Computer building

[dfxjedi]

I've been told multiple times that i'd be better off(that it'd be cheaper) building a computer myself than to pay for someone else to build one for me.

The problem is that i have no clue how to go about that.
What course(s) would i have to take to learn how to build my own computers(gaming or otherwise)?

[Ricky-Ray]

Have you tried searching YouTube? I've never had any formal training on building desktops. Everything I learned was either trial and error, from friends or from researching.

[MikeH1]

Not any more, computers have become so cheap, I still build my own so I can choose what parts I use.

[Mr.Pickles]

it is super easy. Youtube how to build a computer. Simple checklist

Case
power supply
get motherboard mount stands on(for proper form factor)
motherboard
CPU
thermal paste if you need it
heatsink
ram
Hard drive
optical drive
video card(if needed/depending on what you doing)
hook it all up and go put a operating system on.

It takes me about a hour at most to put one together and keep cables in order and tucked away.

[dfxjedi]

Don't know why i've never thought of looking on you tube,i'm on there all the time and have never thought of doing that.
I'll check it out.

Thanks guys

[NapaPlinker]

I've been told multiple times that i'd be better off(that it'd be cheaper) building a computer myself than to pay for someone else to build one for me.

The problem is that i have no clue how to go about that.
What course(s) would i have to take to learn how to build my own computers(gaming or otherwise)?

I learned in high school how too
I probably could if my brain was refresehd its not as hard as youd imagine

[paul0660]

What is your time worth? Since you know nothing, breakeven is at about $10/hour. If you have a problem, which you will, bump it down to $2/hour.

Don't forget to factor in the OS, which is dirt cheap with stuff you buy with full systems from Newegg, etc.

[BillCA]

Today's prices from Dell and others make it hard to build it yourself and save money. If something goes wrong, it's your creation you have to troubleshoot and fix. If you buy one, they fix it, often right in your home or office.

Unless you want to push the envelope with a super speed gaming machine, I think most of the manufacturers can deliver and warranty a machine as a better value than DIY.

Remember, you're not an expert so loading and configuring the software for each device will be something you have to do and if there are problems you have to sort out which device or software driver is the problem.

[bigmike82]

Building a computer is fun. It's a neat little project, but will consume quite a bit amount of time, especially if you're inexperienced.

Building it yourself is a great option for people who know exactly what they want and know what to buy, at what price, and where.

If you think that learning to build one would be fun, absolutely go for it. If you want a great gaming rig for cheaper than you can buy, build it yourself. That's really where building something yourself gives you the most value.

[brianinca]

>>>
Today's prices from Dell and others make it hard to build it yourself and save money.
>>>

Totally. It's not even ballpark equivalent in price to build your own, regardless of "labor inputs."

I've got several clients that build their own business machines because they have specific requirements and the staff know-how to do the deed. THIS IS THE EXCEPTION. I also have a client that used to build their own, and ~2 years ago it became clear that no savings could be realized, plus the new boss didn't demand to hide new builds as "upgrades."

I just picked up a new client this month, they're sending their custom images to Dell and for $8 a unit they get their stuff duped on to their new boxes. WHAT A DEAL!

What you CAN save big bucks on, if you do it right, is upgrades to whatever Dell sells you. Want a dedicated video card for significantly better performance? Get a Vostro 230 with onboard Intel video decelerator chip and throw in a $70 Radeon 4650 (or whatever). Dell wants $150 to go from 2GB to 4GB on that laptop? Get a 4GB Kingston module for $60 and get 6GB total (Dell sometimes uses Kingston memory on their DDR3 notebooks).

You can teach yourself a lot with upgrading what you can, while saving a bunch of cash in the process. If you're just starting out, that's the way to go. The research you do to accomplish this will inform your future buying decisions and teach you a lot about the guts and the economics thereof.

Regards,
Brian in CA

[MA2]

Yea, building will not save you money.

I gotta throw in, build if you would like to overclock...hitting ~4GHz is pretty easy these days.
But, ~3GHz to 4GHz...no much difference in normal daily stuff.

[altxf4]

Yeah it may be cheaper to go with Dell or the likes, but you NEVER end up with a optimally paired system, and the bloatware they have pre-installed is retarded!
I have also found in my experience that if you want a computer that will last some years, then the hardware in boxed computers is a little less than optimal for the long run.

But then again I am the type that holds on to computers I built years ago, so that they can now perform other task than being a desktop computer.

[bigmike82]

Yeah, but unless you do hours of research, you won't end up with an optimally paired system either.

[jarhead995]

Dell will lock you down with their bios. Not worth it.

[Merc1138]

If you want to build a gaming system, enthusaist rig for overclocking, or something for video editing, you can definitely save some cash.(the last gaming system I put together all in one shot ran me about $1200, priced out at a little over $4000 from all of the companies like alienware and voodoo pc). Also, I still have a warranty on all of my components. It just means that I don't have a tech support line to call and say it's broken and they cross ship an entire replacement, I'd have to swap the board/ram/etc. myself(considering I built the thing, it's not an issue for me to do that).

If you're looking to get a workstation for browsing the internet, email, office docs, and stuff like that, don't bother building your own. You'll never manage to beat the rock bottom deals on components companies like Dell and HP get and put in a $300-$400 system. Also, don't take the extra upgrades these companies try to sell you, that's where they make the money back from the razor thin margins they sell the base model at. You can end up paying double sometimes for an extra stick of ram that you could have installed yourself in a couple of minutes.

As far as bloatware from pre-manufactured systems is concerned, this is why you just take the windows license key you get, and format it on day 1 and re-install windows without the bloatware. I'm not sure what harhead995 meant by being locked down with the BIOS in a Dell. You can still install whatever components(as long as they're compatible) and whatever software you want. Those systems aren't made for overclockers/gamers/etc, so of course most advanced tweaking options won't be there.

Some of the better deals on basic pre-built systems can usually be found on the "small business" versions of some of these manufacturers websites(and sometimes you get a better warranty, like on-site service, even on a $300 box). Because of the bargains you can find on a basic system, I don't build systems for friends/family anymore. Also because even though they have the contact info to deal with the warranty for the manufacturer of every component they still come to me instead. The last time my Mom asked me to fix her desktop that she managed to screw up with cat hair. I got fed up, bought her a $300 Dell and told her to never call me about it since they have a 1-800 number. She hasn't bothered me about it since, well worth the cash out of pocket to avoid future headaches.

So yeah, unless you want some advanced or very task specific system, just get one that's pre-built.