Opnion about buying vs building desktop system

Hello,

I am thinking about buying a new desktop system. I would like to get the
best bang for the
buck. In the old days - it was cheaper to build the system, However - now it
appears
many of the major manufacturers have systems that are very price
competitive. Is there any
advantage in going through the trouble of building a system as opposed to
buying from one
the major manufacturers?

Thanks
Joseph

Do you feel competent enough to build your own? If so, I would definitely do
that route. While many of the machines seem so price attractive these days,
the majority of them have integrated video and audio, sub-par parts, and
poor service, rendering them useless for true enthusiasts. It is in fact so
common that when one comes with an actual video card ( usually a geforce
4mx) they brag about it like that crappy video card is such a huge
performance enhancer. What you can build will still be cheaper than buying
acomparably equipped system AND you'll have a more intimate knowledge of her
inner workings.

I am thinking about buying a new desktop system. I would like to get the
best bang for the
buck. In the old days - it was cheaper to build the system, However - now
it
appears
many of the major manufacturers have systems that are very price
competitive. Is there any
advantage in going through the trouble of building a system as opposed to
buying from one
the major manufacturers?

The pricing is very competitive now. It depends on what you want and if you
want to do any upgrading later on. Some of the low price systems such as
Dell and Gateway have their own cases and internal components. If the power
supply goes out then you have to go back to them and hope it does not cost
an arm and leg to replace it. If you decide on adding things such as a DVD
later on you may not have a slot to put it or a big enough power supply to
handle it.
Most of the time the bought systems are throw away systems. You use them
for a couple of years and toss it out for a beter system. Same if anything
goes out. If the modem quits , it is most likely on the mother board. No
slot to put another one in if it fails.

Unless you are willing to do some very heavy price shopping and maybe even
the rebate route it is hard to put together a low end system lower than the
comercial systems.

Putting together your own system you can get the exect parts you want and if
one fails you can replace it with most anybrand you want. You do have to
make sure that all the components will match and work together. Also if
anything goes up in smoke when you put together your own system you may have
a hard time getting it replaced for free.

The software and operating systems may be another cost to factor in.

All that being said, I do build my computers so I can get what I want in the
box.

I would definitely build it if you feel capable. The majority of 'brand'
systems have a habit of cornering you with a dodgey motherboard (lots of
onboard, not many expansion slots etc.), a poor power supply or some chunky
proprietory case which makes installing new drives nigh impossible.