# New PC - Buy Vs. Build



## Tom Bombadil (Mar 25, 2008)

So the kids need a new PC. They have been running on an old Pentium III for years and it won't play the latest games they now want, nor does it do a good job playing DVDs which they need for homeschooling.

I have looked for good deals and here is what I am finding - I can spend $900-$1100 for a PC that has awesome multimedia and game play - but that would be total overkill. Another option is to buy a decent Core 2 Duo PC on sale for around $500-$550 and upgrade the RAM and videocard for another $100-$150 to get them the game play they want. The last option is to just build it myself like I have most my PCs. I can build it myself for about $600 and get them EXACTLY the hardware they need (with names I trust), but I will still need to buy Vista (which I think I can get for about $50 through work).

Time wise, option 1 is most expensive but all i have to do it set it up. Option two would take 30 minutes to swap the hardware and be done. Option 3 would take a Saturday to get it all done.

So what are you all doing these days when you need a new PC? Do you build your own? Buy and upgrade? Pay the big bucks?


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## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

i built this pc as a gamer several years ago using good quality components. the video card was probably one or two generations down, but they seem to "evolve" quickly and sell for big dollars when they are released. i got a card that cost nearly $500 when it was released for about $200. if you try to build a pc so the kids can "keep up with the jones' " it'll cost you big dollars, lol.

i wouldn't choose a pc with a motherboard that has onboard video. they just aren't made for gaming. video cards these days use a whole bunch of memory and you want a card that has a lot of it's own memory right on the card. also, compare video cards not only by the amount of memory they have, but by how much info they can process. fi you research vid cards, you can eventually find this info for comparison.

i would build another system before i bought one. i have a nice case that should work well with many motherboards, so that is a savings of $40-$80 right off the bat. i guess planning ahead had a payoff for me in that sense. sometimes "off the shelf" means proprietary hardware that needs to be replaced with more proprietary hardware if you upgrade or you need to repair. that is often more costly...sometimes twice as costly.

in the past, the up side to proprietary was the bundled software you got as well as the hardware. i really had no need for a bunch of software i would never use and that is one thing that tipped the scales toward building my own. some folks are more comfortable having the service and customer support safety net of proprietary systems. my experience with family members and their pcs has shown me that you really don't need that support until the free service ends and you need to pay for service. your milage may vary.

i would choose to build, but i can see how that may be a bit more expensive than upgrading off the shelf.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

Tom Bombadil said:


> I have looked for good deals and here is what I am finding - I can spend $900-$1100 for a PC that has awesome multimedia and game play - but that would be total overkill. Another option is to buy a decent Core 2 Duo PC on sale for around $500-$550 and upgrade the RAM and videocard for another $100-$150 to get them the game play they want. The last option is to just build it myself like I have most my PCs. I can build it myself for about $600 and get them EXACTLY the hardware they need (with names I trust), but I will still need to buy Vista (which I think I can get for about $50 through work).


Upgrade. You can debottleneck the parts of the computer that are holding you back. It sounds like you need to start with a mainboard/processor combo with memory. Budget about $150 for a contemporary mainboard/processor combo and another $50 for memory, so the major upgrade will be in the neighborhood of $200.

You might consider an AMD processor because the P-III case won't have the 4-plug connector that P-4s and higher require. If you go with an Intel processor you're into it for another $20 for a new power supply.


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## Tom Bombadil (Mar 25, 2008)

The P-III case is trashed and the power supply on it is only a 300W, so they are getting a new case and PS. I have been pricing the hardware off newegg and have been looking at the low end Core 2 Duo CPUs on a various mainboards with integrated audio but I am just as open to AMD. I am thinking 2 GB of RAM since they are running Vista. Add to that a DVD burner, a sub-$100 video card, and a low end SATA drive and they are done.


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## MeanDean (Apr 16, 2002)

In the past I used to build ... now I find it cheaper to buy.


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## Guest (Sep 28, 2008)

MeanDean said:


> In the past I used to build ... now I find it cheaper to buy.


Same here. When I wear one out, I drive to Raleigh to the Tiger Direct store and get a new one, with OS for 250-400 bucks. Depending on what they have on sale at any given time, I usually buy more memory.


