Building Own PC - How Much & How Easy?

Ectophile

I wouldn't want the hassle of trying to build a PC from scratch. What if you stick it all together, turn on the power and it doesn't work? It would be even worse if you sourced all the components from different places.

There's nothing to stop you buying a PC without a monitor, a monitor of your choice, and the exact peripherals you want. It's lower risk, and is unlikely to cost any more.

robmar0se

I guess it comes down to your own confidence and interest.

There are plenty of videos on youtube to do this, eg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSzhIw4PwgE

I would say that the motherboard box will include a manual which by todays standards is pretty detailed. It would be critically important to RTFM. Wiring the cables from the front of the case to the right sockets is v importnat - had one the other day where the front USB cables had been plugged into the SPDIF socket on the main board!

View a few of these videos will give you a ckearer idea of what to do and some of the risks.

bluesnake

this is hard to beat and is a laptop http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/dell-xps-l702-17-laptop-2nd-gen-i7-8gb-ram-3gb-nvidia-card-1080p-screen-new-810-1146164#comments, still think it could go down in price though, with a 17 inch screen, could easily replace a desktop.

I have heard that this range also support a 2nd internal hard disk, so use the exiting one for data and get a 64G ssd as your system and boot.

closed

http://www.dmxdimension.com/

Your budget is at least a grand too much unless you want a 50" tv with it.

Wig

I will be very reluctant to buy a laptop, if it breaks I would not be able to fix it, if my desktop breaks I can replace the part thats broken easily.

robmar0se

Wig wrote: »

I will be very reluctant to buy a laptop, if it breaks I would not be able to fix it, if my desktop breaks I can replace the part thats broken easily.

My sentiment too.....lappies are great for certain aspects (eg mobility, space saving, etc). On the other side of the coin, they don't on average last as long, and the ability to upgrade as time passes, is also limited.

victor2

robmar0se wrote: »

My sentiment too.....lappies are great for certain aspects (eg mobility, space saving, etc). On the other side of the coin, they don't on average last as long, and the ability to upgrade as time passes, is also limited.

Ditto that.
Knock a drink over on your desktop keyboard and the most you need is a new keyboard. Do that to your laptop keyboard.....

sharkie

Wig wrote: »

I will be very reluctant to buy a laptop, if it breaks I would not be able to fix it, if my desktop breaks I can replace the part thats broken easily.

yes, i totally agree. I do have both, but in reality last time I turned on my desktop was last summer to burn a DVD, while my laptop gets daily abuse. Secondly if you buy some models of big name brands (thinking of Dell business range) the motherboard and power supplies are have often unique shape and fitting.

23n1th

Hell for £1500 the OP could buy both!

pineapple

tonytee wrote: »

I want a desktop - either ready made or built by someone.

My desktop was put together by a PC shop in Halifax (details available via pm)
When people ask me 'what make is your pc', I can only tell them some of the components!
It has been going for years and still looks good. Only work was a new hard drive at about £60 - including labour. It's more than enough for my needs - email, forums, browsing, youtube and TV catch up. I think we are sometimes sold technology we don't need.
That said, due to lack of space, I sometimes wish I had got a laptop instead. Unfortunately this seems built to last and I am not about to replace it on a whim. Kicks PC....