[Phil]

Which is cheaper to buy or to make? of course this is saying for the best computer.
My friend just made a comp and its pretty good and he says he saved quite a sum of money
yet my dad still believe that buying it made is cheaper comparing cars (buying directly form the factory is more expensive).

[darkjizzle806]

I made my computer and I have no problems w/ it, plus it was cheaper ($1100). Also, being able to add what you want or dont want. You get the satisfied feeling after you do it like you accomplished something great if it is your first computer.

[awdark]

^I wonder about all these darks....

But yeah you can make one cheaper... just don't skimp out on things you shouldn't skimp on like the power supply or motherboard. Those two things are what most skimp on... (I get the cheap mobos) and well I pay the price for it for unreliable service.

The other thing you have to consider is software. Genuine windows OEM will run you about $100.

[chinguz]

making is cheaper (choose what suits you most) and choose from a variety of parts. yet buying software is a *****

[Phil]

OEM??? not familiar with that term ><

[DaRkViEt73]

^I wonder about all these darks....

Yo, I can't speak for everyone else but I've been DaRkViEt since back in the BBS days in '94... so I go WAY back. We're talking 2400 baud dialup modems and 0 day goodies.

OEM = Original Equipment Manufacture. In terms of windows OEM, that means the version of windows that Microsoft makes available to manufactures like HP, Dell and everyone else. Pretty much it's similar to normal windows but it may have company specific branding on it or other differences... different product keys, plus NO manual or fancy packaging like a retail box and stuff.

Anyways, sometimes buying prebuilt is cheaper... sometimes it's cheaper to build your own. In the past, it used to be almost always cheaper to build your own. But nowadays, every situation is unique. Remember that unlike those of us who are limited to buying parts at full retail or even wholesale price, manufactures get big volume discounts on parts. Getting genuine windows is cheaper for manufactures as well versus you having to buy it or whatever. Plus not everyone has the technical know-how to build their own computer and troubleshoot it whenever they have a problem. Plus not everyone can design the computer for things like proper airflow and stuff which helps keep the computer running troublefree longer. And remember, you are your own technical support unless you want to rely on a computer friend all the time.

So if it's a cheap computer you're trying to get for the parents or siblings to surf the internet and email and stuff... I'd say go buy a computer. If you're a power user but lack technical troubleshooting skills, you'd also want to buy prebuilt but maybe from a reputable company like Apple or Dell. And if you're a power user and are also technically inclined, then usually you wouldn't be asking this question as you'd already know what serves your needs best in that particular situation. That's my opinion.

[babyYUFFIE]

is it cheaper if you buy like.. a used computer but add your own things in it?

[moonsite]

It's a lot cheaper to buy one than building your own, especially with a DEll. I like to see someone build an equivalent sytem for $500.

Dell E510 2.8Ghz P4
1Gb RAM
160Gb hd
DVD-RW
19" Flat Panel
Genuine Windows XP Home

I used to like to build my own too, but nowaday, it is better just to buy a cheap dell and then upgrade it. The only advantage in building your own nowadays is you get to choose the components you want.

[Dachink]

It's a lot cheaper to buy one than building your own, especially with a DEll. I like to see someone build an equivalent sytem for $500.

Dell E510 2.8Ghz P4
1Gb RAM
160Gb hd
DVD-RW
19" Flat Panel
Genuine Windows XP Home

I used to like to build my own too, but nowaday, it is better just to buy a cheap dell and then upgrade it. The only advantage in building your own nowadays is you get to choose the components you want.

upgrading a Dell? lol

[NASRI22]

i'd say go to a small computer shop (which looks like they are doing well) and select parts that suit your requirements and get them to build it for you.. that way if anything goes wrong then they are to be held responsible for any hardware failure.. because you could come back and you coudlve steped on the video card or dropped it and fuba'rd it. there could be a chance they wont fix it for you considering you wanted to take responisbility in building it.

[Pirate]

^lol

yeah upgrading a dell is virtually impossible . Its better in the long run to build a computer if you have some idea of what your doing. Only reason id ever buy a prebuilt computer, would be for the monitor and maybe.. the warranty.

Thing with prebuilts is that they dont tell you the manufacturers of say mobo, ram, hard drive etc. But id recommend prebuilts if your not going to game. Excluding alienware/voodoo/falcon because they con you.

[erure]

i know nothing about modifying or building computers so i'm just curious; why is it impossible to upgrade a dell?

[moonsite]

A dell system is actually pretty quiet. I was very surprise when I first got it. Contrary to what you believe, a dell system can be upgraded. You can add more RAM, DVD-writer, better Video Card, sound card,higher-clock cpu (as long as it is about the same socket using the same voltage), more hard drives. You can even fit a micro ATX motherboard in some of the dell models. Maybe you haven't bought a Dell lately, hehe. This is not just for Dell. HP and Gateway systems can be upgraded too. I have a Compaq that I added more stuff in. Ofcourse there are limitation on certain models. But that is the same as a custom built computer; there are limitation on what you can upgrade. Like you can't add a PCI-Express card if you have a motherboard that only support AGP.
Right now I have a Dell SC400 with a P4 2.8Ghz that I bought for about $110. I added 2 200Gb hard drives, 1 300Gb removable drive, a DVD-RW drive, an ATI 9600XT All-in-Wonder Video Card, a 6 channel sound cards, and 1Gb of RAM. Now did I upgrade my computer? When it's time to replace the CPU, I might just as well buy a new computer.

