Build PC Myself or Pay Someone to Do for Me

• 

  barge-in hunter on 15/12/2023 - 16:23

  +3

  If you research on YouTube, be diligent and careful - there isn’t too much that can go wrong… but if something does, it could be expensive.

  Plenty of pc builders do a slap together job, so some might say you’ll do it better because of the level of care. You just risk having to deal with warranty returns if any pieces are doa

• 

  Jimothy Wongingtons on 15/12/2023 - 16:25

  +4

  If I was going to spend that much and all from 1 place I’d just pay the little extra to get it built.

  Warranty might be easier (depending on builders warranty procedure)

  Plus I’m rubbish at cable management, I can appreciate a nice clean build and happy to pay.

  It’s pretty straight forward… just read the instructions and look up YouTube if not sure.

  • 

    ozbargainsam on 15/12/2023 - 17:59

    +1

    This was my train of thought when I got my PC built. For $5500 in parts, another $200 to have someone put it together, warrant the build, and have them handle any RMA etc, is basically a no-brainer.

    All that's only true if you get the parts from the builder, too.

    Sure it's easier than ever to build yourself these days, but it's still a skill you need to develop for a once-off. And it's time and risk for me to do it for the first time on some fairly expensive gear (particularly those finicky 4090 HWPR connectors).

    Building it yourself means you can get all the parts when they're on sale, though.

    • 

      Jimothy Wongingtons on 15/12/2023 - 18:14

      +1

      The last build I did about 10 years ago I spent about 8 hours , 1 hour to build then 7 hours to troubleshoot and confirm it was the gpu.

      The threat of being charged an inspection and non warranty fee by computer alliance at the time scared me into making sure it was definitely gpu, next day they confirmed yes 100% doa and offered me a replacement. Since then all my builds have been done by them so they can be responsible. I can’t afford to waste hours troubleshooting these days.

    • 

      mu11yy on 15/12/2023 - 23:14

      I'm honestly starting to lean towards getting it built by someone else. As you've said, and others in these comments, it can sometimes be not worth the hassle if something goes wrong.

  • 

    barge-in hunter on 15/12/2023 - 18:21

    +3

    It’s a good call @Jimothy Wongingtons, but I read the OP as they’re getting parts from different deals

    got a high end build in the works

    If they are getting parts from different suppliers then asking one shop to put it together… there goes any rma or warranty advantages.

    @mu11yy - have you bought some parts already, or just planning your build?

    • 

      mu11yy on 15/12/2023 - 23:11

      Currently planning, already got the CPU and GPU sorted (as stated).

      • 

        barge-in hunter on 16/12/2023 - 07:16

        Yeah if you e already bought some parts from different suppliers, there’s no point paying someone to put it together.

        No warranty and it’s super unlikely they’ll help you out if any parts are faulty… then there will be the awkward “but did you break my parts?” conversation. 💯 do it yourself

• 

  scrimshaw on 15/12/2023 - 16:35

  +4

  If you've successfully put together systems before, then I think you already know most of the basics.

  1. If it doesn't fit, don't use excessive force. Parts will only fit in a certain way because they are keyed.
  2. Don't bend any pins on the LGA socket or on the CPU.
  3. Be patient and use good quality magnetic screwdrivers so you don't strip screws or accidentally drop them into the case. Have plenty of good lighting.

  Just from checking 2 well-known computer stores (MSY and Comp Alliance), typical cost of getting a system built nowadays is around $150. Which is a lot for a budget build, but for a high end system that is a fairly small percentage of the overall cost.
  https://www.centrecom.com.au/pcassemblylabourstandard
  https://www.msy.com.au/product/customise-your-pc-have-msy-bu…

  There is an upside to having it done by a PC builder and that's better cable management. The back of my gaming PC looks atrocious even though I've spent 30 minutes tidying it up. But that doesn't matter since it's only the back and nobody pays attention to that…

• 

  pharkurnell on 15/12/2023 - 16:41

  +2

  Its becoming harder to save $ building your own.. I see some of the deals and cant buy the parts for the price of prebuilt..

  YMMV

  • 

    skid on 15/12/2023 - 16:46

    The deals sure are tempting but I think if OP is wanting a specific config, the costs end up similar?

    • 

      mu11yy on 15/12/2023 - 23:15

      Seems to be the case.

• 

  garetz on 15/12/2023 - 17:17

  There are heaps of youtube videos that walk you through it, just do it yourself following one of those videos.

• 

  Sal in SA on 15/12/2023 - 17:54

  Do it yourself, then you know it will be done right, the cables will be routed/hidden how you like and you can do any case mods at the same time should you need.

• 

  Lexar ANZ Chris on 15/12/2023 - 19:39

  if you are not familiar with PC build, just make sure few things…
  first, before you start, clean out a good surface make sure it's clean and not messy. have enough room for your build.
  second, since you are not familiar with things, don't use power tools or try not use them at first.

  and common issues that may causes problems are:
  1. motherboard pin bent, I can't remember how many times this happens, make sure you put CPU in place properly, put silicon gel nicely before putting on cpu fan.

  1. always, always update your motherboard firmware before you mess around with bios

  2. if motherboard doesn't have enough USB pins for front IO, buy a PCIE usb card, suggest any thing that has NEC renesas chip

  3. the cable tie after you cut the tip off, if it's not clean cut, it's very sharp, cut your hand is small thing, but if your blood drop on boards that will be a big issue.

  4. make sure you know which direction your fan is spining, setup your airflow correctly.

  if you read through above I think you will be fine, machine these days is not as hard to put together.