Build or bought computer

[Guest]

 

 

Ugh, who could ever buy a PC? Don't they know they're being screwed out of money? Companies like Dell and Alienware have overpriced garbage.

 

This is basically companies taking advantage of consumer ignorance. It's been the basis of computer sales since the dawn of computers sadly. These companies rely on people not knowing what things are so they can get more money.

 

 

 

Its ridiculous that a $500 Dell laptop or  $700 prebuilt* in 2015 only had 3 GB RAM and can't even play YouTube on 1080 without shutting down to prevent heat damage.

 

Agreed. What's sadder is companies like Apple exploit this further. Apple legitimately believes 2GB extra of RAM is worth $100. When more respected brands are worth less than half of that for far more RAM. That is blatantly taking advantage of consumer ignorance.

 

 

 

the same reason why companies can pay employers vastly differently - being that people are so uncomfortable to talk about what they make despite it being ultimately beneficial for everyone and only a superficial point of embarrassment.

 

They also actively enforce "company policy" to not tell people what they make to "prevent conflict" because that way they can keep people from finding out they are being underpaid.

[Envy 6,169]

That could have been a game! Or another hard drive for more game storage, or even a nice headset. Also paying for warranties is ALWAYS a rip off with computer parts. The ONLY thing they cover is if the parts die on their own without your involvement. Which if that is going to happen it will happen within the first month or so which is already covered. There's also a good chance you were overcharged for the parts too.

 

Did you buy a pre-built computer and then have a card put into it, or did you buy all the parts and have someone put it together? I can tell you honestly if you did the first, you more than likely paid more than $300+ in overcharges. My PC I build for $1,400 back in the day and if I had paid for a pre-built at the time with the EXACT SAME PARTS I was looking at $3,500. The monitors alone would have been $800.

 

In the future if you need a build, let me know I'll make sure you get the best price and I'll even put it together for free or find someone who will do it for you for cheap. People that build PCs take advantage of customers who don't know how to build by overcharging. Realistically, putting in a graphics card takes... 3 minutes. $50 for a 3 minute service that requires no special equipment that someone can learn to do from Google?

 

I selected parts from and had it built by NCIXUS.

 

I thought I made this pretty clear in my original post, I saved a lot of money, as a Dell computer with an equivalent card and no SSD IIRC costed $1000 more.

 

$50 was nothing for me, I'd much rather spend $50 than have the headache of putting together a PC. I just want simplicity.

[Guest]

I selected parts from and had it built by NCIXUS.

 

I thought I made this pretty clear in my original post, I saved a lot of money, as a Dell computer with an equivalent card and no SSD IIRC costed $1000 more.

 

$50 was nothing for me, I'd much rather spend $50 than have the headache of putting together a PC. I just want simplicity.

But learning to build is a good skill that could save you a lot of money in the long run. In the future you will inevitably need more PCs because they become outdated. Your options then are to keep paying people to build them and hope you are actually getting a good deal or rely on pre-builts.

 

In a lifetime that adds up.

 

A lot of people here could teach you in a matter of hours on how to do it and it'd save you so much in the long run!

[-Octavia- 1,176]

I would absolutely love to build one just for the sake of building. Problem is, I can't justify building one for any reason other than that, since I have unfortunately lost touch with my gaming ways, and I wouldn't be using it to do anything more than what my laptop can handle.

 

Also, 3muchinformation5me. Whenever I look into building, I am overwhelmed by the amount of knowledge some people have about technology. Like, how do they know how all the various brands off cards and chips stack up against each other in such a seemingly complex way? Whenever someone tries to talk to me about computer specs, I'm just like: "I'm sorry, I don't speak that language."

[Envy 6,169]

But learning to build is a good skill that could save you a lot of money in the long run. In the future you will inevitably need more PCs because they become outdated. Your options then are to keep paying people to build them and hope you are actually getting a good deal or rely on pre-builts.

 

In a lifetime that adds up.

 

A lot of people here could teach you in a matter of hours on how to do it and it'd save you so much in the long run!

 

*If* I ever have to get another PC (more emphasis on "if") I don't see why I can't just go through NCIXUS again. That is if I even game on PCs anymore, which I'm going to tell you right now is unlikely, as the only series I'm interested in is The Sims, and that series is now essentially dead to me.

