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  1. #1
    Elemental Lord TJ's Avatar
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    Prebuilt vs Building yourself

    Hey guys, possibly looking at getting a new PC by the end of the year. Currently wondering how the gap is between building one yourself and buying a pre built one. I know when I got this PC (many moons ago) that there was a HUGE difference between them and it was not worth buying a pre built. In the past few years I know the gap has closed a little bit, but wondering how much it has closed and what it's like at the present day.

    In terms of price and bang for your buck, if you know what I mean

    Cheers.

  2. #2
    From a reliable/quality service.... probably still 250$ US more expensive than building yourself, best case (and thats like.. NZXT's BLD service or something similar).

    I only count BLD that high because they charge you full price for Windows (129$), and (id say a very reasonable) 50$ flat build fee and 50$ flat shipping fee.

    The actual parts they offer for MSRP. Which means it might offset the "more expensive" costs in some ways because they are charging MSRP for things like PSUs which are currently overpriced.

  3. #3
    Please wait Temp name's Avatar
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    Depends on where you buy from. If you're buying a random desktop from Walmart or similar? Those are super bad and overpriced.
    NZXT BLD is pretty good, made with decent parts, and not much more expensive than buying it yourself.
    Or you could go full boutique, like Maingear or Origin. In which case you're paying a huge premium, but you will have basically the same choices as if you build it yourself, and don't have to worry about doing it if you're not used to it.

    But from a pure bang for the buck? Build it yourself. Unless you can find a pre-built heavily discounted, like 30% or more then it might be worth it.
    Hell, Walmart's Overpowered lineup was actually worth it after a few months just to buy to harvest parts and scrap everything else. Though that was because they were awful value when they went on sale so no one bought them, so Walmart cut prices by half or more.

  4. #4
    Learning to build yourself is quite easy considering the sea of available video guides out there.
    Or just get some beers with/ask/pay friend to do it for you.

  5. #5
    Elemental Lord TJ's Avatar
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    Thanks a lot guys

    Think I will get the parts myself, will look into it more in a few months or so. Is there any new gen CPU/GPUs coming out soon which would lower prices? Or is there pretty much no change with the pricing with new releases and such anyway?

    Cheers.

  6. #6
    Bloodsail Admiral bowchikabow's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TJ View Post
    Thanks a lot guys

    Think I will get the parts myself, will look into it more in a few months or so. Is there any new gen CPU/GPUs coming out soon which would lower prices? Or is there pretty much no change with the pricing with new releases and such anyway?

    Cheers.
    The Big 3 are all releasing new components within the next roughly 8 to 12mo. Some sooner than others. Nvidia is set to launch their new RTX 30 series GPU's this fall, Intel is supposedly within 12mo of a new CPU and possibly GPU release (the GPU release is pure speculation, but they are working on one). AMD is also launching a new GPU (nomenclature is not currently known) in the Fall as well. AMD CPU division is launching a refresh of their Zen 2 line up in limited SKU's (such as the leaked 4950x) and expect have Zen 3 coming out next year.

    Your best bet is to go ahead and get what is available now for CPU's. To be honest, unless you are ready to upgrade multiple core components next year (it is highly anticipated that Zen 3 and Tiger lake (Intel's next release) will be launching with the release of DDR5 RAM, which will require new motherboards. And there is also set to be new power requirements for them which would mean possibly upgrading your PSU. And to your question... the prices won't drop measurably UNTIL that release... so waiting a year seems a bit foolish imo.

    It is probably worth your while to wait until end of fall season to replace GPU. Whether you decide to get the new gen cards (both of boast serious power.. and cost), or want to pick up a current gen on the cheap (some cards will be reduced by upwards of 20 to 30% or more).. GPU's are the one thing we know for certain are launching soon.
    "When you build it, you love it!"

  7. #7
    Elemental Lord TJ's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bowchikabow View Post
    The Big 3 are all releasing new components within the next roughly 8 to 12mo. Some sooner than others. Nvidia is set to launch their new RTX 30 series GPU's this fall, Intel is supposedly within 12mo of a new CPU and possibly GPU release (the GPU release is pure speculation, but they are working on one). AMD is also launching a new GPU (nomenclature is not currently known) in the Fall as well. AMD CPU division is launching a refresh of their Zen 2 line up in limited SKU's (such as the leaked 4950x) and expect have Zen 3 coming out next year.

    Your best bet is to go ahead and get what is available now for CPU's. To be honest, unless you are ready to upgrade multiple core components next year (it is highly anticipated that Zen 3 and Tiger lake (Intel's next release) will be launching with the release of DDR5 RAM, which will require new motherboards. And there is also set to be new power requirements for them which would mean possibly upgrading your PSU. And to your question... the prices won't drop measurably UNTIL that release... so waiting a year seems a bit foolish imo.

    It is probably worth your while to wait until end of fall season to replace GPU. Whether you decide to get the new gen cards (both of boast serious power.. and cost), or want to pick up a current gen on the cheap (some cards will be reduced by upwards of 20 to 30% or more).. GPU's are the one thing we know for certain are launching soon.
    Thanks Think I will give it a month or so and then I will start digging more into it.

    Thanks for all the responses!

