Those who are looking to buy a new desktop computer might consider the option of building their own. My DELL XPS is now heading towards four years old, and it still performs fantastically well today. With that said, the latest games don’t perform too well anymore, since the graphics card is somewhat dated. Also, I use my computer for work, so reliability is of importance. Thus, this article uncovers the pros and cons of building your own computer vs. buying from a brand. Let’s begin.
You’d think that building your own computer might work out much cheaper, and perhaps in the past, this was true. However, after researching, I can certainly say this isn’t true today. Computer manufacturers are able to buy parts in bulk, unlike you or me, and that’s how they are able to bring great value to a consumer.
A great website called PcPartPicker enables users to build their dream rig by selecting compatible parts. I tried this thinking that it would work out far cheaper than if I was to head over to DELL, HP, or other major computer manufactures. To my amazement, the price was possibly higher than the deal I managed to get from DELL’s Alienware brand. What’s more, when building a computer, you don’t get a next-day fix-it solution if your rig is suffering from problems.
The Alienware system I’ve gone with has a fantastic spec, and with a discount code, I was able to reduce the price further. I added a two year next-business-day warranty, since I am a business owner and don’t wish for the hassle of a faulty system creating an un-needed drama. In fact, DELL and Alienware are the only companies I am aware of that actually offer such a service, and it’s a real selling point for me. It would have been nice to have had 3-4 years of warranty, just like I have on my XPS, but that worked out too expensive, and I can’t say that I won’t be upgrading again within two years – it’s a possibility.
I am sure that building your own computer will come with excitement and challenges. However, don’t expect it to be the cheapest option. Alienware allows you to do subtle selections, changing RAM, HDD, Processor, PSU and other such specs, enabling you to create the rig you desire. Hunt for coupons and discounts, since these corporations regularly have deals, from hidden from plain sight.
For those interested, I’ve placed the spec and price below.
Intel® Core™ i7K 8700K (6-Core/12-Thread, 12MB Cache, Overclocked up to 4.6GHz across all cores)
Windows 10 Home 64bit, English, Dutch, French, German, Italian
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1080 with 8GB GDDR5X
32GB,DDR4,2666MHz up to 64GB (Additional memory sold separately)
512GB PCIe SSD (Boot) + 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s (Storage)
8x DVD+/-RW 9.5mm ODD
Qualcomm DW1820 2×2 802.11ac
Wi-Fi Wireless LAN and Bluetooth 4.1
Regulatory Label 850WUK/Irish
(QWERTY) Alienware Multimedia Keyboard
Alienware Standard Optical Mouse
2Yr Premium Support with Onsite Service
Shadowcat CFL CTO Base
850W EPA Liquid Coled Chassis, w/ODD
UK Power Cord
Windows 10
Price: £2100.
My new system arrives soon, so I hope it will perform as expected.
