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[CraigerGamer]

I just went through this experience. With pretty much the same parts if I built it myself using Amazon Prime, using a i5-6600K and a R9 390, the cost came to just over $1100. I also priced out the same exact build through ibuypower and it came to $1350.

There are extreme savings out there if you order you own parts. Like others have suggested, there are local shops out there once everything is receive that can build the machine if you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself.

 

[Auto-Reply]

I got the part-list from the PC Gaf thread and went to a local PC shop, they ordered everything and put it together for a small fee.

I will handle my next pc build the same way, I have a very short fuse when it comes to problemsolving on a hardware level and I don't want to spend any time with it. It has to work and that's it!

 

[inner-G]

https://youtu.be/PEOCElJ8-44?t=19m30s

^ Dude in this video recommends Falcon Northwest for building your PC for you. They can even tailor it around your favorite game.

 

[AlimNassor]

I'm gunna just have a PC-repair shop near me build it. I'll order the parts, and take it to them. Don't wanna risk it with pre-built. I'm taking way more of a risk doing that.

If you're already debating building a PC...you should build a PC.

If you're uncomfortable or unsure about something, research it, find answers and get prepared. Once you're prepared it's easy as pie. Watch YouTube channels for tutorials. ASUS NA and Linus Tech Tips have some great building videos. Ask PC-GAF any specifics.

And I'm calling shenanigans @ you don't have anywhere to build it. All you need is a desk in a well-lit area. You can buy a cheap card table at Walmart if you really don't have any desks or counters in your house. I used my kitchen counter to build mine.

I live in an apartment. I don't have a desk that isn't crowded with papers. It's my first thing I gotta get: a table.

 

[alexbull_uk]

The site I always use for buying components (scan.co.uk) has something they call 'ScanSure' which is basically an "I fucked up" insurance, so if you break anything while building your PC they'll send a new replacement out no questions asked.

I would imagine that they aren't the only company in the world that do this. Have a look and see what's available in your area. If you can get something like ScanSure then you get all of the benefits of building your own PC, but none of the worry.

 

[QuantumSquid]

I bought an Alienware years ago. Way overpriced but there customer service is AWESOME!!! If the machine breaks down and it is not a simple fix they have you send the machine back and send you a new machine with today's equivalent of the specs you bought at the time of purchase.

Eg. I bought the machine with a GT 580 and they sent me back a GT 760.

Alienware's customer service damn well better be awesome considering how ridiculously expensive their prebuilt computers are.

http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-x51-r3/pd

I mean, come fucking on. A $1400 desktop with 8 GB of RAM and a GTX 960 with 2GB of VRAM in it.

For the same or less than that price, you could build your own PC with a GTX 980Ti with 6 GB of VRAM in it and 16 GB of RAM on top of that.

 

[outunderthestars]

I'm gunna just have a PC-repair shop near me build it. I'll order the parts, and take it to them. Don't wanna risk it with pre-built. I'm taking way more of a risk doing that.
.

This is a good option, do they normally offer this service?

 

[DMTripper]

I got a local shop to build me a gaming pc for living under my TV. I went with them as the cost was £50 for building and a 2 yr guarantee. I struggle building kinder eggs so I supported a local business and got a sweet pc as well.

If anything goes wrong I drive up the road and get it sorted

 

[Piggus]

I used to own a few pre-built PCs, then I built one myself.

While there is nothing wrong with buying a pre-built PC, building a PC for yourself is way more satisfactory.

Not only that, building it yourself allows you to troubleshoot issues and easily make upgrades later on without having to pay others. PC gaming is more enjoyable the more knowledgable you are about your own hardware. You have to be willing to learn (and failing is part of learning) in order to get the most out of it.

 

[Spoony Bob]

Since I'd never done anything more than replace RAM or a graphics card, on my first real system, I had a friend pick out the parts, bought everything and had a local PC shop assemble them.

A few years ago I took the leap and did everything myself. Aside from taking 3 hours since I was nervous as hell, and my cable management looking like shit, it was incredibly easy. I'm still skeptical I would've been able to troubleshoot issues if I'd come across them, but just putting everything together was nothing to worry about at all.

 

[Anno]

This is a good option, do they normally offer this service?

I think most do. And for pretty cheap. Usually with a warranty of some sort.

 

[apieceofstrange]

I just built my first PC a few months ago. Went back and forth on buying a pre-built system for a while, but the markup for the specs I wanted was almost $1,000, which didn't seem worth it. Watched a couple youtube videos and everything went smoothly despite me having no experience. Picking/ordering the parts was honestly a bigger task than building the thing. There's not really much that can go wrong and I'm not sure if I would trust a random retail employee to put the same care into the build that I would.

