Deals.Woot

I build, and I normally get most of my parts from newegg. Newegg is excellent for returns. Great customer service and I can understand the people on the phone.

I did buy a moofi puter not too long ago, was too busy to spec out and build a new one for someone. The specs were decent and the puter was ok for what they do.

Build it. You will have a cheaper, better computer than if you purchased a pre-built one.

Unless you're the kind of person who lounges in a forever lazy it's not too difficult and makes upgrading it in the future a snap.

@matt1976: What PC manufactures use proprietary hardware these days?

If you are a tinkerer then build it, otherwise buy it. Building rarely saves you money but it can be more fun. It can also be frustrating when it doesn't work. With a pre-built box you get a warranty for the whole thing together and instant gratification.

It all depends on your purpose.

Most of my machines are bought. They ended up cheaper than building, include a licensed OS already, and a warranty.

Proprietary ... in some cases, the motherboard and power supply are, especially if it's an especially compact system. Otherwise, the memory is standardized, the drives are standardized, the slot interface is standardized, so it's really not as big of a deal these days.

I would so love to build one. I'd just never figure out what parts are compatible with each other and what not. Which brings me to the quick question of anyone who has built one. How do you know?

@duckcake: For CPU's look at the socket type and match the socket type to the motherboard. Then for RAM, make sure the motherboard is compatible with it (for example, DDR3 1600, make sure it lists DDR3). For hard drives, make sure the interface is SATA, same for the CD/DVD/Blu-Ray drive. For case, make sure the case supports mATX or ATX (depending on size, mATX is smaller). For a power supply, just make sure it supports ATX (it should, all newer consumer-level power supplies do).

@duckcake: Really, the only compatability that you need to worry about is motherboard, processor, and ram. For sake of example, I'm going to assume you are looking at a Sandy Bridge Core i5 from intel. According to newegg, that is a socket LGA 1155. So when you are looking at motherboards, look for ones with that socket. Chances are that motherboard will have DDR3 ram slots, so when you buy ram, that is the type you will look for. For ram speeds, 1333 or 1600 would probably be fine. Remember when looking at ram; with timings (latencies, usually listed as 7-7-7-24), lower is better.

Most graphics cards are PCI Express 2.0 x16. Most modern motherboards should have at least 1 of these slots.

I used to build all my PCs. I haven't done that in some time for several reasons:

* My most important system for day-to-day stuff is my laptop; hence not really build-able.
* OS license costs have gone up so much that if you need to run windows on your system you might as well buy a system with windows on it
* Aside from my laptop, my other systems are usually chosen for minimal power consumption (I have a 50W P4 running my web site, for example). It is not cost effective to buy the SFF / low power-consumption stuff to build my own system, but I can by the systems used for very little.
* I just don't need a super-powerful desktop anymore. I don't play games that are less than 5 years old (and even that is rare) so the power just isn't needed.

@duckcake: 9/10 computer devices will specifically state their compatibility. DDR3 works with DDR3 AM3 socket motherboards works with AM3 processors, pci-express cards only work/fit in pci slots. They make it very simple. Generally speaking if the piece fits in correctly there's a good chance it's compatible. The computer industry is pretty good about setting physical standards for computer parts.

With the dropping cost of PC's, I don't think it saves you as much money as it used to to build your own. Sure you can get all the tricked out top end parts you want, but those parts are really expensive these days.

I tend to buy it prebuilt with the goodies I can't replace and then upgrade the stuff I can on my own.

so many odd answers...

In the case of Desktop computers, I always build. To get a high end gaming rig in a desktop format from Dell, HP, etc, costs a crapload more money than getting a proc/mobo combo (100) 8 gig of DDR3 (60) a mid-high end graphics card ($150-$180) Case (20 to 60) Power supply (60 to 90) terabyte harddrive (75-85) DVD burner (35) and/or bluray drive (45-60)

Compare all that to an XPS system from Dell, or a high end HP system, and even the cost of windows ( $99) doesn't come close to what a premade computer runs.

@murixbob: MSDN access is $150 to $250 a year, depending on what coupon codes you can find. If you build a lot of computers every year, then its not a bad deal to get in on that.

Personally, I like to shop around and purchase one that's already built. If you screw something up, or even if you DON'T screw something up and something messes up later, it's going to be 10x easier to deal with the company that sold it to you, than it is to break it apart and figure out what isn't working. My last purchase was an "IBuyPower" from Wal-Mart Ship-to-Store, and I couldn't be happier.

I like building mine simply because I like having a customized build. I'm pretty picky about my components. I figure it would be nearly impossible to find a company that would assemble the exact computer I'd want that would still be cheaper than building it on my own.

Depends on what the use is. If it's just general websurfing/ word processing, then there's no point in building. However, if it's a gaming PC or you're going to do other intensive things, building is the way to go. You get all the customization you want, and building is just fun.

In my experience, hardware warranty is actually better when it's separate. I've had issues with specific parts I've installed myself, and gotten good service. I got no help from Dell when I had a chronically failing motherboard.

Sure, you might have to deal with more than one company, but at least you'll get someone who knows what they're talking about.

I build because I want either a Intel or Asus mother board.
I have lost too many low end boards.

For most people, buying an already built computer will be satisfying enough. Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Samsung are the top PC brands currently.

I always build my own computers, but I have 12+ years experience doing so, earned a degree in the IT field as well as many certifications, and read many computer related books.

For the beginner, make sure you do your homework. Building a computer is not rocket science, but it can be quite involved.