# do you build your own pc or buy them?



## ProtogenWolF (Jun 22, 2021)

im curious if anyone is more comfortable on either buying pre builts or building your own ? i got more comfortable of building my own on my 4th pc not so long ago  and was wondering if anyone here are the same way xD


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## Deleted member 106754 (Jun 22, 2021)

Wouldn't be surprised if a good amount of people on here throw together their own systems. Personally I am at the crossroads where I'd like to try out building a hardline water-cooled PC but I cannot quite justify the cost for tools, material and time when air or aio's are so easy.

As far as full new builds for myself I'm on my 5th system but if we just speak about building or re-assembly of any desktop PC I'm not sure anymore.


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## Marius Merganser (Jun 22, 2021)

Back in college (mid 90s) we used to spend a day going to a computer show and buying each and every individual part separately from various vendors and then putting it all together back at the dorm, praying to Bill Gates that it would work.  

These days I just pick a prebuilt from the manufacturer's website.


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## The_biscuits_532 (Jun 22, 2021)

I've build two now, one of myself, one for my stepdad. The latter was fiddlier but they both turned out p good.


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## Hound-of-chulainn (Jun 22, 2021)

It's fun putting them together yourself, but right now, certain parts like GPUs are really hard to get a hold of, so it's even more convenient to get them prebuilt in the meanwhile.
I used to put them together in highschool for classes, but I started off with a prebuilt and slowly upgraded piece by piece. but I've put together 2 from scratch so far, and I really like being able to make something that your heart desires, my wallet definitely isn't as happy about that though. xD


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## aralsheart (Jun 22, 2021)

I have no interest nor knowledge in handling tech, so I buy it. I look at the config and go with what works with my needs.
edit: typo


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## SnowBorne (Jun 22, 2021)

buy much easier


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## Rimna (Jun 22, 2021)

The two PCs me and my brother bought a decade ago - we built them ourselves.

Nowadays, with the prices of certain components reaching ridiculous heights, I'd rather just buy a laptop instead. Or a pre-built rig. It's not that I can't put a pc together but the money it costs has become way out of reach.


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## sushy (Jun 23, 2021)

I bought parts and let my friend put it together. I would not try it myself. It seems too difficult to me. For next pc I am not sure what I'll do.


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## TR273 (Jun 23, 2021)

Yes....

Depends on my mood when I upgrade, I prefer to build them myself (they seem to work better) but if I'm feeling lazy I'll just go for a prebuilt and tinker with it later.


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## Lexiand (Jun 23, 2021)

Building a pc right these days are is hard af because of the shortages.
I had still managed to build my rig tho.


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## Eremurus (Jun 24, 2021)

I got a used desktop computer, mouse, keyboard, and monitor- all for $80. It was quite the steal. Even had the person deliver it at no cost. A big improvement over the cell phone I had been stuck with for some years.


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## Pomorek (Jun 25, 2021)

sushy said:


> I bought parts and let my friend put it together. I would not try it myself. It seems too difficult to me. For next pc I am not sure what I'll do.


That's similar to what I've been doing. I'd get the parts, but have someone more experienced assemble them for me. I'm kind of chickening out, being afraid that I'll damage these expensive components.

But since a couple of years I'm forced to perform upgrades on my own accord, so I learned a thing or two. I think that the only assembly stage I did not attempt was plugging the CPU into the motherboard and installing the cooling. So my next PC may well be assembled entirely by me.


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## Paws the Opinicus (Jun 29, 2021)

I am absolutely terrified that if I assembled something that cost me so much that when I'd turn it on only some very expensive Red Smoke would be produced.

Had a friend that was an owner of a Radio Shack and until about 2015 I'd order parts and he'd assemble the machines for me, but then he retired and when me last machine he'd helped me assemble started to die in 2018, I finally went to get a new machine in 2019. Sadly, because I wasn't in the mood to repeat the potential red smoke nightmare, I ended up getting an Acer Nitro 50.

