brandon Posted May 22, 2004 Report Share Posted May 22, 2004 Alot of people ask whether they should buy a computer, or build one, so here are some things to take into consideration:Building a computer:1. Building a computer most times is alot cheaper than buying one from the store.2. Building a computer can be very challenging, so it's not recommended for people who have not done it before. This doesn't mean you shouldn't do it, it just means that you may run into some expensive problems.3. You don't have to deal with Salesmans trying to sell you an extended warranty, but when you build one, there is no warranty for your whole computer. There may be a warranty for the processor, HD, and maybe the video card, but that's not the whole computer.4. You don't get all the stuff most makers include to make the computer a better value. Most computers bundle their computers with value software, and restore disks, but when you build them, you don't get the added software, and you have to buy the OS disk yourself.Buying a computer:1. Most place give you a 3 year on the computer, and a 1 year warranty on parts & labor. If your computer were to ever break down within 3 years, you can take it back, get it fixed, or if it's really messed up, you can get brand new machine of the same model.2. Most retailers give you added software, and restore disks. This makes te computer a better deal overall, and you don't have to buy any of it.3. Buying a computer is easy. All you have to do is pick one it, and buy it.Well, those are reasons to take into consideration when buying or building a computer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Radfordin Posted May 22, 2004 Report Share Posted May 22, 2004 Apart from the fact that in most cases it is not 'a lot cheaper' to build your own than buy one - well not in the UK anyway. Only if you want something very specific (as -pops- demonstrated in another post), or a very high spec (or have a system you can canibilise!) will you actually see any significant savings. Once you put a value on your time you will see that shrink to an even smaller percentage.For the majority of people building a computer does not make economic sense. There will be some who think it does, and some who find great satisfaction in building their own, or who have some hatred for profit making companies, but the reality is it doesn't save huge sums.You only have to look at the number of suppliers who have failed to make it in recent years to realise that profit margins are so slim the small-time builder simply can't compete. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandon Posted May 22, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2004 That is so true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted May 23, 2004 Report Share Posted May 23, 2004 I had this one built by a small local business, and discussed first exactly what I wanted from it, and only paid for what I needed. It was ordered delivered and installed within a week. Any problems and the builder is a phone call away, and NOT at the end of a premium rate line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Posted May 23, 2004 Report Share Posted May 23, 2004 I build my own, not because it is cheaper but because I get precisely what I want. Buying off the shelf is certainly cheaper. It wasn't always that way, but it is now. The manufacturers get wholesale discounts on the hardware we couldn't ever hope to get. That said you couldn't give me one of their mass produced hunks of junk. I built more the 200 computers last year. Most of my customers did not come to me because I had the cheapest price, but because I use quality hardware, I stand behind what I sell 100% without the usual run around they get from major manufacturers. In six years of selling them, I have only had one returned, and not because it was broken, but because the customer made one payment and never another, so I got it back, that was four years ago, and my son is using that PC to this day.They tell me what they want, that is exactly what they get, no sales pitches, no hidden costs, no junk, no bulls***. They get a computer with the operating system of their choice, fully functioning viri and spyware software (no trial versions) OpenOffice (Unless they want to pay $400 for MS Office).I run the computer for 24 to 48 hours, I check it out fully and completley before delivery. I go to their home set it up and make sure they are happy with the machine. If not I ask what I can do to make them happy.It's about customer service. It has been my experience that most average users don't care who's name is on the machine. They care about the quality of customer service. That is something the major manufacturers seem to have forgotten. People don't want to listen to recordings, they don't want 3 different call ticket numbers, trey don't want to have to explain to thirteen different phone tech idiots the same problem over and over, only to be walked through the same stupid things each time. They wan't to pick up the phone and here the right answer the first time, or they want the machine fixed. I show up and personally repair and work on their computers. If it's a hardware issue, I pay for it. If it is user inflicted (99.9% of the time) then they pay for the service call. They don't mind paying, most are happy to have a local service that actually does more then say thats not covered sorry, or call MS, MS says call manuf., man. says call ......... says call......... says call.........As for my own machines, I have been building them since 1983, in 21 years now, I have only bought one mass produced PC, and I never will again. It was certainly cheap, but you get what you pay for, it was used as a door stop within a year.The issue for me isn't who is cheaper. Thats a given, you can go to Wal-Mart and get an HP with a 17" monitor for $400. I can't sell that cheap. I can't buy all the componants that cheaply. But then I don't want to either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moon Posted May 23, 2004 Report Share Posted May 23, 2004 Well spoken , Bruce.I've built four, the first one here with the extended , patient and sometimes hilarious assistance of site members, and the other three all on my ownsome. The thrill of the first boot-up is worth much more than any savings made from something off the shelf, and I'd challenge that anyway as I've yet to see a machine for sale with the same specs as mine for anything like what it cost me. I must have saved around three hundred quid, time not included as there was rather a lot of that :D If anyone is going to buy a ready-made then a small-scale expert , like Bruce, is the way to go. A little trouble taken now will save you the heartache and rage you will probably experience by buying from a big company. My first machine, an HP, came from Software Warehouse ( now defunct) and I hate them to this day.PS. Bruce ships to all parts of the known free world and my commission is so small that you'll hardly notice. