trials??
- UncleCrapper, on 12/10/2008, -4/+50"Not to mention that in many pre-built systems, opening the case instantly voids your warranty."
I have never, ever heard any company make this claim and I work at a computer repair shop. I deal with Dell, HP and Acer on a regular basis and I have never had an in-warranty claim denied by a manufacturer due to customer installed hardware (unless the damage could be traced to the customer's installed equipment, such as a video card).
The rest of your comment was bang on, especially regarding laptops. Unless you have very specific requirements, your example was gaming, then one should almost always purchase the cheapest laptop that does the job. - DemiRonin, on 12/10/2008, -3/+38DUH
- inactive, on 12/10/2008, -1/+34This is all retardedly obvious information.
- ChipzMaster, on 12/10/2008, -0/+23Not everyone is a computer genius. This is why Dell factories are still running.
Many people know that building a computer themselves cost less. They're just not computer savvy enough to build their own.
BTW, I'm currently typing this on my own homemade gaming computer. Saved $600 bucks.
And, for those of you who can do this and want to make a quick buck, here is a good idea. Tell your friend (or not you friend) that you can make a hi-tech computer for them and save them a couple hundred $'s. Put some parts online in your shopping cart, but DON'T BUY THEM YET. Figure out how much this is going to cost you, then find a Dell computer (or non-Dell computer) with similar stats. Then, show them the Dell computer specs, then the specs of the parts you got, and then offer them a price that's about half way between the Dell computer and price of the parts. This way, you'll be saving them money and earning a little money yourself.
:) - Konrad9, on 12/10/2008, -1/+22This has always been true, what's the big deal?
- inactive, on 12/10/2008, -0/+16Actually, it's pretty hard to win with homemade specs on the LOW-END Dell PCs. When you start to get fancy, Dell's margin on the fancy parts goes through the roof.
- jpmoney03, on 12/10/2008, -0/+15Of course then when it breaks you are stuck as tech support since you built it.
- BinaryFragger, on 12/10/2008, -2/+16Oh please, the computer replacement cycle has nothing to do with PC versus Mac.
My parents keep their PCs for 5+ years before replacement, and so do many friends and family members. They'res no need to replace a PC every 2-3 years unless you want bleeding edge components.
Go to any large office: they'll likely have hundreds of old PCs (often running Win2K) that still function fine.
Stop spreading the myth that Macs (which are built with the exact same components as PCs) last longer than PCs. - beefchi, on 12/10/2008, -0/+13i am going to ***** end you
- lysdexic, on 12/10/2008, -0/+13I live 3000 miles away from my parents. They can't use their DVR until the next time I visit because they can't figure out how to hook it up. Some people just don't have what it takes to build a computer.
- Zidul, on 12/10/2008, -0/+13i think its the way they sometimes put the stickers in the back of the case, they peel off / rip because they're stuck on the gap where the case is supposed to open up from
- InfernoX, on 12/10/2008, -0/+12When I built my PC; first time no experience with installing ANY computer hardware, Worked on the first try, hasn't failed me since. ( due to faulty installation or anything)
The important thing is to make sure all your parts are compatible, if you're buying from a store be sure to ask someone who works there to double check and make sure everything is compatible. ( Any employee at a decent computer store should be able to tell you) or if you're buying online post on a forum or something and have people there tell you.
I really wish the hardware shipped with better manual's though, the ones they come with a absolutely horrible. - ClevelandBrown, on 12/10/2008, -3/+13Building your own computer is not hard. People are just lazy.
- u8myfoood, on 12/10/2008, -1/+10If you are in the market for a low end computer, say for your grandmother or technologically illiterate parents, buying from the likes of Dell, HP and Gateway are the way to go... The cost of all the low end parts together will cost well over the amount you would for a base model Dell ($279).
After all I don't think most grandmothers are going to be asking "Can it run Crysis?", rather "How do I open the internet?". So, a simple 2.2ghz Celeron, 2gb RAM, and 320gb HDD will suffice.
But with high end, Newegg, Tiger Direct and such are the way to go, and a little help from slickdeals helps too! - mrroarke, on 12/10/2008, -2/+11"Just buy a Mac..."
Look at the title of the article - you fail it. Besides, you MIGHT have to upgrade a PC to keep up with the latest games, something that might be foreign to you. And no Mac-head would keep their (primary) Mac for 7, 6 or even 2 years... Apple's Mindcontrol® Department makes sure of that. - schnikies79, on 12/10/2008, -0/+9I have a desktop but haven't done anything to it for about 3.5 years, except use it. I see no reason to buy a new computer.
I would rather buy a laptop. Good luck building that. - schnikies79, on 12/10/2008, -2/+11@subterfuge
Opening your mac does not void the warranty. - EarlOfLade, on 12/10/2008, -4/+13I truly feel sorry for you!
Don't despair, there is hope... - oda1, on 12/10/2008, -0/+8We live in a "Gimme, Now" time. Buying is much quicker than building.
I worked at BK once, and man you wouldn't believe the impatience of people these days. - Shiftgood, on 12/10/2008, -1/+9The MBP im typing on i bought about 5 years ago for college for graphic design. Still runs like new.
I know its hard to believe... but its true... i dont even ever turn it off, i think the last time i shut down it was for a summer vacation. - funklor, on 12/10/2008, -2/+10It's funny how some people seem to think you need profound esoteric knowledge to build a system. You know what I knew when I built my first? Pretty much nothing. Yet it turned on, I saved money, and it still works. How did I accomplish this magical task? I read the instruction manuals and conducted basic research, primitive by even 6th grade history standards.