I also forgot to mention the other advantage of building it yourself is overclocking.

Shinhwasan -- It is not impossible to upgrade a dell or an HP/compaq. I buy dell because it is cheap, totally hate their customer service. Upgrading the CPU and video card is usually the only problem. But again, you can "probably" upgrade the cpu if it is the same socket. As for the video card, make sure you get a sytem with the PCI-Express slot.

[NASRI22]

A dell system is actually pretty quiet. I was very surprise when I first got it. Contrary to what you believe, a dell system can be upgraded. You can add more RAM, DVD-writer, better Video Card, sound card,higher-clock cpu (as long as it is about the same socket using the same voltage), more hard drives. You can even fit a micro ATX motherboard in some of the dell models. Maybe you haven't bought a Dell lately, hehe. This is not just for Dell. HP and Gateway systems can be upgraded too. I have a Compaq that I added more stuff in. Ofcourse there are limitation on certain models. But that is the same as a custom built computer; there are limitation on what you can upgrade. Like you can't add a PCI-Express card if you have a motherboard that only support AGP.
Right now I have a Dell SC400 with a P4 2.8Ghz that I bought for about $110. I added 2 200Gb hard drives, 1 300Gb removable drive, a DVD-RW drive, an ATI 9600XT All-in-Wonder Video Card, a 6 channel sound cards, and 1Gb of RAM. Now did I upgrade my computer? When it's time to replace the CPU, I might just as well buy a new computer.

I also forgot to mention the other advantage of building it yourself is overclocking.

Shinhwasan -- It is not impossible to upgrade a dell or an HP/compaq. I buy dell because it is cheap, totally hate their customer service. Upgrading the CPU and video card is usually the only problem. But again, you can "probably" upgrade the cpu if it is the same socket. As for the video card, make sure you get a sytem with the PCI-Express slot.

well my cousins Dell pc he got (it's a intel 630 i think so it's quite recent). the case opens differently and the front buttons/usb ports use a different connection to your motherboard.. the motherboard was a weird motherboard with no name on it (think it was some crappy foxconn). the cpu cooler was a passive heatsink with a duct to a 92mm fan on the case. Very quiet but had no temperature monitors. Also the motherboard wasnt screwed to the case. it was using those push pin clips BUT the case looks liek a full size tower case but it wouldnt fit in a A8N32-SLI. there are only 4 pci slots. What the hell... i think dell puporsely made this so it wouldnt fit a common motherbaord in it. also the hdd was so quiet because in the bios they have some hard drive thing which slows the hard drive spin to lower speeds (and this significantly decreases your hdd speed with transfering files) but also significantly decreases the noise emitted by the hdd. almost silent but it's a crap feature imo. Also the case opens with a weird way. the case instead or removing the side panel the case 'splits' in half and the power supply sits on one side. This is Virtually un-upgradable as we tried. The power supply is smaller than a standard size.. i never seen taht kind of size before.

[moonsite]

That is how most Dell cases are; they split open. The power supply in my Dell is only 230 Watts, but I can run all those components that I mentioned and also an external usb drive. Yup, the connection to the front usb port is proprietary. Dell never made their computer in such a way that it is easy to replace the motherboard. Like I said, only certain model allows that.
There shouldn't be any hard drive throttle just to make it quiet. The options in the bios for hard drive usually are to enable smart drive and NCQ for better performance. Even at full speed, the noises from my hard drives are inaudible unless I listen very closely. What make it quiet is ofcourse the passive heatsink and the very few fans in the case. It is adequate cooling and I have no problem with it. My custom-built machine has 5 cases fan and a cpu fan. It makes a lot of noise.
When you are talking about upgrading, it is not just the CPU. If I want to upgrade just the CPU/motherboard, I might as well buy a new barebone system with the higher speed CPU at minimum price from Dell.
Besides, even when I custom-build mine, I always get new case anyway, just to change the look. I have been spending too much money on my custom-built one lol.
Dell is not the best computer, it's just cheap.

[KorEaN]

hahah in regards to the dell issue..
when i was tryin to upgrade, i just took my dell computer apart and just used some parts of it like the cpu, but yea it was pretty much impossible to upgrade it

[mustang]

For a cheaper and satisfied solution, a self made computer will be the best choice as we get to choose what components are needed. Along the way, we can bargain too. Whereas for buying a complete set where it's been set up properly and mostly it will be more expensive [depends] on the brand. The higher the reputation of the brand, the more expensive the computer will become

[mangujowa]

ahaha.
sometimes you can buy "customized" or customizable computers.
like, one of the sony laptops, you can choose parts go in it. I tried it, and the total for the laptop I built was over 3k. = ="

[Adionik]

All i'm going to say...

Is 10 days of Dell.

For real. If you're not gaming it's a LOT cheaper to just buy a computer off the shelves.

[mashimarojkt]

building my own, personally i dont like the parts that comes in the pc package at the store, for that price i can get better parts and put them together myself