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Posted May 23, 2004 Report Share Posted May 23, 2004 Well spoken , Bruce.I've built four, the first one here with the extended , patient and sometimes hilarious assistance of site members, and the other three all on my ownsome. The thrill of the first boot-up is worth much more than any savings made from something off the shelf, and I'd challenge that anyway as I've yet to see a machine for sale with the same specs as mine for anything like what it cost me. I must have saved around three hundred quid, time not included as there was rather a lot of that :D If anyone is going to buy a ready-made then a small-scale expert , like Bruce, is the way to go. A little trouble taken now will save you the heartache and rage you will probably experience by buying from a big company. My first machine, an HP, came from Software Warehouse ( now defunct) and I hate them to this day.PS. Bruce ships to all parts of the known free world and my commission is so small that you'll hardly notice. :DMoons commision includes a visit by him form set up, and further service calls to any all parts of the "know free world". :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moon Posted May 23, 2004 Report Share Posted May 23, 2004 LOL ! Anywhere within bicycle distance. It's in the extremely small print. :D PS. Ladies excepted. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted May 23, 2004 Report Share Posted May 23, 2004 Definitely with Bruce on this.I've built about 150 machines, all bespoke and conforming to exactly what my customers wanted. I build for my son's business - his requirements are exact and demanding and he just cannot get anything like the build and specifications he wants anywhere else. I build for friends and friends of friends and friends of friends of - - - - . I don't run a business doing this. I don't advertise. All my customers are from personal recommendation. I do it as a hobby or pastime although now I'm getting a bit doddery, I don't make so many.I've just completed a "quiet" machine for myself and this is proving so successful, one of my sons wants three quiet machines and the other son also wants one. So, really, instead of retiring from computer building, I'm back as busy as I was before.My machines aren't cheap but, they do contain top quality, top brand hardware housed in high quality cases (not your "less than £10 weekend bargain bucket" efforts that so many people seem to go for). I have no doubt at all that my clients could go down to PCW or even Tesco and pick up a machine for far, far less than I charge but they don't. This shows that a reliance on quality and value for money is still important to at least some people.I've worked with computers for a very long time. The first IBM type Personal Computer I owned myself was a genuine IBM machine, an Aptiva fitted with a huge hard drive of 1GB!! and 8MB of RAM!!!. It cost well in excess of £2,000. I was unimpressed with it when I compared it against the machines I was used to working with in research and industry and that got me the building "bug" attempting to make something that I could call quality. I had owned computers prior to that. I had various Sinclair ZX and Spectrum machines and I even built the Practical Electronics (a magazine) analogue computer in the early 1960s.The best thing about building a computer is the sense of anticipation on first switch on - will it start up? More often than not it does but, even if it doesn't, there is an interesting investigative time afterwards finding out why. They always work eventually!If anyone is interested, I will post details of my "quiet" machines so you can have a go yourselves. There's nothing special or secret about them, just a good combination of components. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted May 23, 2004 Report Share Posted May 23, 2004 These last few posts serve to reinforce my argument for not bothering with the big boys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted May 23, 2004 Report Share Posted May 23, 2004 I wouldn't have another commercial mass built machine if I was to be given it.Even when my building days are over, I will get a bespoke machine made EXACTLY to the spec I want from a small, local maker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Radfordin Posted May 23, 2004 Report Share Posted May 23, 2004 To make blanket statements like "don't bother with the big boys" is meaningless. They serve one part of the market and custom builders another.I've had a mix of PCs in the past but as long as my needs remain fairly general the 'big boys' prove the best bet.Many larger companies buy in bulk (eg 50-100 or more PC's) at a time. It is only companies like Dell that can meet this demand in a sensible time frame.Unfortunatly most people don't want to pay for customer service. I'm sure the 'big boys' could add £100 to the price of a machine and offer a much higher level of service but I can guarantee they would be out of the market very quickly.In some cases building your own (or from the local shop) is the right option, but not in every case - and I've seen local shops that make the likes of Time/Tiny look like the leaders in customer service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ellas Posted May 23, 2004 Report Share Posted May 23, 2004 Any problems and the builder is a phone call away, and NOT at the end of a premium rate line.thats why I self build because I dont need to phone anyone :D but seriously I cannot build as cheap as buy,I build because I enjoy it and can repair if anything goes wrong,I bought a hp machine from ,tescos of all places,5 years ago sold it to my sister 2 years ago and its still going as strong as ever,the build quality is excellent even if the specs are not much,lets face it the majority want to go into a shop and buy a computer with software ready to go just as most of us would never dream of buying a car in bits and building it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moon Posted May 23, 2004 Report Share Posted May 23, 2004 If anyone is interested, I will post details of my "quiet" machines so you can have a go yourselves.Let it rip, -pops-. it might serve as the basis for my planned dedicated audio machine. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris Posted May 23, 2004 Report Share Posted May 23, 2004 just as most of us would never dream of buying a car in bits and building it.Did that once - 20+ years ago ........ NEVER AGAIN ! - even though it was "just assembling" a kit of parts.PC's are sooooo much easier :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.