Basically I went from a machine that was throttled by a lousy CPU but has a nice graphics card (GTX970 at the time) to a computer that had a nice CPU but a crap video card.... and then also discovered that due to the case interior's unusual design, I can't upgrade said card because (1) the PSU is proprietary and can't handle anything bigger, and is also not removable without cutting it out) and (2) All the good cards would have to physically stick out of the teensy case to fit into it.

Also until recently the prices for any video cards was oppressively bad. Waiting for that ceiling to come down before trying to order a replacement.


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## Dreammaker33 (Jul 9, 2021)

I always chose to build my new computer systems as a prebuild computer is not always able to meet my high level of needed requirements. Always make sure if you do buy a prebuilt computer, that you have the option to upgrade or change the internal hardware components.


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## Mambi (Jul 9, 2021)

Whenever possible, I build. Much more control over exactly what you got, and you can isolate the bottlenecks individually in the system to really get the best performance. Also cheaper too when you know what you're doing of course.

...and yes, mine's a total custom build, liquid cooled 4-drive SSD raid10 ultra-quiet powerhouse. (my college training is electronics engineering. <_smiles modestly_>)


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## GroovySpaceFox (Jul 10, 2021)

I generally prefer to build my own computers. However, a lot of the systems that I do build are from the parts of old pre-builts and other assorted parts that I happen to find for cheap or free.


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## Heckraising (Jul 10, 2021)

Building my own computer makes it feel a lot more personal to me. And I saved money..._saved. As much as I would love to preach the cost effectiveness, _pre-builts are a lot cheaper half the time nowadays because the silicon shortage.


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## O.D.D. (Jul 10, 2021)

Build.  It's not particularly difficult.  Mind things like QVLs to avoid compatibility issues between components.  There are a number of guides/builders online that can help you avoid issues and price components.


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## MaliceDaBear (Jul 13, 2021)

When I first got into computers I went to a local shop and they built me my first system. However, after some time had pass (and I felt braver) I slowly started to change out the parts on my own and now I pretty confidently tinker around inside it without much worry and have changed out very part at this point as well as a few case swaps 

I'll definitely just build them now but as others have said due to the current shortages of everything it's cheaper to just buy prebuilt for the time being.


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## Firuthi Dragovic (Jul 13, 2021)

Last time I did it, I bought parts and built my own.

Next time (hopefully that'll be at least a couple of years), I plan to do the same UNLESS I develop some severe tremor that makes aligning things right impossible.  Yes, even with graphics cards as crazy as they are now.  I'll buy high-end stuff at that point and it should last me a while.

Pretty much all of my past computers for the last couple decades or so have been built from parts, NOT pre-made.  I've learned from experiences with other people that pre-made is a BAD idea settings-wise.  Or at least it is with the home-use computers - dunno about Alienware and the like.


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## O.D.D. (Jul 13, 2021)

Firuthi Dragovic said:


> Last time I did it, I bought parts and built my own.
> 
> Next time (hopefully that'll be at least a couple of years), I plan to do the same UNLESS I develop some severe tremor that makes aligning things right impossible.  Yes, even with graphics cards as crazy as they are now.  I'll buy high-end stuff at that point and it should last me a while.
> 
> Pretty much all of my past computers for the last couple decades or so have been built from parts, NOT pre-made.  I've learned from experiences with other people that pre-made is a BAD idea settings-wise.  Or at least it is with the home-use computers - dunno about Alienware and the like.


Back in 200...8 or so I think my brother bought an Alienware.  Very expensive.  Not worth it.  Don't know if that's changed.


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## Ratt Carry (Jul 13, 2021)

I built my first two PC's. Third time, I went through iBuyPower and I do not regret it at *all*.
That shit? Thoroughly recommend. There are some natural, expected cons in that you won't know exactly how your PC was put together. So when it comes time for that first clean or upgrade, if you're an inexperienced builder with no one you know in person that is, cable management and case navigation might be a bit of a stumbling block.
(and fuck that dumb branding they put on the case that can't be removed).