  8. #8
    All you'll get on here is people telling you to build it yourself without giving you any idea on what you need to do, where you need to go and how you need to do it.
    Night Elves NEED long hair to the ground and more elegant/regal beautiful options to show their Highbourne heritage

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Sharnie786 View Post
    All you'll get on here is people telling you to build it yourself without giving you any idea on what you need to do, where you need to go and how you need to do it.
    Building and by that I mean connecting standard components and following a basic mainboard manual step-by-step is not rocket science.
    People get problems with stupid part lists, budget range with basicly no thought about compatibility.
    With a normal build, with components specs making sense for the system and its target ussage, you are looking at 15-30 min to connect everything as a first builder and maybe another 15-30 mins for a bit cable management to make it look pretty (not needed).

    If you start cluess and trust a silly partpicker list from a random stranger on the internet, well thats on you. If you have to make hard budget cuts and can't fit in high compatibility parts in your build, it can work out or not. I would only ever touch budget builds that are 1:1 used allready by many users and you allready know minor-issues/workarounds for such systems, because if you dont know any issues, you just not looked hard enough.
    -

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Ange View Post
    With a normal build, with components specs making sense for the system and its target ussage, you are looking at 15-30 min to connect everything as a first builder and maybe another 15-30 mins for a bit cable management to make it look pretty (not needed).
    I think you vastly underestimate how long it takes for first timers to build a PC. Try 30min as a veteran and even then it's really fast

    As forthe actual question, I've only built 3 so far. My first time I had the MB manual next to me and a youtube video of some guy from ASUS (afaik) and it took me some hours - I would never go pre-built again simply because the parts they offer usually don't work well together. If you decide to go for some premium brand then that's different, but it also costs a lot more.
    Some websites that sell PC parts nowadays also offer to build it for you for a small cost, which in my opinion is kinda worth it if you don't want to deal with the hassle yourself. Basically you tell them what you want and then they build it and ship it to you.
    Last edited by Zaak; 2020-08-14 at 01:28 PM.

  11. #11
    Building your own is ALWAYS considerably cheaper, and it's very easy now for Beginners with it practically being slot in and play.

  12. #12
    Did the PC part's price go back to normal since COVID-19?

  13. #13
    If you aren’t comfortable putting it together yourself, still buy all the parts then take it to a local computer shop. They put mine together for $25.

    I would have done it myself but I ran into compatibility issues with the motherboard and processor on my test boot. The bios had to be updated and the motherboard required a processor to do that. After finding out it’s only $25 I don’t think I’ll bother trying myself again.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Zaak View Post
    I think you vastly underestimate how long it takes for first timers to build a PC. Try 30min as a veteran and even then it's really fast
    You dont have to build it yourself. You can pay a retailer to build it from your parts. You still get a warranty for the build, albeit a lot less than you would get from an SI but it would still cover the obvious issues with the build itself, you still save a lot of money and you have control over what they're putting into your PC.
    R5 5600X | Thermalright Silver Arrow IB-E Extreme | MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk | 16GB Crucial Ballistix DDR4-3600/CL16 | MSI GTX 1070 Gaming X | Corsair RM650x | Cooler Master HAF X | Logitech G400s | DREVO Excalibur 84 | Kingston HyperX Cloud II | BenQ XL2411T + LG 24MK430H-B

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by xenogear3 View Post
    Did the PC part's price go back to normal since COVID-19?
    No, shortages everywhere on all sorts of parts. ANd spiked prices because of that. PSUs are insane right now.

  16. #16
    I bought all the parts + paid the store like 80 bucks for them to build it(including updating BIOS and boot&memory testing) and ship it. Way worth it IMHO

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Vegas82 View Post
    If you need a link to a tutorial they’re plentiful. If you’re looking for a shopping list, they’re provided constantly. So there’s your 2 complaints, one of which you repeated, addressed.
    what how and where are 3 different questions but OK.
    Night Elves NEED long hair to the ground and more elegant/regal beautiful options to show their Highbourne heritage

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Sharnie786 View Post
    what how and where are 3 different questions but OK.
    This subforum is designed to answer what and where, and imo it's doing a pretty good job, outside of second hand parts usage, which you do need local expertise for.

    What you need to do it provide as much information about functionality that you require, your budget and where you're comfortable to order from (example form is in the sticky). Then you need to go and buy the parts, where you're gonna go depends on your preference, price and logistics. All the prices over different retailers are on the list. "How to build" is answered by a bunch of YT videos.
    R5 5600X | Thermalright Silver Arrow IB-E Extreme | MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk | 16GB Crucial Ballistix DDR4-3600/CL16 | MSI GTX 1070 Gaming X | Corsair RM650x | Cooler Master HAF X | Logitech G400s | DREVO Excalibur 84 | Kingston HyperX Cloud II | BenQ XL2411T + LG 24MK430H-B

  19. #19
    Elemental Lord TJ's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kagthul View Post
    No, shortages everywhere on all sorts of parts. ANd spiked prices because of that. PSUs are insane right now.
    Wow, was about to make another thread asking for parts advice then seen this comment. Is it really that bad? How much of an upmark is there on items?

  20. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by TJ View Post
    Wow, was about to make another thread asking for parts advice then seen this comment. Is it really that bad? How much of an upmark is there on items?
    Depends on the parts.

    Power Supplies are getting scarce. 45-55$ PSUs are now 80+

    Cases have gone up quite a bit because of steel and aluminum tarrifs.

    GPU market is about to be hit by some price hikes largely due to increased cost of manufacture (GDDR6X on the high end SKUs is something like 70% more expensive han the baseline GDDR6).

    RAM and SSDs, however, are cheaper than they used to be by a decent amount because of overstock/low demand.

    Motherboards WERE higher than they needed to be due to shortages, but the supply issue there seems to be evening out and prices are returning to normal.

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