 

It's not a skill I need. If I even get past this PC, I can't see needing another one after the next one. There is no long run for me here. So don't worry so much about it.

[Lucky Shot 232]

You should always build your PC if at all possible, but there are several obstacles to doing so that pressure "what's the any key???"-type users into buying overpriced systems.

 

Basically, the "big name" computer part retailers will overprice their parts as sold separately to trick you into thinking buying pre-built is cheaper.

*If* I ever have to get another PC (more emphasis on "if") I don't see why I can't just go through NCIXUS again. That is if I even game on PCs anymore, which I'm going to tell you right now is unlikely, as the only series I'm interested in is The Sims, and that series is now essentially dead to me.

 

It's not a skill I need. If I even get past this PC, I can't see needing another one after the next one. There is no long run for me here. So don't worry so much about it.

 

Because your PC will most likely stop working outright after 5-10 years? It's a machine, it'll wear out.

[Throwaway19573639385 764]

I build my own pc. There's hardly any pc site that's worth buying a pre-build pc from and I have no problem with building my own system. At least when something breaks then it's my own fault or the build quality of my product was faulty. By building a pc it becomes my responsibility. If you don't want to build your own pc then my suggestion would be at the very least finding your own parts and hiring a professional to build it for you. Even with the added price of getting it build, you are bound to save a lot more money AND have a better pc than a pre-build one, especially if you want to get the most out of modern, highly demanding games.

[Envy 6,169]

Because your PC will most likely stop working outright after 5-10 years? It's a machine, it'll wear out.

 

Yes, but I'm taking into account my own future, too. Key Sharkz may have some idea of what I'm saying here, and thus might understand that it isn't important for me to know this stuff. lol

[Red Cedar 1,408]

Built, every time. You get higher quality components for the same amount of money or less. It's also far easier if you need to upgrade or replace a part.

Edited November 19, 2015 by Red Cedar

[Jon the VGNerd 885]

Ugh, who could ever buy a PC? Don't they know they're being screwed out of money? Companies like Dell and Alienware have overpriced garbage. Its ridiculous that a $500 Dell laptop or  $700 prebuilt* in 2015 only had 3 GB RAM and can't even play YouTube on 1080 without shutting down to prevent heat damage. That is honestly disgusting. And the entire practice is allowed to continue because people are uninformed about what's in their computers or the value for it, the same reason why companies can pay employees vastly differently - being that people are so uncomfortable to talk about what they make despite it being ultimately beneficial for everyone and only a superficial point of embarrassment.

 

So yeah, buying one is just letting these companies continue to produce garbage. I've had these sorts try to nickel and dime me because they assumed I knew nothing about computers (why would I know and still buy their stuff is the logic). When I explained the situation to them better than they could, they could only show me the discounts on the latest versions of more shit. Are they out of their scripted lines? It's as pathetic as the Indian Microsoft™ scam - nothing is being done about it. Other times I've explained what's wrong and they get completely lost because the qualifications to work in the tech lines are probably so stunningly low. When you get past "the darned thing won't start" to examining the core issues with your specific CPU, they get lost.

 

If I had more power in the market I would be sure these scammers would be put out of business. All people who buy are just getting screwed, and they're letting it happen, directly or not. I think its time we fully engaged in the power the 21st century can bring, and take the power back into our own hands and have the knowledge of the tools we use on a daily basis to know what's good and what's not. Leaving it up to someone else to decide is like asking a car salesman the going price of that shiny red car. If you wouldn't do that, then don't buy a PC.

 

The time it takes to make a PC isn't nearly as long as people imagine. Your first build, monitored by a knowledgeable companion, will only take you an hour or two tops. Follow the safety procedures listed in the manuals you'll receive, and there are even safety and computer building videos on YouTube you can watch to guide you through the process. You won't launch nukes at your house by doing something wrong or putting something in the wrong place, don't be afraid of your computer. It's not alive.

 

 

*sigh* this was indeed a rant. But a necessary one.  

 

Well, so does building one. You'll be broke if your money isn't high enough. I myself would prefer to buy a PC and then upgrade it instead of building one. Most of the money with me automatically goes to restocking food, household appliances, bills (light, water, insurance, medical and phone), apparel and such in order to maintain my personal lifestyle. That's where money becomes the main issue and unless you have whopping amount of money, you'll end up being broke due to how expensive these parts are (yes, that includes shipping costs), so not many of us are as rich as you are.

