I'll only ever build my own computers, be it my gaming computer, servers, SANs, etc. I know exactly what i'm putting in there and that every component is of the quality that I choose. For me it's not about saving money on a build vs OEM. It's the joy of seeing 5-10 boxes stacked up in a room, ready to be unpacked. It's the joy of meticulously putting everything together, sometimes spending hours just trying to get the cabling sleeved, routed and cleaned. It's the joy of knowing I just spend $3Gs on my computer so I can play solitare faster then i've ever played :grin: .
Have you never read the 1 egg reviews on Newegg? When I was looking for a PSU, my biggest concern was getting on that was DOA like so many of the user reviews mentioned.
The power supply is made by Antec and has a three year warranty. The RAM 1333Mhz and the hard drive is Western Digital Caviar Green though I'm not sure how fast is spins. So far everything is running fine and better than it was. Now I'm just going through and reinstalling programs. I do have another question. If I had a Norton antivirus subscription, how do I move it to the new set up? I'm not trying to pay for a new one when I still have almost a year left on the last.
You don't pay for Norton, you download Microsoft Security Essentials for free. Seriously. Also, try ninite.comfor a new install.
Buying a pre-built computer can be a much better deal than building your own depending on the price of the system. The OEM makes a lot more profit in the higher priced componenets/upgrades, but the base setup is usually dirt cheap. When the computer is $500 or below, it's almost always better to buy prebuilt because Windows takes up so much of your budget. In the $600-800 range, it's a toss-up. Anything about $800ish, I would give the edge to DIY. This is assuming you getting decent deals on all the parts. Unfortuantely, I don't think you got a good deal at all. Fry's can be fantastic deals sometimes (especially mobo/cpu combos), but their regularly priced stuff is not too great. In your case, you could've gotten a much better system with $650 with a prebuilt. Something like this Gateway at microcenter for about $700 shipped. * AMD Phenom II X6 1035T 2.6GHz (six cores) * 8GB DDR3 * 1.5TB HDD * ATI Radeon HD 5750 o HDMI port * 16x DVD�RW SuperMulti Drive * WiFi N * Windows 7 Home Premium
Thanks. That's not a bad deal. I think in the end I'm happy with this because it was fun getting it together and I will still upgrade it on a regular basis for things like RAM and hard drive space.
My next box will be a name brand computer, computers are so cheap now. if you build, make sure you get a good power supply.
If you plan on building, buy your copy of Win7 off Ebay etc. You can find some damn good deals for stuff like Office and Win7. I only recommend building if you are looking at a mid to high range pc. If you are looking at mid to lower. Just buy a prebuilt system. I was able to seel my old MOBO +core2duo E6400 + 4gb ddr2 ram, for like $300 off craigslist. And spent that and another $200 or so on an I-7, 4gb DDR3 2000, new HDD's etc. system. (reused my old Antec 900 case, PS etc.)
Yep, putting together a system is definitely fun. Another bright side is that you can reuse your windows 7 license on your next build.
Perhaps alittle bit off thread but I did not want to start a new thread for this! I want to buy a new computer I'm basically gonna use it for CS5 (after effects, premiere pro, photoshop, illustrator etc). I wanted Mac but I think they just are to expensive! So I came a cross this computer an Asus N73JN with these specifications: Processor & Cache Memory: - Intel® Core™ i5-460M processor (2.53 GHz, with Turbo up to 2.8GHz) Operating System: Windows 7 Home premium Chipset: Mobile Intel® HM55 Express Chipset Main Memory: 6GB DDR3 1066 RAM Display: 17.3" 16:9 Full HD (1920x1080)/HD+ (1600x900) LED backlit,Asus Splendid Video Intelligent Technology Video Graphics & Memory: NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 425M with 1GB DDR3 VRAM Hard Drive: 640GB,5400rpm Optical Drive Blu-Ray Combo Video Camera: 2.0 Mega Pixel web camera Audio: Built-in speaker and microphone Bang & Olufsen ICEpower® SonicFocus Battery Pack & Life 6 cells: 4400 mAh 47 Whrs Price: (I live in Sweden so the prices are abit higher overhere) 1892 $ Compare that price to a Macbook Pro 17" 3454 $. Based on that I believe you get alot of computer from this Asus but since I'm not an expert on this subject I would like some second opinion from you! Thanks/ Karim
I would get a lower end laptop for putputting around and build a dedicated desktop for CS5. I dunno how much more you will pay in Sweden, but you can build a pretty nice system for $500 laptop/1400 desktop. Unless you just have to use CS5 on the go, then the ASUS is an ok machine.
There's tons of guides out there these days for computer builds. Tom's hardware and Arstechnica usually do a pretty good job. They also specify price range and capabilities. http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/guides/2010/09/the-ars-system-guide-september-2010-edition.ars http://www.tomshardware.com/theme-build-your-own,156.html Best thing to remember. Enjoy this process! It's a pain sometimes yes, but fun and worth it in the end.
I think building your own computer is a waste of time unless you just enjoy doing it. Kind of like modifying a civic with extra exhausts and stuff. Yes it may give 10-20 percent better performance, but its a total PITA especially when something goes wrong. When you buy an OEM you get the luxury of having thousands of other people using and testing the product for you. If something comes up, its likely someone else had the same issue.
The reason people build is cause they enjoy doing it, not cause it save on costs. There's a freedom in picking and choosing every single part that goes into your computer. We do it because we enjoy putting our systems together with the best parts on the market. For a low end budget box for my mom or other family, of course im getting them a OEM box that's plug and play. Also, there are thousands of people out there that have tested each product for you. Motherbaords, video cards, memory, all parts from major manufacturers with full warranties, and some even have lifetime. Each have full time support, as well as support forums. Like you said, if someone has a problem, its very likely others have had it also and can be found at the forums or tech support. Every single part in the computer is OEM. Yes, it's a pain in the ass to some, but for others its all part of the experience, and a learning process also. To me and many others, its worth the time and money, but equally rewarding at the same time. Just knowing i put together a 16TB redundant SAN for 5-10gs less than an oem box, with enough money left to keep spare parts in case of emergency, is rewarding for me. Anyways, you're right, it might be a huge waste of time for alot of people. You have to be your own tech support and troubleshoot everything yourself if something goes wrong. I just hope it doesn't discourage someone of building a computer, even if its just 1 time and they hate it.
You all could just do what's worked fantastically for me: Take an old Windows XP, or Windows Vista PC or laptop (with modest specifications), and install an operating system like Ubuntu which uses less of the system's resources. In my case, I've got a Fujitsu Lifebook that had Windows Vista pre-installed. It has pretty minimal specifications as far as disk storage and memory, but with Ubuntu 10.10 installed, it is super fast. I can keep a ton of windows open on four different desktops without any problems with performance. And best of all, the OS still allows me to do everything I needed to do with Windows, without blowing a ton of cash on bulking up my laptop's computing power. Of course, I'm pretty limited as far as gaming, but with a little bit of programming knowledge, most people can get games to run on Ubuntu.
I'm acutally leaning towards Sony Vaio's VPCF12S1E (slightly more expensive then the Asus one I mentioned earlier): Intel Core i7-740QM Processor Memory Size (GB) 6 Hard Drive Speed (rpm) 7200 Blueray NVIDIA GeForce GT 425M GPU Resolution Full HD (1920 x 1080) I like the idea of building your own laptop bu at the meantime I really don't have the time to focus on how to build a really solid one.
