Super Computer - build or buy

coxy17

I find it hard to believe that buying a computer is cheaper than building one. I have tried many times to find a better price than my own, self built machines, and never manage it.

That said; you do need to know where is cheap (Ebuyer), what to buy and how to put it all together. And don't forget the operating system

It also depends on what you want to do. I always go for Intel processors but that's only my preference. A lot of other people would suggest AMD. Have a read of some hardware reviews to get an idea of what will suit your needs. Another thing to consider is your graphics card. Again, some like Nvidia while others prefer ATi.

The key thing to remember is get what you want and suits your needs. Building your own system allows you to do this completely but comes with the caveat of having to put it all together and possibly troubleshoot some problems.

gonzo127

Spank wrote: »

You can change quite a lot, I got an OEM Vista in 2007 & over the years the only original hardware is the PSU MOBO & DVD drives. It's been reinstalled about 6-8 times & auto validated on line all but the last 2 when I had to use the automated free phone system

Oh I know you can get around it in a lot of instances however I always find it best to let people know what the license officially allows

coxy17 wrote: »

I find it hard to believe that buying a computer is cheaper than building one. I have tried many times to find a better price than my own, self built machines, and never manage it.

Not at all difficult since when I am build a system I am choosy about what I put in it (especially my PSU) however most manufacturer’s will just throw in any old stuff they can get cheap other than the headline parts, so you will get a cheap motherboard, no aftermarket HSF, value ram (lots of it though because big numbers sell), cheap hard drive (large capacity though)

Really just look at how cheap you can pick up a ready built system, yes I know you cant generally get a system built to your exact spec any cheaper but very few places will do this yes you will get ones who will offer you a selection of parts but it is still ones which they have managed to get in bulk for a better price,

the other thing is I know for certain I couldn’t build a system for under £400 because I just couldn’t bring myself to put in any carp parts as how many prebuilt systems come with a £50+ PSU

coxy17

I've never had an issue with a budget PSU "touch wood". I have heard some horror stories though! I would only ever use a cheaper PSU on a system that was used lightly. Something with a low end processor and a less intensive graphics card. Surfing the Internet, reading e-mail and composing the odd document would hardly have a machine over 200W.

If it's a system running virtual machines or used for other resource heavy purposes then it's a completely different story. Again, this is just my opinion. I'm exacly the same, I would never dream of using a cheap PSU in one of my own desktops but that's because I am willing to pay the difference.

Lil306

Buy depending on how "super" it is

An EVGA SR-2 is cheaper to buy than build simply because manufacturers like Scan get better discounts for buying in bulk

If you're talking an average hex core or quad core pc with fancy graphics and ram. I'd just build it myself

I'd recommend anyone to build a PC at least once, it's a great eye opener if you don't know where to start.

hareng

blacksta wrote: »

I have heard of stories where Windows not correctly identifying the RAM

Have had loads of sticks that have not worked upon arrival over the years, all unbranded.
Stick to the major names as Corsair.

Made the last two apart from this from Assus mobos now finding the gIgabyte even better.

Cost wise its the CPU, hang on a couple of months and it will drop a few hundred quid sub £200 shopping around. 18 months later no one wants it.

hareng

Nearly all computers ready made are assembled out of either obsolete or inferior parts, thats one reason they are cheap.

Decent mobo around £150 same with CPU a few months from release. Only leaves £350 for the rest. Dont skimp on cheap ram and psu.

Using XP64, WIN7 32 and 64 on triple boot seems ok no issues unlike Vista.

gothic_hobbit

hareng wrote: »

Nearly all computers ready made are assembled out of either obsolete or inferior parts, thats one reason they are cheap.

I concur. I learned this the hard way with Dell many years ago

gothic_hobbit

hareng wrote: »

Nearly all computers ready made are assembled out of either obsolete or inferior parts, thats one reason they are cheap.

I concur.

Basically, I learned this the hard way with Dell many years ago

voltronn

blacksta wrote: »

I am a thinking of building my next computer and would like to know whether to build one or buy.

If it works out cheaper to build one - I would like to use this thread to manage the process.

Building is cheaper; components are extremely cheap right now

If you do not know your components, then you should visit an "upgrading and building" forum or you will end up buying overpriced, incompatible parts. This is very important, do not attempt to build unless you know your stuff or you visit a specific forum - bad things will happen

Unless you are gaming or doing something like hardcore encoding, then the max you need to spend on just the PC box (without OS) is around 500 sterling (thats almost too high)

AMD or Intel? it makes no difference, AMD have extremely good budget processors, and Intel generally rule the roost with higher end performance processors. Right now 99% of PC users would be unable to tell the every day difference between a 50 sterling x3 tricore AMD processor and a 220 sterling i7 intel processor.

In fact I could buy a 100 quid dell off ebay, put an SSD in it (solid state drive) and it would "feel" twice as fast as a 1000 quid PC.

Lets break down some prices (sorry but I got to put them in euros)

Processor - not completely budget, a powerhouse, Quad core AMD x4 955 black edition - 90 euros (the tricore is 60 euros)
Ram - 4 gigs is still optimum, extremely cheap at the mo - 35 euros
Motherboard - You only need a 40 euro motherboard, but for arguments sake you want USB3, 65 euros

Power supply unit - 95% of all prebuilt PC's come with !!!!!! PSU's, buy a good 400 watt 80+ efficiency PSU - 40 euros

Harddrive - again cheap, best mechanical harddrives probably Samsung F series, 1000 gigs - 45 euros

Case - with good airflow, fitted fans - 45 euros

Graphics card - unless you are gaming you don't need one, onboard video will be fine (if gaming then 90 euro minimum on ATI 5770)

DVD writer (they are all basically the same) - 20 euro

Thats 340 euros, a little less than 300 sterling.

Delivery - 30 euros, some sites will build it - 20 euros, copy of Win 7 - 75 euros

The above is just an example.

Building is cheaper, much cheaper - but.. and this is a big but.. if you don't know what you are doing - then you will buy something that is incompatible and you will be screwed.

This is the best building site online at the moment
I am new so can't post links
its hardwareversand de (german)

If you don't know anything about computers and just want a PC that switches on when it arrives, get a Dell

If you know a little, but you want a bargain, go on ebay.co.uk and look for refurbished Dells/HP - you can't really go wrong with any quad-core

If you have fully done the research, have advice, know what to get, then the best deal will be on something like that German site I just linked

[Deleted User]

I always build rather than buy, I personally find out it works out alot cheaper, if you are struggaling abit you could get a bundle/barebone system then buy the additional parts yourself, ccl do some good deals. but as some posters have said it does take a certain knowledge in order to build a computer, if you havent done it before and have an old desktop around you should look at taking it apart and reassembling. building a computer is like lego really, once you know where the bits go its fine!!!
also look at the requirements of your processor and motherboard. e.g certain motherboards might have a front side bus thats of a lower speed than the processor you are looking at, and of cause differnt motherboards take different processors, they also support differnt types of ram. so read the specifications carefully! remember you dont need the most super duper uber machine in the world unless you do alot of high power gaming, editing etc. some of intels i3&5 chips are pretty cheap at the moment, but you can always save mroe cash by going down the AMD route.