Edited November 19, 2015 by Jon the Bronynerd

[Guest]

Yes, but I'm taking into account my own future, too. Key Sharkz may have some idea of what I'm saying here, and thus might understand that it isn't important for me to know this stuff. lol

You should always plan for the future. Period. Regardless of circumstances because we do not know what's going to happen. I won't go into detail for your privacy but some things can change which can change people's perceived futures. Science advances and technology changes.

Well, so does building one. You'll be broke if your money isn't high enough. I myself would prefer to buy a PC and then upgrade it instead of building one. Most of the money with me automatically goes to restocking food, household appliances, bills (light, water, insurance, medical and phone), apparel and such in order to maintain my personal lifestyle. That's where money becomes the main issue and unless you have whopping amount of money, you'll end up being broke due to how expensive these parts are (yes, that includes shipping costs), so not many of us are as rich as you are.

 

His point is that it's cheaper to build than buy a lot of the time...

[Jon the VGNerd 885]

You should always plan for the future. Period. Regardless of circumstances because we do not know what's going to happen. I won't go into detail for your privacy but some things can change which can change people's perceived futures. Science advances and technology changes.

 

His point is that it's cheaper to build than buy a lot of the time...

 

Like I said, shipping costs is an issue, no matter how cheap they are. Only a few of said parts are free of shipping and even then, you still have to sacrifice some of the parts for the sake of maintaining your own lifestyle, like managing household bills for example.

[Lucky Shot 232]

Well, so does building one. You'll be broke if your money isn't high enough. I myself would prefer to buy a PC and then upgrade it instead of building one. Most of the money with me automatically goes to restocking food, household appliances, bills (light, water, insurance, medical and phone), apparel and such in order to maintain my personal lifestyle. That's where money becomes the main issue and unless you have whopping amount of money, you'll end up being broke due to how expensive these parts are (yes, that includes shipping costs), so not many of us are as rich as you are.

 

The specific parts that go into a pre-built computer are premium brand parts. The manufacturers and retailers have a deal with specific big-name companies to push their product, which are overpriced because good marketing has made them the most in-demand brand.

 

The problem is that premium brands and popular brands are not better brands, they're pricier products. This is why you think that building a PC isn't any cheaper; because you're looking for the same parts, i.e. the same grossly overpriced parts.

 

When building a PC, cheaper parts are not worse parts. If you save so much as $10.00 per part then you've likely covered the shipping cost, and you're going to be saving far far more than that.

[Jon the VGNerd 885]

The specific parts that go into a pre-built computer are premium brand parts. The manufacturers and retailers have a deal with specific big-name companies to push their product, which are overpriced because good marketing has made them the most in-demand brand.

 

The problem is that premium brands and popular brands are not better brands, they're pricier products. This is why you think that building a PC isn't any cheaper; because you're looking for the same parts, i.e. the same grossly overpriced parts.

 

When building a PC, cheaper parts are not worse parts. If you save so much as $10.00 per part then you've likely covered the shipping cost, and you're going to be saving far far more than that.

 

Cheap parts often comes with shipping costs, which can double the price especially if you're living outside of the states, so even if cheaper parts aren't considered the worst, prices will remain high unless you select one that has no shipping costs. And even then, I simply don't have the luxury to afford all of PC parts to build one myself.

[ARagY 1,152]

 so not many of us are as rich as you are.

 

...

Don't. Don't even. 

 

Well, so does building one. You'll be broke if your money isn't high enough. I myself would prefer to buy a PC and then upgrade it instead of building one. Most of the money with me automatically goes to restocking food, household appliances, bills (light, water, insurance, medical and phone), apparel and such in order to maintain my personal lifestyle. That's where money becomes the main issue and unless you have whopping amount of money, you'll end up being broke due to how expensive these parts are (yes, that includes shipping costs), 

 

 

For reference, a computer that lets me have 3 windows of 50 tabs on Chrome open while having 3 word documents open, 2 pdf files, skype, steam, and can idle TF2 in the background while I type my research paper in Firefox on Drive without having to worry about overheating or freezing or various RAM issues, cost me $1200, and that's including the cost of the monitor I already had, and the cpu I got from my pre-built (which I only had gotten because of these exact issues I'm talking about). Without them, it's ~$650 (~$350 for CPU, $200 for monitor) A pre-built with this capacity: http://puu.sh/lrjtq/5bac9f5795.png