 

[thenexus6]

I have been thinking about this for a while now. My knowledge of opening PCs or upgrading them is putting a SSD and ram in a MacBook. So basically nothing.

I know there are alot of sites and sources to help, but I honestly wouldn't know where to start. What case is compatible with this component and so on there is too much choice.

I thought about getting an Alienware Alpha because I want something small, slick, quiet and performance seems great for my usage. And having some kind of support or warranty with a company would be good, opposed to me having a bunch of random parts.

However building one sure does look like fun..

 

[GifGafIsTheBestGaf]

A gaming one that isn't complete garbage.

check out http://www.xoticpc.com/

dudes are fucking ballers, they really try to facilitate acquiring a pc from them. you can customize it directly from their page OR contract a seller through Amazon and ask what would you like to change if you prefer getting it from Amazon

as someone that had to import, i dont mind even shilling for them lol (got myself a MSI GS60 from them)

i fucking appreciate it

 

[Goldrush]

Should do it at least once just to be familiar with how everything fits together. Once you could repair and upgrade a computer, you would only buy your next computer because you want to, not because you need to.

 

[RealityCheque]

OP I'd never built one before either. But trust me it's very straightforward, kinda like fancy Lego.

Plus there's the PC thread on GAF which was very helpful whenever I had a question along the way.

It's worth the effort if you want to save a ton of cash and get a more capable machine by the time you're finished. And it's fun and very rewarding.

 

[Auto_aim1]

Build your own PC! It's so much more fun. Once you have bought all the required parts, slowly assemble them one by one. Take your time with it, read all the manuals, do research on the internet if possible. It doesn't matter if it takes days to completely build one on your first try. The next time you attempt it you will do it in hours. Do not go for a pre-built PC; building your own has tons of advantages wrt price and the options available to you.

 

[CraigerGamer]

check out http://www.xoticpc.com/

dudes are fucking ballers, they really try to facilitate acquiring a pc from them. you can customize it directly from their page OR contract a seller through Amazon and ask what would you like to change if you prefer getting it from Amazon

as someone that had to import, i dont mind even shilling for them lol (got myself a MSI GS60 from them)

i fucking appreciate it

Their service is pretty expensive. No doubt they are great at what they do and provide amazing service, but just going on cost, you could get a much better machine for a much better cost by buying the parts yourself and having a local shop do the building.

 

[ChronotriggerJM]

Relevant video from Linus

Yup yup

Edit: It's just more important that you know what your priorities are when looking for a gaming PC OP. As long as you know enough not to get upsold on meaningless crap, you'll be in good shape. You can find some great PC's in stores.

 

[lt519]

I bought an Alienware x51 like 4 years ago. Form factor of a console and was a bit more powerful than the PS3 and X360. Worked out great, external power supply was easily upgrade-able along with putting in an SSD and more RAM. I've recently run into the problem that the custom motherboard does not support some of the better processors. So my next upgrade would require a new motherboard (and one that fits the form factor at that) since my processor would be a bottleneck anyway if I upgraded my GPU. Only downside, I'll probably just buy an Alpha in a year or so when I actually can't run games anymore

Loved the thing, tuck it in my TV stand like a console for comfy couch gaming. If you can find one on deep discount on a big sale day (I got mine at Best Buy during a memorial day sale as a great deal), you are only paying a premium of $100 vs buying a custom pre-built. For me it was worth it to have the x51 community/Dell support and the small form factor.

 

[styl3s]

I know people who have bought ibuypower PC's and love them.

nothing wrong with buying a pre-built PC but i always suggest to people to call around and ask how much local PC shops charge to put together a computer and order the parts then pay them but sometimes places like cyberpower and ibuypower have deals to where you can get a PC for around the same price it would be to build it yourself. The only pre-built PC i ever bought was a X51 and for the price it was fantastic. I think i paid like $850 and it came with a 660, i7, 16gb ram. I actually stripped it a few months ago and used that i7 4770k and ram for a new PC build.

 

[Shenmue]

If you can build one (and given a bit of research ANYONE can build one) definitely go that way. It'll be way cheaper than buying pre-built.

For example I built a i7-4790k and 980 with 32gb ram for about $700. I'm not aware of any prebuilt that would be that price. Someone can feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[zulux21]

If you can build one (and given a bit of research ANYONE can build one) definitely go that way. It'll be way cheaper than buying pre-built.

it really depends on what you need.

I was going to build my last computer, but then the dell outlit put their refurbished computers on a 40% off sale, letting me get a prebuilt computer that had an I7 in it for around the price of the I7 alone.

