Comparing Custom Built vs Pre-Built (very long)

Ok guys its been an endless discussion, to build or to buy. About 95% of the people here will say build but there are a few buy scenarios. Wether you like it or not, Dell's are getting good. Not for us l33t g4m1ng m4st3rz (please don't take that seriously) who demand the absolute best but any "normal" person would be incredibly happy with a good video card and a fast processor by Dell.

Anyways, everyone talks about the price but no specifics. My goal is to find that. I'm going to compare prices on Newegg and several gaming computers as well as Dell. The basic idea is to get the machines as close to each other as possible. All machines should have P4 2.8, 9700, 1 gig ram, XP Pro, 160gig HD space (2 WD 80 SE if possible), and Klipsch 5.1 speakers if possible. Any discpreancies will be listed. So without ado, lets get started.



******** Vicious PC www.viciouspc.com ********
New guy to the club. A few months ago they had the Promedia 5.1 listed as $359 or so but now its retail at $399. Money got to thier head I believe. Several online shootouts showed much promise. Below are all listed components. If you don't care the final price is at the bottom. I know its sloppy, sue me. ;) I'm dislike this company now, everything seems generic.

P4 2.8; Gigabye 8IHXP i850E; 1024pc 1066 ram; dual 80gb 133 HDs; 9700 PRO; 16 DVD drive; 40x12x40 cdr; Augiy Platinum;
Intel 10/100 network card; Full tower 350w case; level 3 cooling; Klipsch 5.1; XP Pro; 3 year limited parts warranty

$3745 - New company, high price, brand names unlisted (generic?) No way to get DDR ram with P4


******** Dell www.dell.com ********
Its Dell. Whats to say? Custom case, poor cooling in it. Most college kids will have it. So will most families. I'll just list the parts.

P4 2.8; THX Certified Solution; 3 year warranty; 1 gig pc 1066 ram; single 80gig ata 100 HD; dell enhanced USB keyboard; dell 2 button mouse; XP Pro; worksuite 2002; free upgrade on monitor; ti 4200; 16x dvd drive; 48x24x48 cdr; altec lancing ada995; santa cruz;

$2726 - Lots of stuff forced upon, few choices on many things. Its Dell, what can be said?


******** Falcon Northwest www.falcon-new.com ********
Probably the oldest of the players in the game. Thier quality can not be topped, although some may equal it. Premium Price for a premium machine. Tech support is unrivaled (my friend was on phone with thier lead guy....turned out his internal modem was slightly loose). You usually talk with the guy who physically built your machine.

XP Pro; Coolermaster 201; Enermax 350; Asus P4B-533 845e; P4 2.8; Coolermaster P4 heatsink; 1 gig pc2100 ram (pc2700 was bad ??); dual maxtor 80gig HDs; tach floppy; 16x dvd w/ 5.1; 9700 pro; Audigy 2 Platinum; Klipsch 5.1; 3-com 10/100 nic;

$3453 - Wow thats exspensive. Left lots of stuff out too. Keep in mind I list EVERYTHING selected. No mentioned of keyboard, thereforenone is selected. RDRAM was $$$ beyond belief


******** Alienware www.alienware.com ********
Most people hate em, say your paying for the name/warranty. You are. Sharky claims tech support was horrid but a friend with thier laptop seems had no problems with em. Its a risk needless to say.

Dragon Case Space Black; 431 watt PSU; D850EMV2; 1 gig pc1066; dual 80gig WD SE hds; Lite-On 48x12x48 CDRW; Radeon 9700 pro; Audigy 5.1 Platinum; Intel Pro/1000MT; Klipsch 5.1; XP Pro; Free T-Shirt, 12 month subscription, 1 year warranty;

$3351 - RDRAM only, colors exspensive, no regular DVD ? few options


******** Voodoo www.voodoopc.com ********
If you get one of these your getting it for the case. They have awesome case designs that cost about 3x as much as they should. For this reason. Fancy cases have been included in none of the previous packages and will remain that way here. I chose the C class template so I could get a simple case.


Custom Enermax 431 watt; P4 2.8; 1024meg pc1066 (900 bucks more than 512! must be fair); Liteon 16x DVD; black 48x24x48 plextor; dual 80gig hds; radeon 9700; Audigy Platinum EX; D-Link network card; XP Pro; scheduled pickup;

$4019 - Far and away the most exspensive thus far. Didn't get fancy pants case either.


******** Hypersonic www.hypersonic-pc.com ********
I really like this company, not sure why. I guess because I really like thier case colors. Hard to find a colored ATC 201 ya know, but thats not included here of course.