 

You will not end up being broke. You just have to learn how to manage yourself. Look, the best time to buy a PC (as I've been saying the last 1,5 years) is now, for gaming. Graphics are not going to get any better any time soon, and anything that challenges the high-end cards is just awfully optimised. We haven't had our next tech boom yet so the graphics of games like BF4 are as good as we'll see for a while. I'm saying this to break the stereotype that you need to upgrade your stuff every 6 months or every year. That's a flat-out lie. People started these rumours during the 2010-2011 boom, in which we went from mw2 style to bf3 style. This also happened back in 2005 to 2007 I believe. But the point is that this is insane. No, you don't need to buy parts every year unless you get something barely passable at present. The people who do buy every year do it out of enjoyment. And they usually get auxiliary items. 

 

You don't need whopping amounts of money, you need to think about the time you're buying, the place, and the future. I upgraded after working 2 weeks with a housing company, and since then I've only bought a new mouse, mousepad, and keyboard. For my own personal enjoyment.

Edited November 19, 2015 by ARagY

[Envy 6,169]

You should always plan for the future. Period. Regardless of circumstances because we do not know what's going to happen. I won't go into detail for your privacy but some things can change which can change people's perceived futures. Science advances and technology changes..

 

Okay, maybe you're right about that... However, I still think that $50 to get it built for me is better than the trouble of going through learning about it.

Edited November 19, 2015 by Envy

[Lil Pip 775]

My computer was built, so frustrating too since it was my first time, but its worth it because other comptuers are not always optimized how you prefer, and they charge extra for putting them together and they also specialize in brands more often if they get paid to include certain products in theirs. Some places do allow you to pick n choose what you want though but you should look up performance charts and compatibility charts and such, and make sure you know what is going to bottleneck what. But when you buy like that some parts prices wont be as cheap as they could be, but it depends on how much you value your time. If it takes you 8+ hours to put a computer together, and you work during the week days with little time for yourself, putting money towards it is no big deal. Itd be better if you had a friend who takes money to put it together and knows what they are doing though. Helps your friend out, saves you time and money, its probably the best way to do it if your friend is trusworthy, and if not well you can just report them to the police if they make off with one of your parts or some other calm solution, no biggy.

[Paianis 489]

I'm on a laptop that was bought 4-5 years ago, but I was age 13 at the time and my parents paid for it. It's not a bad one either, a ThinkPad T510.

 

But I am itching to build a system, as I can barely make 1080p 50fps videos without time-consuming conversion processes. Just need to get the funds together.

[Sunwalker 981]

I bought it. I have next to no knowledge about the hardware part of computers, and I would not even know from were to start if I needed to build one .

 

That being said, recently I did manage to get and install a new graphics card for my computer . I wouldn't be able to do it without the help of @Incognito Bandito, so thank you again

[Limeblossom 482]

as I can barely make 1080p 50fps videos without time-consuming conversion processes. Just need to get the funds together.

My PC could handle 1080p for a bit, but no 60fps. If I play Fallout 4 or any other modern game it will crash every minute.

 

If I would build a PC myself, I would also choose a computer case that would fit with my style:

Those beige colored computers are kinda nostalgic for me, and I used Windows 98 a lot .

 

Does somone has the GeForce Titan? I heard positive things about the card on League for Gamers.

Edited November 19, 2015 by Limeblossom

[Countess Coloratura 204]

I go with build. I built my gaming rig. I used to have store bought. They are nice but having a built computer in my opinion is better. Since its pretty easier to upgrade and such. 
Plus you get to choose what you want in the system.  

 

[Limeblossom 482]

Plus you get to choose what you want in the system.

I think that is one of the big reasons why those who build their own PC do it.

And you deserved a brohoof for yours.

[Troblems 5,617]

Until recently, both. I ended up giving my desktop to my dad, though after my father in law gave me his hand me down Mac.

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,594]

I far prefer just buying a computer. I am not much of a PC person so just buying one is far more convenient and easier for me. 

[Scrubbed user 3,416]

Does somone has the GeForce Titan? I heard positive things about the card on League for Gamers.

 

I don't have a Titan (too poor for that sort of thing ), but I do know that $1000 buys you the most badass general-consumer GPU on the market right now.

Edited November 23, 2015 by Azure Flare