PC building

[hunteru]

Is building your own PC the way to go I quite like the idea to go it alone but feel daunted at the prospect is this a good idea to a total novice

[Jaffa]

To be perfectly honest...maybe 2-3 years ago building your own pc was the way to go, but they are so cheap now that it probably isnt even worth the effort now, unless you want a really specific build. I certainly wouldnt build another with prices as they are. But thats only my opinion.

[Raven]

It depends what you want m8, if you want to be able to pick and choose your components, or have the best of everything if you have the money, then custom built is the way to go....on the other hand if you want a brand name desktop like a Dell for example - complete with warranties and all the extra tech help that goes with it, then buying a brand PC is the way to go.

If you are talking about actually building the PC yourself from the ground up, you said you are a novice, so I have to say this....this is only a good idea if you have actually successfully done this sort of thing before or that you know you can get it working. Otherwise it's a bad idea because it sounds easy but in practise if you are uncertain, then it can be difficult and frustrating.

[thommo]

It depends what you want m8, if you want to be able to pick and choose your components, or have the best of everything if you have the money, then custom built is the way to go....on the other hand if you want a brand name desktop like a Dell for example - complete with warranties and all the extra tech help that goes with it, then buying a brand PC is the way to go.

If you are talking about actually building the PC yourself from the ground up, you said you are a novice, so I have to say this....this is only a good idea if you have actually successfully done this sort of thing before or that you know you can get it working. Otherwise it's a bad idea because it sounds easy but in practise if you are uncertain, then it can be difficult and frustrating.

yeah and then you take it to someone else to build

[charlie senator]

I always build my own pc,s but not because i want the highest spec in everything.I just find it more satisfying and its not that difficult .The motherboard manual takes you through it and if you get stuck just ask on here and we'll help you get it going

[doobiest]

first pc i ever owned i built myself a decade ago, built lots since and it does give you great satisfaction especially the first few, i learned how to build a pc before i learned how to use one so i did things totally from scratch. basically learned to use the one i built.

nowadays i only knock pc's up out of spare parts to sell off cheap (and even they are getting hard to shift with the price of lappy's as they are), it's so cheap to buy just a basic tower with board/processor/ram etc thats it not worth buying the parts seperately. just tweak with your own gfx/sound/drives/os etc.


bottom line....if you've never built one the go for, for the knowledge you'll get and job satisfaction if nothing else. you'll be amazed how easy it is when you have all the right tools.....or should i say tool as you need just a phillips screwdriver

[pawnhawk]

It's great to build your own PC, I have been doing it for ages, the first one I build was a 386 processor, god now that old.

Then I built them for mates also made a few pennys on the side.

Mind when things don't go right they can be a pain in the backside, especially jumper setting, mind you they are all jumperless now.

My lastest one I built is a quad core, seems to be working great.

[biffo1]

a few years ago i would have said yes , but now pcs are cheap as chips , saying that i just built a pc for myself , as i wanted to max out on stuff , cost me under 400 quid but saved on labour costs 512 nvida grafix card , 4 gigs of ram amd duel core 64 5200 , soon to b the phemum quad core , sound blaster x-fi , asus hdmi mobo teaked for max perforance

[billy_boy786]

id say go for it mate, for the experiance. it feels well good when it boots up for the 1st time . and it would probably cost you a bit less than to buying 1 with a similar spec..

[Danril]

I've built a couple of machines before and it's a great feeling to acquire all the bits and then build from scratch but it can also be very fiddly and frustrating.

As has been said, you don't really save anything any more in comparison to price differences a few years ago. I don't think I'd do it now from the financial POV but it is satisfying to be able to build your own.

[bali99]

i agree with Jaffa
it is really cheap to buy nowadays as parts are quite pricey even at computer fairs and online.

[superslyguy]

hi guys .. build ur own p.c and wach it evolve i too built my own pc before i could use 1 at the moment im building an amd quadcore gaming rig with clear acrylic case lit up like blackpool this is my 3rd build i knew nothing about electronics all i did was read all the documents for each bit and built it in my head step by step then spent a saturday building it ... u had too pick me up off the floor when it booted up and let me install windows .. the feeling of elation lit up my heart.. thats why it will always be AMD

[riptoff]

Agreed far better to build your own with quality components.
Plus the satisfaction of the build and being able to tailor it to your needs.
Not forgetting most , certainly the cheaper end , of all purchased PC's have little or no upgrade path.At least when you build your own you can provide yourself with an upgrade path prolonging the life of your PC

[bubumt]

not worth the hasstle mate
buy Nvida 9800gtx pc :-)