I still need to buy a new video card at some point for this computer, but I haven't had much cares about it because I don't need to max out games and all my games still play fine 5 years later.

 

[Llyranor]

My last two PCs were custom-built (with some help from GAF), and I had them assembled from NCIX for 50$

 

[TheAggroCraig]

I built mine about a month ago, and it was actually very cool to learn, but I had someone holding my hand through most of the process, however I feel confident I could build one myself next.

 

[Krakn3Dfx]

You can buy a really good pre-built PC, but just realize you're paying for the time/labor put into building it, so you're not getting as good of a deal as if you just did it yourself.

I also find it's pretty satisfying to know what's in my PC, as opposed to just hoping someone used the type of quality brands/parts I would want to use myself.

 

[Vertti]

I'm really bad at stuff like this but I still built my own computer this year.

And it was really good experience. You learn so much about all the parts and how everything works. And if you need to change something it's very easy to do because you know how.

Regards.
my psu broke and because I had installed it by myself changing it to another one was really simple task.

 

[kuroshiki]

do what I do.

Buy used XPS desktop. (cowboom, etc)
Put 970

Boom.

You have a gaming PC that can run pretty much anything in full HD under $700.

 

[zon]

I'm debating on buying one pre-built, or having one built for me. I know the whole "it's so easy" but, that's coming from PC gamers with experience. I've built a PC before in school and managed to brick the entire thing (and fail the class) it's not that easy. Besides I don't have anywhere to build it. How expensive is it to get a tech-business to build one for you?

Is it possible to buy a pre-built PC?

Uh.. no. It comes from those of us who never had built a PC but spent 1 or 2 hours reading up on how to do it. If you don't want to try to build one on your own that's ok, but don't make it out to be more complex than it is.

 

[UpDownLeftRight]

The site I always use for buying components (scan.co.uk) has something they call 'ScanSure' which is basically an "I fucked up" insurance, so if you break anything while building your PC they'll send a new replacement out no questions asked.

I would imagine that they aren't the only company in the world that do this. Have a look and see what's available in your area. If you can get something like ScanSure then you get all of the benefits of building your own PC, but none of the worry.

This! Scansure is a lifesaver. I didn't have the cash to swap out my possibly dodgy PSU when my 2600k fried. So I grabbed a new mobo+processor combo off them and asked them if I plug it into my PSU which I suspect is dying and it fries itself am I covered? Apparently so. I tried presenting as many possible mistakes on my end I could make to see if it's covered and it seems practically anything is covered. Even if you drop it in a bucket of water on your way to the PC you're covered. Anyway turns out my PSU was screwed up and fried my new parts but got them replaced and bought a new PSU once I had the cash.

It's a great way to safely try and fix a PC if you don't have any spares around to test and suspect an issue with the hardware may persist, but it's also excellent peace of mind in general for building a new pc or even just adding new parts.

 

[Monger]

Building one is really pretty simple, but if you shop around and find a deal you can get a prebuilt for what it would cost to build it. I picked up a refurbished Alienware desktop from Dell for hundreds less than what I could've built it for with a sale coupon on top of the normal refurbished discounted price. it looked brand new and had the same components I would've selected for my build plus liquid cooling and no work on my part.

 

[Dame]

Doing homework before buying parts was the most rewarding thing.

Although a place like tigerdirect can build one for you, you truly can get the parts cheaper yourself. Don't know what country you're in, but I'll use two sites for price examples:

1.)Techbargains.com is a fantastic site that aggregates sale prices on items. Often, great part sales come from the second site:

2.)Newegg.com. Make an account there. You can put your parts in a wish list, have email notifications etc.

You don't need an extra special place to assemble the parts. Preferably wood flooring is great, but my first PC was installed for me on carpet. So long as you ground yourself, you are fine.

If you live in New York, hell, I'll come to you and do it for free. I've done it before for someone wanting to play diablo 3. Watching sites build it for you for more money feels like highway robbery. It's the greatest hearing that beep on startup when you do it yourself. Newegg even has some tutorials on YouTube.

 

[UnrealEck]

https://youtu.be/PEOCElJ8-44?t=19m30s

^ Dude in this video recommends Falcon Northwest for building your PC for you. They can even tailor it around your favorite game.

Holy shit that beast has a Pentium 4.
(btw that's also Will from Tested (who has since left)

 

[Fishook]

The site I always use for buying components (scan.co.uk) has something they call 'ScanSure' which is basically an "I fucked up" insurance, so if you break anything while building your PC they'll send a new replacement out no questions asked.