However, I had the desire to learn and was crash strapped, if you don't care and aren't then you might as well by from a manufacturer / retailer. Ignorance has a price though, your junk is going to be manhandled by pretty much everyone. - oblique63, on 12/10/2008, -0/+7with fire? pretty please?
- thedragon4453, on 12/10/2008, -0/+7Yep. If you are looking at a $300-$400 PC, you probably ought to get a dell.
If you've got $800 though, I can build something a lot better than Dell will. - rolf, on 12/10/2008, -0/+7I don't agree with your laptop statement. Some people use them as their main tools. Carpenters and Contractors can't afford to buy the cheapest tools in Home Depot (since it's a waste of their money) and so the same goes for a decent laptop with those people who need them.
Besides, what is the cheapest laptop? An OLPC, eeePC, Aspire? Their keyboards are too small to type on for many people. A walmart special? They're okay, but often the components aren't really for laptops (like a desktop CPU) and so the cheap battery doesn't last long either. The battery goes faster and needs to be replaced more and almost might as well buy a desktop.
Often in life, I ended up paying more because I went with the cheapest first, and either the quality sucked, or the item was underpowered or not enough what I needed -- and so I had to go out and buy what I needed in the first place. It's not a neat and tidy rule, but for any significant purchase - just research what you are buying and make sure it meets your needs and has acceptable downsides. Really no excuse otherwise with the internet these days. - opticwind, on 12/10/2008, -0/+7Cause chickens can't run Crysis.
- Myztry, on 12/10/2008, -0/+7Crap. PC's are completely modular. If you've ever managed to put together flat pack furniture then you are more than capable of building a PC.
Only the first one is actually difficult while you figure out where the parts go. From then on it's child play. - rft3rd, on 12/10/2008, -1/+8I have seen these stickers on both HP/Compaq as well as Dell's.
- aserer511, on 12/10/2008, -2/+8Mac owners need not apply
- inactive, on 12/10/2008, -2/+895% of the population couldn't build a PC without frying components or having to pay someone to fix the mess they made.
- TyrannousDotNet, on 12/10/2008, -10/+16(here watch this...)
But i have a mac? - InfernoX, on 12/10/2008, -2/+8I built my own gaming computer last month with zero experience with putting computer hardware together. A friend helped me make sure all the parts were compatible, bought the parts and put it all together with no experience and the help on an internet website to make sure I was doing it right. There's absolutely no reason to buy pre-built PC's.
my gaming PC specs incase anyone is curious:
Intel Q6600 2.4ghz 1066MHZ FSB - $205.95
ASUS P5QL-E - $123.95
Sapphire HD 48500 512mb DDR3 - $210.95
SEAGATE 500 GB Sata HDD 32mb cache 7200 RPM -$78.95
4GB Kingston DDR2 800mhz -$98.95
Antec Earthwatts EA650 650 W PSU- $89.00
Coolermaster Centurion RC534 Black case no PSU- $60.00
Total comes to around $910 CAD. - Barackalypse, on 12/10/2008, -1/+7So the story here is that computer makers have a markup and its cheaper to buy the parts off Newegg?
- phybere, on 12/10/2008, -0/+6And that dell support center that I can't get rid of without running msconfig...
- fuzzybeard, on 12/10/2008, -0/+5[singing, badly]
♫Flame Wars, nothing but Flaaaaaaame wars!♫
[/singing badly] - beefchi, on 12/10/2008, -1/+6goddamnit, well said
- danj484, on 12/10/2008, -0/+5The only reason to upgrade that frequently is to stay on the bleeding edge, or your friend is stupid and breaks things. Macs typically include hardware that isn't even utilized yet (see: G5's 8 cores), hence the delayed obsolescence. That's nice if you run something processor intensive, but there's no way to keep up with every hardware development (especially graphics cards). Moore's Law means that even supercomputers are outgunned by desktops after 7 years.
- combatchuck, on 12/10/2008, -0/+5If you're just browsing the web and doing TPS reports, yes.
- BuenoCabra, on 12/10/2008, -0/+5Next to last paragraph:
"It is also important to note that making upgrades on laptops and factory desktops can void your warranty. This may be something you want to check on before proceeding." - Stevethegreat, on 12/10/2008, -2/+7If you have the appropriate knowledge, building from scratch is the ONLY way to go, economic crisis or not. Due to my job I have to watch the hardware developments and it was always a no brainer for me. Those folks buying dell often pay twice as much for half of what they need...
- m85476585, on 12/10/2008, -0/+5Also, the quality of a custom-built computer can be a lot better (assuming you use quality parts). Buying the cheapest Bestbuy computer is like buying all the lowest-rated parts on Newegg.
- fuzzybeard, on 12/10/2008, -1/+595% of the population won't RTFM either; so that's no big surprise.
- lowdose, on 12/10/2008, -0/+4Wow, I am sorry, I live under a rock, I had no Idea intel still makes the celeron processor.
/my rock is comfortable.... - inactive, on 12/10/2008, -0/+472.9% of all statistics are made up on the spot.
- newsboys, on 12/10/2008, -2/+6...Is it really true that most people don't want a desktop any more? I have a desktop and a laptop, and the only time I ever use the laptop is if I'm out of the house.. The screen, sound, speed, controls, and comfort (sitting in an actual chair and not hunched over a laptop on my couch) are all much better on my desktop...
- InfernoX, on 12/10/2008, -0/+4In my experience, the main parts to not cheap out on are PSU and the motherboard. Everything else can be upgraded in a few minutes but it is a ***** bitch to replace a motherboard.
- rolf, on 12/10/2008, -0/+4Okay... meet me in the park and we'll compare my notebook to your desktop.
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