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Should You Build Your Own PC?
Should You Build Your Own PC?
Many people are intimidated by the inside of a computer case. At first glance all those wires and components look confusing and impossibly high-tech. The thought of actually putting all the parts together may seem impossible.
Not to worry! Even though they are the product of advanced technology, the various components of PCs fit together with relatively simple connections. Putting together a PC is about as complicated as repairing a toaster. If you can use a screwdriver and follow simple instructions, you can build your own PC.
Advantages
You are probably asking yourself why anyone would bother to build their own PC. After all, you can buy a cheap computer in almost any retail store. If cost is your only consideration, you are probably better off buying one of those cheap machines. But if you have special requirements for software or hardware, building your own PC gives you total control over the quality of the components.
You can save some money too. Although you probably can’t match the price of the cheapest preassembled PCs, once you start asking for customized hardware installation the cost of building your own computer becomes cheaper. And don’t forget — those super cheap PCs are bare-boned systems. Unless you only need a computer for basic word processing and e-mail, you will probably have to upgrade.
Building your own PC is a great learning experience. You will gain better understanding of how the various components work together – knowledge that can be useful when troubleshooting. If your computer ever breaks down you may be able to pinpoint and fix the problem yourself, saving on those expensive service bills.
Disadvantages
The major disadvantage in building your own PC is that you don’t get a system wide warranty. For example, if a malfunctioning motherboard fries your memory chips, you may be unable to get compensated for the damaged memory. If something like this happens with a store-bought system you could probably get the computer repaired under the warranty.
However, if you buy all the components at the same time and from the same retailer, they may be more likely to compensate you for this kind of situation.
Getting the Best
You are pretty well guaranteed to get the best computer when you build your own system. Big retailers often use cheaper OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) components to cut down on costs. Components like these can compromise the performance of a computer system. Although you can buy OEM components retail, the trade-off in reliability and stability is usually not worth it. Brand name components are usually just a bit more expensive and well worth the cost for the extra performance they offer.
The Bottom Line
Building your own PC has a lot to offer. You’ll be assured of getting the best components available which translates as the best and most reliable computer for the money. You will learn a lot about computer components and how to choose parts that offer the best performance. When it comes to servicing your computer you may be able to pinpoint the problem yourself and replace the problem parts.
Don’t be worried about the task of connecting the computer components together. Many of the internal connections are molded so that it is impossible to fit them together the wrong way. If you have ever assembled a child’s toy you are more than capable of assembling a computer!
Why Build Your Own Gaming Computer?
Why Build Your Own Gaming Computer?
The best way to get the gaming computer that you want, that will provide optimum performance is to build your own computer. If you think you do not have the technical knowledge or are not capable of building a computer you are wrong. I’m pretty certain that I could teach my mother (who has a hard time working a VCR) how to build a computer. If you can plug a sweeper into a wall outlet and use a screw driver, you too can build a computer.
What The Computer Manufacturers Don’t Want You to Know!
Manufacturers don’t want you to know how easy it is to build a computer because they make their living selling complete computers. The truth is that manufacturers focus on selling a computer with an overall low price tag to entice people to buy. They use the processor and software as the primary selling point. In most cases other than the processor and maybe the graphics card you have no idea what components they actually use. Alienware is one of the rare exceptions. They tell you for the most, part what components they are using. However, this doesn’t mean that these are the best components on the market. Every manufacturer gets regular visits from sales people convincing them that they should use their products. Just because a company gives them the best deal on a power supply that allows them to increase their profit margin on the computers they sell doesn’t make it the best power supply. This often leads to the use of inferior products for the sake of profit.
The Advantages To Building Your Own Computer
By building your own computer you are assured of getting the highest quality because you have painstakingly researched every component. If you’ve ever wondered why your store bought gaming computer with the top of the line graphics card and ultra fast CPU is still having trouble running newer games, it is likely because they stuck you with an inferior power supply, cheap motherboard, inadequate RAM, and the list goes on. In my mind it makes sense to build your own computer.
Warranties and Technical Support
If you are worried about warranties, you need not be. In most cases you can get a manufacturers warranty on every component you buy. As for technical support, I’ve had much better luck with getting questions answered through friendly helpful forums on the internet than I ever have from technical support lines. Not to mention you don’t have to pay to sit on hold.
Upgrades Are Painless And Fast
When you build your own computer upgrades are a snap. You’ve already put it together so switching a hard drive or changing the graphics card is extremely easy. For instance I just upgraded my graphics card. It took me longer to unplug everything from the back of my tower than it did to swap the graphics card. All in all I was up and running with the new drivers installed in about 10 minutes. If you are impatient like I am taking your machine to a store to have it upgraded just isn’t worth the wait.
How To Build Your Own Computer
I hope I’ve convinced you to build your own computer. It is a very rewarding experience. As I’ve said it isn’t very difficult. I do however recommend that you do your research. There are several good books published on the topic such as “Build Your Own PC”, by Morris Rosenthal. You can also find a great deal of information regarding building computers and computer hardware at my website Gaming-Computers.net. Good luck with your computer, and remember, if you ever run into problems building it there are thousands of people on the Net that are more than willing to help, and they won’t charge you a technician’s service fee.