I would imagine that they aren't the only company in the world that do this. Have a look and see what's available in your area. If you can get something like ScanSure then you get all of the benefits of building your own PC, but none of the worry.

I have used Scan for years but, I live 10 mins away from there Warehouse, and walk past them every day for work, My last 2 PC's have been custom bulids from them and never had a problem. Would be less likely to buy from company based further away.

Quite capable to build one, but I lack patience these days but I always upgrade graphics ram etc by myself. They give you motherboard manuals and extra cables, when buying pc's from them.

 

[SmoothRunningGun]

Fry's here in socal will build with your parts for $100. I would probably just buy a pre built one if I wanted one. I've built in the past but don't feel like it these days.

 

[diffusionx]

I bought an Alienware x51 like 4 years ago. Form factor of a console and was a bit more powerful than the PS3 and X360. Worked out great, external power supply was easily upgrade-able along with putting in an SSD and more RAM. I've recently run into the problem that the custom motherboard does not support some of the better processors. So my next upgrade would require a new motherboard (and one that fits the form factor at that) since my processor would be a bottleneck anyway if I upgraded my GPU. Only downside, I'll probably just buy an Alpha in a year or so when I actually can't run games anymore

Loved the thing, tuck it in my TV stand like a console for comfy couch gaming. If you can find one on deep discount on a big sale day (I got mine at Best Buy during a memorial day sale as a great deal), you are only paying a premium of $100 vs buying a custom pre-built. For me it was worth it to have the x51 community/Dell support and the small form factor.

I bought a X51 instead of building too, I got it on sale through Dell Outlet so it really was priced basically like building one.

It is great. What a fantastic computer. I upgraded the GPU 2x, added a SSD, RAM, etc. I love the form factor too. It's quiet, etc. It's just been awesome. Thing is, I want to go nutso on my next comp (SLI, etc.) but if not, I would totally buy another one.

Although slim form factor cases certainly exist now, I do think that buying one is a good idea especially since working inside that case can be trickier than just cracking open an apartment sized Corsair 900D and going to town.

 

[brawly]

Building it yourself is half the fun of pc gaming. Done it twice without any help and I'll do it a third time if it comes down to it.

 

[Heavy_D206]

I purchased a pre-built CPU recently.

Not necessarily for gaming, but more for programming needs. I only spent around $600 so I definitely don't feel ripped off or anything.

In the future when I want to upgrade I'll do it all myself, but the thought of assembling everything in the beginning was just too much for me.

 

[rottendevice]

Building it yourself is half the fun of pc gaming. Done it twice without any help and I'll do it a third time if it comes down to it.

I agree. Choosing parts based on price / performance is a big part of it.

I like my PC. It can play anything from last-gen (360, PS3) that has a PC port phenomenally well. I don't need anything else at the moment.

Still, if you want someone to build a PC for you, there's iBuyPower. Or Alienware.

 

[Firestorm]

These threads are always filled with people who think they know what they're doing because they can build a computer themselves but are totally ignorant about what exists on the market.

I think it has been mentioned but http://ncixus.com (USA) and http://ncix.com (Canada) offer the ability to pick the parts you want (Use the GAF PC thread) and build it for you for $50 with outstanding cable management, testing for dead on arrival parts, and warranty it for a year. You can even price match (Use http://pcpartpicker.com to find cheapest prices for each component) every part so you're getting the best price.

For some $50 isn't worth it but for you, me, and anyone else who doesn't want to waste time if there's something that isn't working, it's a steal at likely 5% or less of your total build cost.

 

[theRizzle]

These threads are always filled with people who think they know what they're doing because they can build a computer themselves but are totally ignorant about what exists on the market.

I think it has been mentioned but http://ncixus.com (USA) and http://ncix.com (Canada) offer the ability to pick the parts you want (Use the GAF PC thread) and build it for you for $50 with outstanding cable management, testing for dead on arrival parts, and warranty it for a year. You can even price match (Use http://pcpartpicker.com to find cheapest prices for each component) every part so you're getting the best price.

For some $50 is worth it but for you, me, and anyone else who doesn't want to waste time if there's something that isn't working, it's a steal at likely 5% or less of your total build cost.

Preach it.

I have built dozens of PC's and I continue to assemble them myself because I get some satisfaction out of doing it, but if you've never done it before $50 is peanuts to have NCIX put it together for you, especially when they are testing the parts so you don't get anything DOA.

I have seen their work and it is definitely worth the $50, especially for a first time builder.

 

[Qblivion]

OP don't let anyone bully you into building it yourself if you don't want to. Yes, doing it yourself is cheaper, but that is basically the only universal truth. Plenty of people wont find it fun, intuitive, easy, or rewarding in any way.

