If you were good at putting lego's together as a young kid, then building your own pc might be a better option for you. Today it may or may not be cheaper, but you'll know what you have from your own choices and you'll get a much better manufacture's warranty on parts without being charged extra like the off the shelf pc manufacture's charge you. People here can help you with choosing your parts for your current needs. If in the future should your needs change and you want to upgrade, you can do that with a custom build that you did. Off the shelf pc manufacture's discourage that option