P4 2.8; standard cooling; Asus P4B533C; 2x512mb pc 2100; Atc 201 standard; Enermax 431; 1.44 floppy black; standard cabling; dual 80 gig WD SE HDs; Toshiba 16x dvd; 48x24x48 plextor; radeon 9700; innerworks video cooling; audigy 5.1 platinum; klipsch 5.1; reealtek 10/100 ethernet; XP Pro; 1 year tech support; free delivery

$2989 - Good price compared to the others, quality same on almost all


******** Newegg www.newegg.com ********
The fabeled newegg. I will probably screw up on these comps as its late and I'm tired. Sue me. =D

Asus p4b533 (120); P4 2.8 (466); Corsais XMS 3500 (215); Audigy 2 Platinum (195); Radeon 9700 (344); Black Lite 16x dvd (44); black plextor 48x24x48 (115); Klipsch 5.1 (358); Coolermaster atc 201 (152); Enermax EG465P 431watt (93); dual 80gig WD hds (113x2=226); OEM XP Pro (139)

$2467 - Pretty dang good! 300 less than the dell. I think I left out an item or two. Another 10 bucks for a floppy. Dunno about shipping though, I didn't put them in my cart (DOH!, anyone care to figure). Maybe 150 or so? Lets just put it at 2600 with shipping, still the cheapest. Only about 400 less than Hypersonic.

So is 400 worth a warranty, tech support, tweaking done for you (many would consider that bad here though), a recovery cd and the usual benefits? Well I don't know. Some might argue they have slower ram, call them and I bet you can get them to install better stuff. As a gift for someone (Christmas, birthday, graduation, etc...) Hypersonic doesn't seem to bad. Keep in mind, not everyone likes a full week of testing, installing, and what not. The others, well they are just flat over priced.

When you guys see corrections to be made, and boy are there some, post here but also PM me. A) Because I have like 3 PMs over half a year and that makes me sad B) So I'm more likely to notice and I'll edit this post. Also, keep in mind some sites only allowed rdram but voodoo it was 900 bucks to go from 512 to 1024. *** is that ?!

Thanks !

This is a good post. I have to admit that I've done comparisons like this myself, as well, comparing what I could put together off of websites (most notably Dell's) as compared to what I could slap together off of parts bought from www.pricewatch.com. In the end, I came to realize that if I included everything that Dell does, it would actually cost me MORE to build a comparable system, after shipping, etc.

So what I've come down to is this: if you're getting a new system from the ground up, I'd suggest buying one from a maker, then upgrading as it becomes necessary. However, if you're just looking for an upgrade to your current computer, I highly suggest replacing parts and avoiding the cost of having a whole new computer built from scratch.

Personally, I bought a computer from a manufacturer who had great prices at the time about 4 years ago. Needless to say, I've upgraded and upgraded and nothing (not even the case) is the same as my original equipment anymore and it's easier on my wallet replacing a few parts at a time.

Does not Dell and some other makers put in some tricks so your at there mercy if you uprade? I heard of strange power supply setups and even motherboards that need the makers parts only for certain upgades. Is this true?

When you buy a prebuilt pc, you are paying for labor also. I myself have an Alienware pc(in my sig). they are a great company, they included all the manuals and software, a mousepad, a t-shirt, a binder with the manuals. Inside the case, they payed attentioned to the smallest detail.

I am glad i bought my pc from alienware. We must remember that we all pay for name-branded stuff. Who here hasn't ever boughten a pair of nike gym shoes, you pay alot for the nike name. So let's not be hypocripts.

Different companies can build a pc with the same specs, but certain ones will be faster. In an issue of PC Gamer they had an article called "Which pc is right for you," in there they reviewed different pc companies. All the pc's had pretty much the same specs, but Voodoo, Alienware, and F-nw were faster than Hypersonic, dell, and Cybertron pc's.

Let's not rely on word of mouth for judgements on companies. Most people in this forum build their own pc's, so how can they bad mouth companies like Alienware.

Speaking of that PC-Gamer article, I have it as thats what inspired me on my longest post evar, yah! If you guys want it scanned I'm all for it, just say the word.

On a side note, has anyone had experience with the Thrustmaster Tactical board mentioned in this issue? It was a review a few back and really interested me.

I think it comes down to Time and Want.

Time: Do you have the time to spec out every piece of hardware? Do you have the time to put everything together and time to fix any problems that might occur?

Yes: Get custom built and save a buck.
No: Buy Dell, Gateway, Alienware, etc.

Want: Do you want to learn about computers? Do you want to be able to fix or replace any component? Do you like tweaking or modifying your hardware?

Yes: Custom Job, with all the trimmings
No: Be lazy, what do I care?

Don't get me wrong, I think ALienware, Falcon-NW and those companies make absolutely awesome computers! If I could afford it, I'd get them to build me a machine and just upgrade everything at once! But alas, I am poor and have to resort to upgrading bits and pieces at a time.