If you do build it yourself then you have to worry about people bullying you into buying certain parts. It is a common theme in the pc community that if you aren't building on a budget and getting the most bang for your buck you are doing it wrong and don't deserve to live.

Consider advice, be skeptical, and do what you feel is right.

 

[Karak]

I'm debating on buying one pre-built, or having one built for me. I know the whole "it's so easy" but, that's coming from PC gamers with experience. I've built a PC before in school and managed to brick the entire thing (and fail the class) it's not that easy. Besides I don't have anywhere to build it. How expensive is it to get a tech-business to build one for you?

Is it possible to buy a pre-built PC?

Well I won't tell you to build one yourself or even suggest it as you made it clear why that isn't an option for you at all. Not sure why you are getting those suggestions unless people want to come to your house and clean out a space.

You can indeed buy both prebuilt and part builds.

I have probably purchased 400 PC's that are a mix of prebuilts(this was one part of my prior employment) and in there a mixture of parts built(separate then they put them together), plus some in there I put together myself.

Depending on deals you can swing either way. My Xotic experience was awesome due to timing it was cheaper than had I picked the parts out myself. By about 150$ due to how they source their items. Depending on the company you go with you could have a +/- of maybe 150$
That doesn't mean Xotic is the way to go, or that ibuypower is, or cyberbuypower. Every single company is going to have good experiences and bad ones. Just like when you buy your nice videocard bring it home and it fails after 5 minutes because...life. It happens.
I wish you good luck and hope you enjoy whatever you get.

 

[SillyEskimo]

The biggest savings come when building your own budget or midrange PC. If you are in no hurry, then the savings are even better as you can find the absolute best price/sale on each individual item and build it over time. You can also salvage items from your older computer, from HDs and burners, to mouse/keyboard and the OS.

But it if you are going the route of cutting edge, that shit ain't ever on sale. Once you hit a certain price point, its all a wash anyway IMO. So might as well get a prebuilt.

I only buy cutting edge, and I only do it once every 5-6yrs. My last 2 cycles were prebuilt. I might build my next one again for the fun of it. I certainly won't be saving enough to justify the time I'll spend building it.

 

[Vulcano's assistant]

Nothing wrong with having the parts assembled before they are shipped to you, just more of money, but it is probably better option if you rather save time. Picking the right place to buy is the thing, however, since there are some overpriced sellers.

 

[Hellsing321]

If you have a Microcenter near you, they'll put everything together for you for like $30-50

 

[Hypron]

If you have a Microcenter near you, they'll put everything together for you for like $30-50

Some online stores can also do it for you, which can be even more convenient. You choose all the parts and they put everything together and send you a complete PC. That way you don't even have to set eyes on the computer parts if that scare you. You'll still save a fair bit of money compared to pre-built PCs if money is any issue.

OP don't let anyone bully you into building it yourself if you don't want to. Yes, doing it yourself is cheaper, but that is basically the only universal truth. Plenty of people wont find it fun, intuitive, easy, or rewarding in any way.

If you do build it yourself then you have to worry about people bullying you into buying certain parts. It is a common theme in the pc community that if you aren't building on a budget and getting the most bang for your buck you are doing it wrong and don't deserve to live.

What am I even reading. People in the build your PC thread on NeoGAF are helpful and don't act like that. Generalisations like these are just stupid. Just avoid shitty forums full of assholes.

 

[ghibli99]

^^^ He's not saying here on GAF specifically, but it is a pretty common thing to see in general, sadly.

Quite a number of years ago, I bought an iBuyPower prebuild on sale... the i7-920 it came with OC'd like a beast after I upgraded the cooler years later, although I did swap out the video card twice throughout its lifetime, upgraded RAM, and moved everything into different cases twice as well.

Moving everything to the new case the first time actually gave me the confidence to know that I could easily build my own, so my next full PC build was done on my own. It's very easy. Cable management and the tiny pin connectors for LEDs/switches are probably the most challenging aspects, particularly if you are dealing with smaller form factors. Built my wife's PC late last year as well. It's really fun.

 

[Momentary]

I want copper piping in my next PC. There is NO WAY that I'm going to sit down and learn how to properly do it. I don't want to mess with the materials and tools you need for it. I just find it to be a hassle. I'd rather have someone else deal with it.

If I were just slapping parts in there and using fans or just simple tubing then yes.

 

[Qblivion]

What am I even reading. People in the build your PC thread on NeoGAF are helpful and don't act like that. Generalisations like these are just stupid. Just avoid shitty forums full of assholes.

gaf is generally nice, but stuff like that is more common than you think on the internet.