Senior Member
I agree too. I have built my last 4 PC's and two for friends (one my boss at the timeOriginally posted by klcarroll:
I am in complete agreement with the "Build Your Own"¯ advice!
I haven't bought a "Brand Name"¯ desktop system in ten years: ....If you are looking for a specific set of hardware specifications, and if you don't care about the largely frivolous software bundles offered commercially, ...then "build it yourself"¯ is the most cost effective way to get where you're going.
Some have commented that they can't afford to build: .....But I have always found that with careful shopping, I usually come in under the cost of the comparable commercial systems. (The WORST I ever did was about 10% over!)
....But cost savings are really the smallest advantage "Build Your Own"¯ offers! The really HUGE point is that you know EXACTLY what is inside that box, ...And what you can expect from it!
Once you go "White Box Special"¯; ....You'll never go back!
klcarroll) I whince sometimes when I see the prices some stores charge for ready to go machines. Whilst I may have had a few teething troubles, I've overcome them thanks in a big way from help from friends here on the forum. It's very satisfying to do, and you can save a lot of money if you buy 'OEM' which is essentially the same components, in a plain box without manuals or cables, as opposed to a shiny retail box with cables, instruction manuals (they are all on the net anyway), stickers for your PC case and a drivers disc (generally out of date and the latest ones are downloadable from the manufacturers website anyway)
Worst case scenario, if budgets are tight, is to buy as you go along with a view to upgrading certain parts later. Building up the parts you need over time and once you have them all, strap on your anti-static wristband and get building! Or, with careful buying you know you can upgrade say the Gfx card or CPU (for example from a single core to a dual core or even a quad core) when you are able to. You are at the mercy of socket configuration changes in time I agree, but it's worth considering. As for the physical build, well, we all played with Meccano didn't we? Similar principles really
Senior Member
I built the machine I'm on now initially to run the IL2 flight sim, which is every bit as graphics/cpu/ram intensive as SH4 is. It was my first ever build. It is still running along just fine after a couple 3 years, and a graphics card upgrade. For the money I spent I could have not come close to it's performance level in an off the shelf box. Come late this year or early next I'll be building a new machine to play the newest sim from Oleg, Storm of War; Battle of Britain, as it will cause this machine to go into a seizure, I'm pretty sure.
The moral is that a well spec'd out home build will give you much more performance for the same or less money than a factory built job, and last you for quite a while owing to the ability to upgrade as you go.
As to the topic at hand, I find this to be one of the best forums I hang out in. Very laid back and lots of (relatively) mature folks who are very helpful.
I hope it stays that way when the huns show up after the new add-on.
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