But if you aren't worried about that sort of thing, it's an amazing service. Similar reputable ones are too. All the benefits of a custom built rig minus the stress and hassle of doing it yourself and the knowledge a paid professional put it together in a suitable environment and tested it themselves to ensure it's in working order when it arrives.

I'm definitely doing this from now on.


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## Rayd (Jul 13, 2021)

buying prebuilts is unreliable as most places will sell nice computers with high end specs for the majority of the build but go cheap on vital components to make a profit. my brother bought from ibuypower once and the motherboard melted in a little over a month.

i built my own for a couple grand and have not had a problem yet. have had it for several years and have not yet encountered a game i couldn't run on full graphics smoothly yet, and have not had any internal issues.


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## O.D.D. (Jul 13, 2021)

Rayd said:


> buying prebuilts is unreliable as most places will sell nice computers with high end specs for the majority of the build but go cheap on vital components to make a profit. my brother bought from ibuypower once and the motherboard melted in a little over a month.
> 
> i built my own for a couple grand and have not had a problem yet. have had it for several years and have not yet encountered a game i couldn't run on full graphics smoothly yet, and have not had any internal issues.


I think I ended up spending less than 700 dollars total for mine but it was considered modest in 2019.


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## Tattorack (Jul 16, 2021)

Build and upgrade. And then I went ahead and helped several members of my family and some friends with building their PCs as well.


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## Jackofak (Jul 17, 2021)

Build. It's not hard, saves lots of money, goal-oriented and most of the prebuilt pc's are expensive trash.


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## LameFox (Jul 18, 2021)

I bought my last one thinking it'd spare me the trouble of putting it together, only to have to rebuild the whole thing anyway over the span of like 3 years to fix various issues. Replaced almost everything at this point and I'm still putting off further work on it now. Guess next time I'll go back to just building the thing.


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## O.D.D. (Jul 18, 2021)

Theseus' Ship, now in computer form


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## Regret (Jul 20, 2021)

Built my own, but that was about seven years ago.


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## Kuuro (Sep 30, 2021)

Build, hands down. Just me tho, that's not to say buying a prebuilt system is bad. If you're simply interested in gaming on a malleable platform and don't care how it functions, then prebuilds are a great route to take. However if you're a hobbyist it only makes sense to work with the exact configuration you want and save money along the way   

It's the same reason I buy old cars. I like to tune them up so I get to _know_ them, which makes me more comfortable driving them. BUT somebody who's not interested in mechanics may just want to buy modern cars and not stress about breakdowns in the first place.


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## Neothoren (Sep 30, 2021)

Kuuro said:


> Build, hands down. Just me tho, that's not to say buying a prebuilt system is bad. If you're simply interested in gaming on a malleable platform and don't care how it functions, then prebuilds are a great route to take. However if you're a hobbyist it only makes sense to work with the exact configuration you want and save money along the way
> 
> It's the same reason I buy old cars. I like to tune them up so I get to _know_ them, which makes me more comfortable driving them. BUT somebody who's not interested in mechanics may just want to buy modern cars and not stress about breakdowns in the first place.


Definetly agree with that. I also love to get my hands into my computer (hardware and software), but is totally ok if somebody don't like to spend their time on it.


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## PLEASE DELETE ACCOUNT (Oct 1, 2021)

Been building since the k6-II!
It always seemed to be a little more cost effective, and now days installing an OS and the drivers is so easy I cant see a reason to really buy a prebuilt and get saddled with their often lesser quality parts and price markups, unless you go to workstation class machines.

I just upgraded from a FX cpu in 2019...man that was great timing!


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## KimberVaile (Oct 15, 2021)

Building them is cheaper. That's primarily why I build instead of getting prebuilts. Though, if you you know what you are doing, building can solve airflow or dust issues, which is a great thing for longevity. It does require a very large initial time investment though.


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## Outré (Oct 15, 2021)

Neither. I use a Mac. I use to build them once upon a time when I liked windows though. They were kind of fun to build and I usually saved money.


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