Build or buy...??

[Warpony]

I'm interested in some feedback on whether you folks that have been at this a long time would recommend that a relative hardware novice (pretty handy but I've never built a computer) buy a preassembled factory unit or try to build one myself..???

I've spent a lot of time on the Internet trying to educate myself and the opinions vary from "any reasonably handy person can do this" to "always pay someone to do it".

I just want something with good processing speed and reasonable graphics. I'm not a 3-D gamer or video editor. So, what I would like to know is whether I should buy a preassembled unit or buy a bare bones and flesh it out or just take the plunge and buy all the parts (and use the do it yourself stuff on the Internet) to assemble it myself....??

Thanks for the input...

 

[RyanOldw83]

Only build one if you know what your doing. but homemade is the way to go. all 6 of my computers are home made and they all work better then any prebuilt ive seen. Much more reliable, they NEVER crash, and thats with windows on them. Id read up before i jumped into building one from scratch if your a novice. People on here will help you if they can.

 

[*PyRo*]

build it youll learn tons but be careful unless your richie rich, things can f*** up. heres a site i learnt from

http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/index.htm

however you say your not into too demanding things so buying a pc might not be so bad :s

 

[digital_darknes]

i would say build one - you have the computer your on now to get to the net and if your gonna shut yours down to build the new one make sure you can get to the net - post a question and someone will help you with any questions you have.

 

[Warpony]

Thanks...this will give me some food for thought...I'll be asking more later...

 

[Qiranworms]

If you're going to build, do some research regarding the parts you get. You want to get good deals. You also want to keep compatibility and quality. Keep in mind that because building lacks a manufacturers warrenty, you should keep track of the individual warrenties of the parts. Tech Support can be found at this forum . You should also be cautious about damaging components. Most internal computer devices are very sensitive to static charge. Grounding is important. I have heard of perminantly damaging expensive hardware because of carelessness.

Building your own machine has many advantages. You can often save money. You have complete control of EVERYTHING that goes into that system. You don't have loads of useless junk the manufacturer preinstalled on your system to remove. The learning experience will probably give you the ability to troubleshoot more extensively with hardware problems of friends.

Unless I wanted a Mac or a Laptop (both very concievable for my next computer) I would not even consider going to Dell and such.