Factors I believe should afect your choice:

If you live in "Smalltown-in-the-middle-of-nowhere" or live in a major urban area.

Smalltown? - Buy

Big city dweller? Then depending on these:

Are the shops in your area well-stocked in quality components.

Are the shops in your area reputable/reliable.

Are the shops in your area competitive/innexpensive.

If so: BUILD!
If not: Buy.

Building from parts you unpack from boxes and bags you just took out from the car's trunk is a "rush".

Personally, I woul'nt wait a single day for a crappy-brown UPS truck to show-up, and with the shipping delays, troubles in case of a faulty component, plus the price of shipping itself, unless you face logistical hurdles such as distance (Such as living in Juno, Alaska or Inuvik in the NWT...), Buying in a retail shop can be quite advantageous.

Interesting view Wreck-It but I disagree. Very few comp stores are very good and none of them have the selection desired as newegg. They may have 3 or 4 Ti4200s or half a dozen 4600s but how many of stores do you think carry the Albatron 4200p? I doubt many, if any chains do, and probably only a few specialty shops.

If you lived in Alaska I can see how shipping problems could arise but in the continental I either order parts specifically through a local vendor or online. Just me though.

I think prebuilt appeal to people who dont have the desire time or inuitiveness to learn about computer components, comparison shop, figure specs, order the stuff and build it. Recently I decided to build a computer, coming into it I knew a good bit about computers, certainly more than the average person, but not nearly as much as a lof of people on these forums. By building my own system I learned a lot, what everything does, how it works, what is important and why etc. I also found the process of actually building the computer to be a fun and rewarding experience.

Their is a certain amount of pride in having a system you built yourself from the ground up. I know exactly whats in that box down to the brand of ram i have.

Plus I saved a lot of money, 150$ of shipping is probly overpriced, at newegg they ship alot of things for free.

Warantee's should be covered by individual companies antec, western digital etc. (well mebbe not on oem?)

Customer support? These forums and some of my computer friends are all the tech support I will ever need!:D

Not to bash on anyone who has prebuilts, their are certainly advantages to this route, I just found in my case I found it more worthwhile to build it from scratch.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Determan
Warantee's should be covered by individual companies antec, western digital etc. (well mebbe not on oem?)

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True, but to some people it's worth it to have one point of contact for handling all compnent replacements. Also note that if you the cheap way with the CPU and buy OEM you get probably a year of coverage at best.

Additionally, warranties aren't all the same. Next day air and cross-shipped part replacement is a major bonus, especially if something happens to a 19" (or larger) monitor. It's extremely unlikely that you can get such coverage purchasing parts on your own.

That said, I've generally built my own systems in the past for budget purposes. I splurged back in 1999 on a Dell system and never regretted it. It was the most stable system I have ever owned (probably because of the Intel mobo paired with Crucial RAM). It was also pricey, but I did have problems in two separate instanced with my 19" Trinitron monitors (which were replaced overnight via cross shipments). Since then, though, I've gone back to building my own for cost reasons. For some, there isn't really a choice if you have to buy things piece-by-piece.

I think if you post in these forums you don't have any excuse not to build your own. ;)

I've built a lot. I do it on the side. I wanna build my next one. I didn't build this Dell. I think BOTH types of ppl can post on this board.

Lots of valid points, meaningfull discussion for both sides, and absolutely no flaming. Wow guys, I'm impressed. Usually the board jumps all over the pre-built machines.

Another thing to consider, how many of you guys honestly own just one computer? Probably none of you. If you, then you probably had 2 decent running machines at once. Keep in mind decent doesn't mean run UT2k3 at 1280x960 4xAA 16xAF. I have a 1.2 t-bird with a GF2 gts and it still gets me by, kinda sorta...

My point is, would it be so wrong to have one computer solidly built with a good warranty so that should probably arise you could spend a day on it but if your still perplexed just send it off? Then you could have another computer, maybe not as fast or possibly faster a year and a half down the road. This one you can tweak on, mess with the bios, overclock the hell out of, store endless amounts of mp3s, and keep general file storage on?

Just a little food for thought.

it's like cars. Have a hot-rod and a daily driver ;)

Let me offer a little perspective. I agree, that if you have the expertise and time, building your own is the way to go. I would also agree that the companies you listed are "at the top" of custom build companies and all put out top of the line products (I'm not really sure about Dell though). Let me offer this as another choice. There are a number of good companies out there that custon build computers such as iBuypower and ABS Computers. They offer excellent prices but don't overclock or finely tune their products as does say Falcon Northwest. However, they are much less costly, and with almost the same components. Sure, they dont offer the same support and prehaps you might need to update a bios or driver. As example, I just purchased a system from ABS Computers. My cost out the door with on-site warrenty was easily $800 to $1000 less than a similar system from Falcon NW or Alienware.

