Build or buy a pc?
 

Its either i build my own pc or buy a manufactuer pc. I would rather save the money and build my own, but i like the peace of mind you get with good technical support. Also, it seems that Dell has a bad rep on here and every1 says they suck. But my friend has a very good pc and has absolutely 0 problems with it and he loves it. It has 2 gigs of RAM a 9800 xt and I can't remember the other specs. So I could either save like 200 bucks and build my own pc or spend teh extra money on tech support. Also I don't know how to build a pc :(. Im sure its not that hard but i feel as if i would fu*k up and buy something that is uncompatible with something else. Also the first time you start a computer up that you have just built how do you install the drivers for everything because you are probably prompted by like 3 different things to do so, so is it 1 at a time or seperately?

Re: Build or buy a pc?
 

Build.

Build. Build. Build.

BUILD.

At the very least, find a nice little B&M shop locally, buy the parts there and have them assemble it for you. It'll cost a little extra ($50 or so), it's worth it if you're worried about not putting everything together right. They can also give you advice about complimentary components and the like.

As for drivers and other installables, most OSes will recognise what class a piece of hardware is and often have rudimentary drivers for it (soundcards generally play sounds, video cards generally display video, etc), but it's all very basic. If Window$ is your OS of choice, it'll whine about the low resolution the first time you boot up. Once your OS loads though, you simply load the driver's installer and follow the instructions.

Re: Build or buy a pc?
 

what does b & m mean? Buy and make? idk. But where could i find such a place, but that definently seems like a very very very good idea, thanks for the tip. But they can help you with advice and all that and build the pc for you for only an extra 50$ or so, seems like a good deal. lol know of any shops like that in reno, nevada? I dought i could find anything thru yahoo but ill try.

Re: Build or buy a pc?
 

Brick and Mortar. A lot of people often don't consider them as an option, what with outfits like Newegg.
The nice thing about doing business with one is that you basically get a prebuilt machine, but you get to handpick what goes into it and they support it to an extent. Plus, you're not locked in with some of the stupid things companies like Dell do (like rewire the ATX connector on the motherboard so that only Dell power supplies work with Dell mobos).

I live in Oregon, so I can't tell you much about Reno's pickings. Check your local phone book, though. Pay the various shops a visit, see what they have for selection and what they're willing to order in for you, etc. I don't know how much they'll charge you to build it, but a friend of mine has a shop and only charge $25 or so to assemble the system if you buy it all from him.

Re: Build or buy a pc?
 

Does Brick and Mortar have a website to look into?? Hmm, but i've never heard of these places before but I will try to find one. Sounds like a very good idea though, thanks for the tip. AND 25$ is awesome. I would buy from your friend but i want someone local that I can trust.

Re: Build or buy a pc?
 

Build one, you can get it cheaper and with far more power and you know exactly what goes into your system that way.

Edit: I think by brick and mortar he meant it literally, as in a shop that is made out of brick and mortar, in a real building rather than on the web

Re: Build or buy a pc?
 

wow that was confusing, but i wanna build my own pc. But what he was talking about was, you go to a shop that orders and builds your computer for you, and you tell them what you want for a charge of liek 50$ So they give you technical advice and tell what is compatible and what isn't and put it all together which is cool for me.

Re: Build or buy a pc?
 

build, for sure, i built my comp a few days ago, saved alot. building isnt too hard, just dont fry the parts with static (happened to me before:mad: ) if you feel uncomfortable, then get the store to build it for you as c38368 said, it wont cost too much more on top of your parts.

Re: Build or buy a pc?
 

hey maybe you could teach me all of that, like everything i need to buy and where the best prices are. I wanna make a AMD Athlon 64 computer.

Re: Build or buy a pc?
 

Before you buy the parts ask yourself some questions.


1. What do I want to do for this computer
2. What am I willing to spend
3. How long do I plan to keep this computer
4. What options do I want
5. What will I do with this computer