I'm thinking to buy or build a cheap gaming PC. I wonder if I should DIY or wait for a good deal for a prebuilt PC. By cheap, I mean a $1000- $1200 budget.
An example of recent bargain would be: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/405011
Which Is Cheaper - Prebuilt PC or DIY?
[Deactivated] on 01/10/2018 - 17:46
Last edited 02/10/2018 - 12:28 by 1 other user
Last edited 02/10/2018 - 12:28 by 1 other user
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Prebuilt when I got mine, I got the gtx 1070 dell inspiron gaming desktop. Very good, build quality is shit, but that's not what I paid for, I paid for the specs. Mostly because at that time, GPU's were priced at crazzzzzzy prices. Therefore I got it prebuilt, the math worked out in my favour as well. Not too sure about now, GPU's are going down in prices. I don't game often, I do editing, that's why I need the horse power. Also, when people are like, ohhhh LED lighting, and all that tempered glass stuffffff, really it's just a massive joke gimmick, My desktop sits below me, I don't see it, hence, case aesthetics is a bunch of bs. I invested my money in a 4k monitor instead. Makes me feel so much happier because that's what I'll be looking at 99.99% of the time. So don't be fooled by tempered glass cases mah Bimo. But do invest in a good case, which has good I/O, the one dell has is decent, USB C, two USB A at front and plenty out back. More than enough and USB C with thunderbolt 3 is quite a massive joke because shit's just way too expensive when thunderbolt 3 is involved. So for now, I would still say buy prebuilt, it just saves you so much time, i.e. if you enjoy just plugging it in and playing and using your pc. But, if you don't want to, and actually want to learn how to build your PC and stuff like that, DIY. It's a great journey if you build it on your own and you learn quite a bit. The most annoying thing about DIY is that you have to wait for your parts sometimes, like CPU comes in 1 week after GPU so you're basically stuck.
TL;DR
I bought prebuilt when GPU's were high, Glass case and LED are a joke and thunderbolt 3. And it's the buyer's preference.I agree glass case is useless and the diy is fun. It's all just a matter of which provides better bang for buck, spec wise. which is what ozbargain all about.
Yea exactly, good luck Bimo
Was historically cheaper to DIY, cryptomining boom caused GPU prices to skyrocket meaning prebuilts were in fact cheaper for a period of time, but now that GPU prices have stabilized at a more reasonable mark it is once again cheaper to DIY.
In that case I'll diy. Starting from that fractal design case. :)
Thanks
You've clearly put alot of research into this
Who? Me? Not really.
When you ask this question, I think it's better for you to get prebuilt, because it's has warranty as a whole unit.
Isn't prebuilt usually poorly build? As in cheaper parts and messy cables and such? Once the 12m warranty expires, what if it failed?
If we're talking cheap unbranded prebuilt systems from stores like PC Byte then you will get cheaper parts like the case and power supply. The more expensive systems from companies like PCCG are usually better as they don't cheap out with unknown brands.
Refering prebuilt, I mean something like Dell, when the system goes wrong, they fix it, but for DIY, you need to found out the cause of problem (which part goes wrong) yourself, which might takes ages. Also I do believe that a desktop should come with at least 2yrs warranty.
IMO
The main reason for DIY building is if you enjoy it or want to give it a go. You might save a bit from DIY but I don't think it makes a huge difference in the grand scheme of things. Does depend on what you want out of your computer…With DIY you will get the same specs with better quality for not much more $$ and also longer warranty for some important parts e.g. power supply. It's fun and may be very frustrating as well, but very plenty help is available online. Most importantly, it will boost your confidence and knowledge which will in return make you more independent hardware buyer in the future - some day you need to upgrade or change parts. "Messy cables"… this depends on the size and quality of the case. I've had some basic cases where you can't run the cables behind the MB, so they have to sit bundled inside the HDD/DVD bays, especially if your power supply is not modular. Also, make sure your parts are compatible - use a system builder from pcparttaker or ddcomputer's website.
Prebuilt is OK, but whenever I had compared the specs and prices in prebuilt systems I always decided that with DIY I could find same parts for less money or better parts for the same money. I hope this makes sense.I agree DIY is more fun. But I do find it stressful when something doesn't work and couldn't find out why.
My last DIY PC for example, for some reason it only occasionally detect my WiFi. All other devices, including the original Galaxy S (10 years ago) can detect and connect. I couldn't explain why.
Great advice. Thanks
I find buying a decent fairly new second hand rig from gumtree off a desperate seller and upgrading it to be the cheapest solution.
Good idea. I am on a budget.
Although, I had mixed experience buying 2nd computers. I had a laptop which battery only last a month before it needs to be replaced.
I would only buy a desktop I can swap parts out on, with no more than 1 gen behind cpu (finding older socket mobos new to replace is painful). I do have the benefit of a box of spare parts I can raid to make things even cheaper. I never throw away a working part or cable, a chick on Freecycle is onto me, she just direct messages me first when she is looking for old parts >.<
Right now the majority of decent pre-builts are either as expensive or more expensive then just building your own system.
That's without discounts. You'll probably be able to find more discounts on the parts themselves then the full systems.
While normally I'd say build your own. When you come across a stupid deal like that, it's definitely worth it!
Edit: Specifically talking about the deal in the post. I'd still trust building your own more than a pre-built for full price.
Mind that. If you aren't confident building your own, pre-builts right now are approx the same as DIY builds in terms of pricing, give or take a hundred.
I'm planning to buy the parts and have someone else assemble it for me.
DIY.