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## Tom Bombadil (Mar 25, 2008)

I have both a Fry's and a Microcenter within driving distance, so I don't have to order off the internet, but I have found newegg to have the best combination of price and selection.

And I have looked at Microcenter's built PCs but not been impressed.


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## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

i like www.zipzoomfly.com

they are worth a look as well.


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## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

i just want to add that i am a big fan of expansion slots. power surges happen, sometimes even if you think you are protected, and having room for more cards may save your system when the onboard devices fail. surges don't always totally fry your motherboard, sometimes they take out sub-systems. i have had onboard sound fail and was able to save the pc with a sound card and the same thing happened with onboard LAN.


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## Tom Bombadil (Mar 25, 2008)

Yeah, I have a linux server sitting at my feet right now that has a NIC card in it to replace the integrated NIC that got fried in a storm. Everything else on the motherboard is fine except the NIC, so it works great as a file server and remote access server.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

MeanDean said:


> In the past I used to build ... now I find it cheaper to buy.


For a complete new system that's true. If you buy from the right places they use an assembled system as a marketing ploy to sell a lot of hardware at one time. Other vendors charge a premium for a complete system, but bundle it with a customer service package. I can normally find a complete system for less than the individual parts, then add what I need extra from there.

Upgrade is a different story. People normally know what's holding them back. If it's not enough memory, add more memory. If it's the processor generation, replace the mainboard & processor. Debottlenecking is a lot cheaper than replacing the entire system.


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## MeanDean (Apr 16, 2002)

Nevada said:


> For a complete new system that's true. If you buy from the right places they use an assembled system as a marketing ploy to sell a lot of hardware at one time. Other vendors charge a premium for a complete system, but bundle it with a customer service package. I can normally find a complete system for less than the individual parts, then add what I need extra from there.
> 
> Upgrade is a different story. People normally know what's holding them back. If it's not enough memory, add more memory. If it's the processor generation, replace the mainboard & processor. Debottlenecking is a lot cheaper than replacing the entire system.


I don't disagree - to your point, a little extra RAM here and there, a faster hard drive from time to time, can make a sluggish machine seem almost new.

That said, I think I'm done with the motherboard madness. That said, I've gone so much Software as a Service that local CPU is less an issue than it used to be.

For example, rather than have to spend $ on a motherboard and Vista to get to the new version of Office (or Office to get to Vista) ...

... just as easy and far more price friendly go with an online office suite like Zoho or Google Apps ... provided one has at least DSL.


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## Gary in ohio (May 11, 2002)

With core duo2 2gb ram1 160gb laptop are going for under $600 building isnt worth it anymore.

Right now your BIGGEST cost in building your own system is the OS. Unless your going to go Linux you have $100-$200 is the OS, at least a legal one.


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## Tom Bombadil (Mar 25, 2008)

Gary in ohio said:


> With core duo2 2gb ram1 160gb laptop are going for under $600 building isnt worth it anymore.
> 
> Right now your BIGGEST cost in building your own system is the OS. Unless your going to go Linux you have $100-$200 is the OS, at least a legal one.


Yeah, I luck out there. We have a deal with Microsoft at work where the employees can get OS software licenses at the corporate rate plus tax so it is just over $40 for Vista Home Premium SP1, but it doesn't cover Ultimate edition.


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## plowjockey (Aug 18, 2008)

Don't upgrade a pentium III PC. You will find nearly everything incompatible with the new hardware.

After having great luck with self-built PC for 12 years, I purchased an HP Pavillion and am not overly impressed. I'll build the next one.

Marty


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

If you can wait till Thanksgiving, you can get some computer packages for the price of a monitor. My four year old box is getting hinky, my memory needs replacing, I've replaced several dvd drives... will be camping out to save a couple hundred bucks...

We picked up a nice little notebook back in August for 400$...


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

plowjockey said:


> Don't upgrade a pentium III PC. You will find nearly everything incompatible with the new hardware.


Well, if you go from a P-III to a P-4 or Duo-core then you'll need a new mainboard & memory, but everything else in the case should work (hard drive, CD/DVD drives, modems, etc.).

There is an issue with older P-III generation power supplies, where sometimes they don't have the 4-prong plug that P-4 and higher processors require, but you can get around that by going with an AMD processor. A new case & power supply isn't all the expensive if you insist in Intel.


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