Re: New PC: Build it or Buy it?

Tech-Archive recommends: Fix windows errors by optimizing your registry

From: Ken Blake (kblake_at_this.is.an.invalid.domain)
Date: 02/09/05 

Date: Wed, 9 Feb 2005 16:26:16 -0700

"Leythos" <void@nowhere.lan> wrote in message
news:pan.2005.02.09.20.42.57.625384@nowhere.lan...

> On Wed, 09 Feb 2005 18:21:01 +0000, frodo wrote:
>
>> For the same $$, you can always build a better system
>> yourself. A $500
>> Dell could be built for $250, but you'd have to build it and
>> service it
>> yourself (obviously). And "design" it, research it, order it,
>> wait for
>> it, etc. Spend the original $500 and you'd end up w/ a far
>> better machine
>> too.
>
> Now you can't - the Software costs more than $500 if you count
> it. If you
> decided to go the OEM router, OEM XP Home for $99 and OEM MS
> Works (or
> Word Perfect) you spend another $99, so you're still at $200
> just for
> software - that only leaves you $300 to purchase a motherboard,
> CPU, FAN,
> Memory, (we won't count video since they use Onboard Video),
> hard drive,
> floppy drive, CD-ROM drive, Case, Power Supply, Mouse,
> Keyboard, and the
> mouse pad :)

I completely agree, but wanted to add another point: building a
computer is easy and doesn't require special skills;
troubleshooting it if doens't work properly isn't at all easy.

In my view, for the vast majority of people who want to buy a
computer, building it yourself is the *worst* possible choie,
even if it did save you money. You'd never save much money and
the risk is too great of having problems that will cost you much
more to fix than you saved in the first place.

In my view, there's only one good reason for building it
yourself: if you're a hobbyist who enjoys doing things like this. 

-- 
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup

Relevant Pages

  • Re: What Dell desktop to select for future motherboard upgrades
    ... No money, no work. ... Noting the higher costs as a negative, ... There's no disagreement on my part that buying OEM is almost always the ... Who loves his Fremont built Toyota and Hiroshima built Mazda. ...
    (alt.sys.pc-clone.dell)
  • Re: New PC: Build it or Buy it?
    ... > Dell could be built for $250, but you'd have to build it and service it ... Now you can't - the Software costs more than $500 if you count it. ... decided to go the OEM router, OEM XP Home for $99 and OEM MS Works (or ... Memory, (we won't count video since they use Onboard Video), hard drive, ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Re: Good Grief! - This Old Lombard PPC Sprung Back to Life!
    ... MOUSE LOGITECH OPTICAL WHEEL PS2 BLK OEM ... The first time you built a PC, it might take half a working day. ... I've been using Linux software exclusively for 6 years and never noticed it sucks. ... I would rather run Linux on a computer that doesn't have all the proprietary Mac gizmutry. ...
    (comp.sys.mac.system)
  • Re: No sound from Line In
    ... I'm running XP Pro SP2 (OEM), and have built in 7.1 channel HD audio built into the ASUS motherboard. ... I tried to install it by clicking on "Add/remove Windows Components", but there was no "Entertainment Category". ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware)
  • Re: What Dell desktop to select for future motherboard upgrades
    ... chipset to types/number of drives cards accomodated as well as CPU ... When I buy a car, I look at the total package. ... There's no disagreement on my part that buying OEM is almost always the ... Who loves his Fremont built Toyota and Hiroshima built Mazda. ...
    (alt.sys.pc-clone.dell)