OT: Buying vs. building your own computer

Iron Giant · #1 July 27th, 2005, 02:05 PM

Its not rocket science. If you can work on anything with your hands (car, carpentry, etc) you could work on a PC.

Its just (like anything) the first time you probably want a friend to walk you through it.

The biggest thing to worry about is static electricity. Plant your feet, don't shuffle around while handling RAM or other components. Walking accross the carpet and picking up a piece of RAM and walking back can kill it.

Caduceus · #2 July 27th, 2005, 02:15 PM

I built a system from the ground up a few weeks with very little problem, aside from a defective DVD+R drive, which is away at the hospital getting fixed, everything is going well.

It depends on what you want. I mean, you can get a mid-range Dell, which will last you years or you can spend the time (and a little extra money) to get quality components and have the satisfaction of playing SEV on a computer you designed and built with your own hands.

Ed Kolis · #3 July 27th, 2005, 02:58 PM

A salesman at Micro Center told me it was actually cheaper to buy a prebuilt computer than build your own... and you know what? It is...

Timstone · #4 July 27th, 2005, 03:02 PM

Another tricky question.
Look at my answer in this thread.

Again, I don't mean anything bad with this.

Fyron · #5 July 27th, 2005, 03:16 PM

Ed Kolis said:
A salesman at Micro Center told me it was actually cheaper to buy a prebuilt computer than build your own... and you know what? It is...

If you are shopping at a retail store, sure. Retail always has screwey prices.

Iron Giant · #6 July 27th, 2005, 03:51 PM

Back when I was totally broke and trying to keep up with PC speeds I would look at the CompUSA ads every sunday and find parts on sale with rebates. A motherboard here, processor there and then a sale on RAM and I'd be able to swap my stuff into my old PC and keep it going. It can take a while to get all the parts together, but it can be done if you know what works with what.

Electrum · #7 July 27th, 2005, 04:22 PM

the last pre-built computer I bought ran Windows 3.1. I've built everything since then. Right now, it's hard to resist the attractive pricing on Dells, Gateways, etc. With the exception of the budget, bottom of the line units, the price is pretty comparable for what you get. The advantage of a build you own will be more apparent next year, when you want to upgrade something. Computer manufacturers have one objective, and that is make you buy another computer. To do this ,they severely limit the amount of ungradability their units have.
If you build your own, you can build for the future. For example, if you by a motherboard that can handle the latest, greatest generation of processors, even though you can put in a proccessor more reasonably priced, later, when pricing becomes attractive, a processor upgrade is possible, easy, and a lot cheaper than a whole new machine.
Another factor to consider is that many computer manufacturers are linking the software, including the OS to the hardware. If you decide to upgrade your motherboard, you may find that Windows will no longe work.

Renegade 13 · #8 July 30th, 2005, 01:03 AM

Question: At my university dorm, I will have access to T1 internet (at least, that's what they tell me). What kind of hardware will I need for that??

Also, a generic modem will work just fine for dial-up, right?

One more; a 9-in-1 card reader? What is it?

Will · #9 July 30th, 2005, 01:23 AM

If they say T1 access, most likely they mean you'll be on an internal network that has (at least) one T1 line going out. One T1 isn't that much for an entire university... maybe for one building. You'll need some kind of ethernet jack, whether on the system board or on a PCI card. You'll also want a CAT5 (or CAT5e, or CAT6...) cable.

You have access to T1 line... why do you want a modem? But yeah, a generic modem would be fine. I wasn't aware there was any other kind

9-in-one could mean a lot of things. It basically means it reads 9 out of the bajillion formats of memory cards out there. So that means, SD cards, flash cards, flash sticks, etc. I've seen some that include a floppy drive as well.

Renegade 13 · #10 July 30th, 2005, 01:35 AM

I think the T1 line is for the one residence building.
Would an "Integrated Gigabit Network Adapter" fit the bill?

Heh, well I want the modem for when I'm at home, since at home we only have dial-up

How important is a floppy drive to have these days in a new computer??