Should you buy a Pre-built computer or build it yourself?

MasterA

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Should you buy a pre-built computer or should you build it yourself? What are the advantages and disadvantages of both?
 
Re: Should you buy a Pre-built computer or build it yourself

Depends on your skills, if you know how to build it you'll be probably better of with that. Otherwise go for the pre 😀
 
Re: Should you buy a Pre-built computer or build it yourself

Building a computer is all of the difference of just buying one. You can choose the best products to make your computer perform better, without breaking the bank.

Buying a computer, your just getting something that has been built, but way come with parts that arnt all that.

I recommend building it, not buying something that is already built, so you know what your getting.
 
Re: Should you buy a Pre-built computer or build it yourself

I think the obvious advantage to building your own is customizing it to your personal preference. Choosing just the right specs that you want to have in your system is definitely beneficial. However, it's probably a lot more expensive to customize things and build it yourself. That being said, I really can't say which is better because I've yet to build my own system. 😛
 
Re: Should you buy a Pre-built computer or build it yourself

I think it is best to build your own computer, or find a friend, family member, co-worker, or computer technician who knows how to build PCs to help you assemble your PC. Finding someone to build a PC is not hard since there are many tech savvy people who know how to build a PC. I think pre-builts are not very good because companies like HP, Dell, Compaq, Lenovo, and E-machine sometimes use low quality power supplies, motherboards, RAM, slower CPUs, and cooling fans to earn more money by selling their PC for high prices.

A lot of pre-built PC makers like Lenovo, Dell, and HP also install a bunch of unwanted programs like Superfish, Adware, Trial versions of Norton or McAfee antivirus, and casual games from WildTangent which use up a lot of storage space, and can slow down a PC.

I once gotten an HP desktop as a gift in 2007. The HP desktop came with a weak Bestec 200W power supply, slow RAM, not enough RAM to run Vista well back in 2007, and the motherboard also seems cheaply made because the SATA hard drive ports on the motherboard started to become unreliable after a few years of use. The back case fan also died after a few years. The front microphone jack also does not work now...

The HP desktop also came pre-loaded with a lot of unwanted software like casual games, a trial version of Norton Antivirus, System Utility software which was not very good compared to TuneUp Utilities, and Advance System Care, and a limited version of Roxio CD burning software where you need to pay for a paid version to unlock all the features...
 
Re: Should you buy a Pre-built computer or build it yourself

ForumSource said:
I think the obvious advantage to building your own is customizing it to your personal preference. Choosing just the right specs that you want to have in your system is definitely beneficial. However, it's probably a lot more expensive to customize things and build it yourself. That being said, I really can't say which is better because I've yet to build my own system. 😛
froggyboy604 said:
I think it is best to build your own computer, or find a friend, family member, co-worker, or computer technician who knows how to build PCs to help you assemble your PC. Finding someone to build a PC is not hard since there are many tech savvy people who know how to build a PC. I think pre-builts are not very good because companies like HP, Dell, Compaq, Lenovo, and E-machine sometimes use low quality power supplies, motherboards, RAM, slower CPUs, and cooling fans to earn more money by selling their PC for high prices.

A lot of pre-built PC makers like Lenovo, Dell, and HP also install a bunch of unwanted programs like Superfish, Adware, Trial versions of Norton or McAfee antivirus, and casual games from WildTangent which use up a lot of storage space, and can slow down a PC.

I once gotten an HP desktop as a gift in 2007. The HP desktop came with a weak Bestec 200W power supply, slow RAM, not enough RAM to run Vista back in 2007, and the motherboard also seems cheaply made because the SATA hard drive ports on the motherboard started to become unreliable after a few years of use. The back case fan also died after a few years. The front microphone jack also does not work now...

The HP desktop also came pre-loaded with a lot of unwanted software like casual games, a trial version of Norton Antivirus, System Utility software which was not very good compared to TuneUp Utilities, and Advance System Care, and a limited version of Roxio CD burning software where you need to pay for a paid version to unlock all the features...

I just think its hilarious you both have the same avatar.. lol
 
Re: Should you buy a Pre-built computer or build it yourself

Build it yourself! I'd never buy a pre made unless it was for a company I own and need it in bulk where they will just be using programs like MS Office, Excel...etc
 
Re: Should you buy a Pre-built computer or build it yourself

I think you should build it yourself. That way you get the best deals and can customise what you want!
 
Re: Should you buy a Pre-built computer or build it yourself

I think you should build your own system instead of buying a pre build one, the reason is quiet simple as you build a system you know exactly what u need and what you don't need so you can build it that way, but if you buy a prebuild then chances are you will be spending money for stuff you will never need .

My advice to you is build a system instead of buying a pre build.
 
Re: Should you buy a Pre-built computer or build it yourself

I usually build it myself because I know what I've got.

Lately, due to time constraints, I've bought a customized computer from Ibuypower.
 
Re: Should you buy a Pre-built computer or build it yourself

Definitely build it yourself.
 
Re: Should you buy a Pre-built computer or build it yourself

For me, it depends on whether or not I need the computer now, or if I have the time to buy the parts needed to have a good computer.

I prefer custom built over premades. Though Dell usually produces pretty good premades.
 
Re: Should you buy a Pre-built computer or build it yourself

Pre-built is good enough for my needs. 🙂 The latest one I bought was a Dell machine from the local Staples. Worked well with now issues. It can play Skyrim pretty well, too. 🙂 Set me back about $500, but an equivalent self-built machine would only be a bit cheaper, I think.
 
Re: Should you buy a Pre-built computer or build it yourself

Buidling it yourself is cheaper imo. You can also get a better understanding as for what you have in your build.
 
Re: Should you buy a Pre-built computer or build it yourself

Pre-built can be good if you really don't feel like messing with it when stuff breaks down and you have a warranty. It's a little more expensive, but it pays off in time and effort. If that's not so much of an issue, then self-built is the way to go.
 
Re: Should you buy a Pre-built computer or build it yourself

If you go with a place like CyberPowerPC, it's actually pretty nice. If you have the know how to build a PC, always go that route, though. At this point, I could never buy a prebuilt but I've never heard anything other than good things about CyberPowerPC.
 
Re: Should you buy a Pre-built computer or build it yourself

I would go with self built as you can learn what goes where, meaning if there is a hardware issue, you can replace it. Some parts have a much longer warentee if you buy it separate instead of from an OEM builder. However if time is not an issue, then if you are willing to spend too much, a custom prebuilt could work.
 
Re: Should you buy a Pre-built computer or build it yourself

I always build my computers. They're much more reliable when you know how it's put together and what every piece does. When you buy a computer from HP, it can be difficult to get specs on every piece that goes into the computer, so if something breaks, it's a bit harder to fix it.
 
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