"Its dell. Whats to say." "Its dell what can be said." Well, lets see whats to be said.

Vicouspc- $3745. Who??? Falcon northwest- $3453 So SO and high priced.
Alienware- $3351 No cpu size listed. Always high priced.
Voodoo- $4019 Are they serious???
Hypersonic- $2989 WHO???

Dell- $2726 Reasonable price, hard rock dependable intel motherboards. Excellent service, reliability.

Pricewatch- Half of the low prices you get there are from questionable venders.

Newegg- Now your talking. Build your own.

So it comes to get the dell or build your own. Your call. Good luck.

Forget those other no name ones their only problems.

Woa sorry about the Alienware thing, its 2.8ghz just like all the others. Vicious PC was extra exspensive since you could ONLY get rdram just like Voodoo.

Hypersonic is getting to be a player in the game. Lots of positive reviews by magazines and what not. Everything about them is well above average but not amazingly-omg-perfect like say Falcon. Voodoo is so over priced its ridiculous. You could build a rig and buy a car or buy a voodoo.

Quote:

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Originally posted by OpStar
it's like cars. Have a hot-rod and a daily driver ;)

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Clearly ur dell is ur daily driver...

I find a lot of my friends who are semi-interested in computers find a middle ground when buying a new computer. Like I did, they choose one of the vendors that custom build for you. This helps when your comfortable with computers but don't quite know how to put everything together. I bought my first computer (celery 466 - OC 630) from Cyberpower Inc., which is a fairly good business, IMO. They allow you to better choose your components from off-the-shelf items and then burn it in for you. This seems like a great way to go if you don't want to something more custom than a dell, but don't have the complete knowledge to put every component together and get it working.

Quote:

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Originally posted by rusty c
"Its dell. Whats to say." "Its dell what can be said." Well, lets see whats to be said.

Vicouspc- $3745. Who??? Falcon northwest- $3453 So SO and high priced.
Alienware- $3351 No cpu size listed. Always high priced.
Voodoo- $4019 Are they serious???
Hypersonic- $2989 WHO???

Dell- $2726 Reasonable price, hard rock dependable intel motherboards. Excellent service, reliability.

Pricewatch- Half of the low prices you get there are from questionable venders.

Newegg- Now your talking. Build your own.

So it comes to get the dell or build your own. Your call. Good luck.

Forget those other no name ones their only problems.

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DAMN STRAIGHT ITS DELL I GOT THREE, and i built my screamer athlon 1.4 ok/so so, runs well, noisy, Few problems: DELL Solid as a rock runs stable as any thing and DAMN HELL GREAT COMPS Like a real champ

Hey this form got a tad out dated... but i thought i wanted to put in my 2 cents, Dell's have come down alot in price. Price cuts and free shipping out the wazoo.i got a 2.53P4 256mb ddr 16x dvd rom Intel mobo, Fairly unchanged power supply(connectors and such)only 250 watts though, enough room for expansion i guess, Hitachi 60 GIG Hard drive and a 9000 Ati radeon ALL IN WONDER card tv in and out, 6 usb 2.0 ports integrated lan, Dial Up Modem (WOOT) floppy, front connectors and what not all for only $800 out the door, shipped
they took 3 days to build and 2 or so day shipping, oh did i mention a 3 year no questions asked component replacement warrenty
Stable, Rock Solid reliablity, Keyboard and mouse (YEAH)
Unfortunately less then 3 weeks out of box i slapped in another 256 MB ddr Stick and a WHITE TDK 24x Cdrw, the case looks strange with it but none the less AWESOME COMP ALL ROUND ... STILL i guess perhaps a tad expensive plus like 30 bucks for a new stick of ram.
On the other hand A non Prebuilt(VERY OLD NOW)
Components
AMD Tbird 1400 oc to 1430 (woot) stock cooling, Antec 300 watt psu working strong still afer i stuck a wire in it and tripped the breaker to the third floor, MSI 6330 (K7T KT133A TURBO) MOBO, Pc 100 and 133 Sticks of 256 and 128 megs --> 512 Megs total, OLD Diamond viper V770D Video card (from old dell) 10X DVD ROM, Floppy, 60 and 40 GIG maxtor hdd's, Sb Live Card, 3 com Lan Card.
Also Stable system Now, After bout 3 days of tinkering with it, messing with bios changing settings and what not.
It gave me some wierd messages at boot up, such as detecting media in drive A:\ or Keyboard Error (Both work). put system under 100 fsb and put manual escd, no halting on keyboard or floppy disk errors, but it sometimes says that its initiallizing processor or something, but goes through boot after a few minutes