The first time you build a desktop it will be at least as expensive as a pre-made if not a little more. The big determining factor is going to end up being in software and peripherals.
If you have a .edu student e-mail or have a good friend with such an e-mail address you can save massive amounts of money.
HP runs great deals for students on monitors and printers.
If I remember correctlly it's digital river and you can get Win 7 professional for about $80 and Office 2010 for another $100 or so with the .edu e-mail.
The computer itself will be a wash this time. But here's my expierence. I built my first PC about 3.5 years ago, it cost a little more than most pre-mades. But the features were exactlly what I wanted. Since then I've tinkered and added/upgraded here and there. These expanded features and upgrades have probably saved me the cost of a whole new machine to be where I'm at now.
I got curious about my PC vs. today's i7 pre-mades that you can get at Best Buy etc... I a simple comparison using the windows rating. My system overall is rated at 5.4 (Processor 7.2, RAM 7.2, Gaming graphics 6.6.) Most of the Best Buy machines were sub 4 off the shelf.
Anyways this is just my 2 cents.
If you have a .edu student e-mail or have a good friend with such an e-mail address you can save massive amounts of money.
HP runs great deals for students on monitors and printers.
If I remember correctlly it's digital river and you can get Win 7 professional for about $80 and Office 2010 for another $100 or so with the .edu e-mail.
The computer itself will be a wash this time. But here's my expierence. I built my first PC about 3.5 years ago, it cost a little more than most pre-mades. But the features were exactlly what I wanted. Since then I've tinkered and added/upgraded here and there. These expanded features and upgrades have probably saved me the cost of a whole new machine to be where I'm at now.
I got curious about my PC vs. today's i7 pre-mades that you can get at Best Buy etc... I a simple comparison using the windows rating. My system overall is rated at 5.4 (Processor 7.2, RAM 7.2, Gaming graphics 6.6.) Most of the Best Buy machines were sub 4 off the shelf.
Anyways this is just my 2 cents.
New PC: to build or not to build
- 02/05/2011 04:16:46 PM
1161 Views
The advantages of building your own computer seem to be smaller these days.
- 02/05/2011 05:19:09 PM
923 Views
I take satisfaction in tinkering with computers...
- 02/05/2011 06:40:12 PM
1268 Views
Also, one of the big savings for building your own computer...
- 02/05/2011 07:27:37 PM
939 Views
yah that's part of the problem. I don't have a desktop right now. Not even a case
- 02/05/2011 07:37:45 PM
928 Views
It's not hard at all anymore. Link for Lorraine, too
- 02/05/2011 09:32:48 PM
1048 Views
I always buy Intel. Papa works there 
- 02/05/2011 09:39:00 PM
1007 Views
- 02/05/2011 09:39:00 PM
1007 Views
Huh, small world. What site?
- 02/05/2011 10:36:55 PM
1137 Views
I have no idea what the name of his site is. Probably not that one
- 03/05/2011 01:50:38 AM
886 Views
- 03/05/2011 01:50:38 AM
886 Views
I don't know about you...
- 02/05/2011 08:21:41 PM
983 Views
*NM*
Just get a pre-made and add a few components (ie: graphics card) to make you feel like you built it. *NM*
- 02/05/2011 08:53:07 PM
480 Views
Build it.
- 03/05/2011 02:54:12 PM
1096 Views
Warranty/Troubleshooting
- 03/05/2011 04:14:47 PM
925 Views
How?
- 03/05/2011 05:04:27 PM
910 Views
Re: How?
- 03/05/2011 06:47:56 PM
887 Views
Wow, I never heard about that.
- 03/05/2011 07:10:07 PM
950 Views
Nah, it was years ago. The one you gave me advice for was the replacement of the replacement, hah
- 03/05/2011 07:41:24 PM
876 Views
Yeah, I meant the power supply of the problem machine.
- 03/05/2011 08:10:04 PM
929 Views
Ah. yeah, it was one of the pieces that got replaced. It was probably at least partially responsible *NM*
- 03/05/2011 08:12:50 PM
515 Views
I like how you seem to think I'd buy a Dell
- 03/05/2011 04:17:58 PM
932 Views
If you like tinkering, then build one. Quality control is all on you, but it's "yours" then.
- 03/05/2011 03:00:21 PM
905 Views
#1 reason to build your own: no pre-loaded bloatware. *NM*
- 03/05/2011 04:52:45 PM
494 Views
Or just format when you get it. *NM*
- 03/05/2011 06:48:47 PM
476 Views
With a pre-built you can't often do that.
- 03/05/2011 07:19:28 PM
932 Views
for the record, sometimes stores will remove the bloatware for you
- 03/05/2011 07:28:58 PM
866 Views
Do prebuilts come without OS discs these days? That's bullshit. *NM*
- 03/05/2011 07:43:39 PM
499 Views
Yah, they don't.
- 03/05/2011 07:47:36 PM
896 Views
Well, it's understandable, just annoying.
- 03/05/2011 08:05:00 PM
893 Views
You really should just stop using Dell as your example
- 03/05/2011 10:51:10 PM
873 Views
- 03/05/2011 10:51:10 PM
873 Views
Oh, hush. 
- 04/05/2011 12:50:15 AM
1056 Views
- 04/05/2011 12:50:15 AM
1056 Views
YOU SHALL NOT MALIGN THE HP!!!
- 04/05/2011 10:16:50 AM
906 Views
Re: YOU SHALL NOT MALIGN THE HP!!!
- 04/05/2011 04:55:49 PM
957 Views
My anecdotal evidence has HP failures being rare but spectacular.
- 04/05/2011 08:19:52 PM
908 Views
I had a Compaq laptop (built after HP had bought Compaq).
- 04/05/2011 09:13:54 PM
881 Views
Huh. I have a Compaq too. It shipped with bad RAM, but once I fixed that it's worked like a charm.
- 05/05/2011 12:43:48 AM
875 Views
I think build your own
- 17/05/2011 07:55:30 PM
1321 Views