Self or Pre-Built? What is better nowadays.

[aviger]

Hi everyone,
i'm in the market for a new system. the last one i bought was an alienware (yes i know hahhah :P) in 2009.
I used to build my own systems but a move from europe to the US didnt give me much choice hence the alienware.
Now i am considering building my own (but limited time and its been a looong time) is making me wonder what is better.
Knowing that is a relative question let me specify: Money wise i know its more expensive to buy prebuilt but that is not the main issue for me.
What i would like to know can I get a system online (and where) that is at least equal to one i can built myself with the following specs as per the normal quetions:

Budget: I want to stay under 3k
Resolution: Right now i play most my games at 2560x1600 (wow, CoD's, BF's etc)
Games / Settings Desired: As high as possible for the price range
Any other intensive software or special things you do (Frequent video encoding, 3D modeling, etc): I am a photographer so lots of photoshop with large images and i do video editing when required. I use adobe products for both.
Country: US (Vegas)
Parts that can be reused: Recently got a nice deal on Samsung 840 pro 256gb hdd and blu ray / dvd drives can be reused.
Do you need an OS? No, i have windows 8 ready to go.
Do you need peripherals (e.g. monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc)? Nope, will just reuse the current ones.

Thank you in advance for any advice on what to do

[Deleted]

I'd get something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($344.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($147.54 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($659.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: NZXT HALE82 850W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($101.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1644.47
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-11 02:03 EDT-0400)

Motherboard+PSU supports SLI which might be worth considering but I still recommend starting out with one GPU and then you can always add another one later on. If you prefer a liquid cooling solution you can swap the air one for an H100i.

My advice will always be to build it yourself or you can always pay someone to do it for you or get a friend to do it. No bloat, all individual warranties, easier to upgrade, satisfaction of DIY (maybe?) to name a few things.

[Deleted]

Try this build out:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($279.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($155.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($653.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 500R Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1654.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-11 02:21 EDT-0400)

The only possible upgrades are a 780 ACX from EVGA or Titan for the GPU, and getting a second 2TB Caviar Black for blistering RAID setup performance.

[stellvia]

I recommend Fractal Design cases, or the $100+ Antec or Coolermaster ones. I personally have a Fractal Design Arc Mini case (deceiving name, its a regular mid tower) that I love. $99 and it supports 3x 140mm, 3x 120mm, and 1x 180mm fans, 2 removable HDD cages, and excellent quality design without a bunch of gaudy windows and lights.

[Deleted]

I recommend Fractal Design cases, or the $100+ Antec or Coolermaster ones. I personally have a Fractal Design Arc Mini case (deceiving name, its a regular mid tower) that I love. $99 and it supports 3x 140mm, 3x 120mm, and 1x 180mm fans, 2 removable HDD cages, and excellent quality design without a bunch of gaudy windows and lights.

I actually agree, but getting the 500R for only $85 before rebate is a pretty sweet deal, and getting it for less than the Arc Mini is an amazing deal.

[aviger]

Thank you for your inputs, after checking out some online builders the price difference is just insane.
sure you get some nice bonus like liquid cooling (which is hard to do yourself) but mostly its just a 1000 more for the convenience :P

[Ogawdspider]

sure you get some nice bonus like liquid cooling (which is hard to do yourself) but mostly its just a 1000 more for the convenience :P

Custom loop liquid cooling can be a bit more difficult. Especially for a first build in a long time. BUT AIO liquid cooling such as the H100i is very simple.. it also fits fine in the Fractal Design R4.