Should I build or buy?

[melorock]

Take the Plunge?

Bear with me, I appreciate any advice.


I have never built a PC before, but would you recommend it? I am willing to educate myself on learning how, but is it as hard as it sounds?


Here's my needs if you wish to read.

I'm thinking......A laptop and a Desktop
laptop - I know it is off topic for this forum, but It's a piece to the puzzle. Bascially I use the laptop for the portability aspect and use it in the classroom, wireless internet, email, photos, listening music, GPS, mostly temporary files. Not too fancy right?

Desktop - I want a top quality Desktop with excellent graphics and plenty of power and storage space. The main purpose is to set up a DAW (digital audio workstation). I want to record and produce music practically professionally and I plan to purchase top quality software applications.
I would like a few games like Oblivion and the Sims, but I don't consider myself a hardcore gamer. I want to do some photoshop and a little graphic design, but mostly an emphasis on a home recording studio. I plan to "feed" my laptop off of my Desktop.

But....
Apple or Windows?
What's your unbiased opinon on the best OS for what I am trying to do? If I choose apple, I could have "both" (provided enough memory), but would it be practical?






The cost shouldn't be too outrageous. The laptop is almost basic (portability aspect), and since I'm building the PC the cost shouldn't be too outrageous correct? I'll do whatever it takes because I have worked hard for this, but not throw money away.

Sorry for the essay and the ignorant questions, I sincerely APPRECIATE any feedback
-melorock


EDIT: My budget is idealistically 2000 and below, but if needed be, I'm prepared to go to 2,500. Thanks again guys

 

[Druid]

Well, you pretty much have to buy a laptop, but you should definitely build your own desktop PC. I personally haven't done it, but it doesn't sound to hard to me. Have you ever looked inside a computer before? Added ram or anything? That sure is easy, so I would expect building an entire pc yourself not to be much harder. I've just ordered the parts for one myself that I will be constructing next weekend hopefully.

What is your budget?

I really don't know much about mac. Isn't it just for editing visual type things? I say go with Vista.

 

[zmatt]

Windows definately. Although my laptop is a mac I really can't recommend them to people other than the elderly. The isheep get them anyways......

Windows will give you maximum compatibility and allow you to play your games. Sure you can put windows on a mac now but you are paying a premium for cheap hardware. Macs are no different than your run of the mill pc anymore, in fact you can run a modified mac os on regular pcs.


But on to the actual machine, you want to build your desktop. The benefits are numerous and the drawbacks are few and easy to overcome. The pros:

1.You know every piece of hardware in your machine, no questions about what you have

2.You get the manufacturers warranty on all your parts. The warranty the OEM provides is always better then the warranty Dell or any other pc company would give you.

3. It's cheaper. Companies like Dell, Compaq and Apple sell the parts with an added cost figured in, there is labor, the cost of the crappy trial ware you don't want and of course the profit margin. You can never buy parts at cost, but buying them yourself eliminates one more guy you have to pay

4. No trial ware. You don't have to put up with all that bloat they ship machines with nowadays

5. Since you chose the parts you get you will more than likely have better (read faster) and higher quality parts than they put in prebuilt machines. There are countless examples of companies paring cheap hardware together that can easily fail, just to get the thing to work.

I could go on but you get the idea.

 

[hikaricloud]

Plus, you have no idea how fun it is to build a desktop until you actually do it. It was like crack to me after my first time doing it, haha.

 

[Whirlwind]

You should build

 

[Evolv]

"Build it and they will come"

By "they" I mean no one probably. Just a cool line from the movie Angels in the Outfield.

 

[Hefemeister]

Give a budget and we come up with a nice build. If you build you will have to run windows.

^^btw that quote is originally from Field of Dreams.

 

[NightSurge]

"Build it and they will come"

By "they" I mean no one probably. Just a cool line from the movie Angels in the Outfield.

Lol, you mean Field of Dreams starring Kevin Costner (sp?)

Edit: Hef beat me

 

[Evolv]

^^ Ha, yea thats what I meant, Field of Dreams. With Kevin Costner and Ray Liota.

 

[melorock]

What is your budget?



My budget is idealistically below 2,000 but if needed be, I'm prepared to go to 2,500, as long as I get excellent performance that's all I'm worried about. Thanks again guys