building a PC or buying a pre-built PC?
It does not matter Whether you buy a pre-built PC (a desktop computer) or build a PC. Each choice will require a financial commitment. So which option is better? Buying a pre-built PC seems like the easiest route to go. But is it the smartest choice? The answer is no. You might be thinking, “there is no way I am going to build a PC when I can just buy a pre-built PC. But wait. You might change your mind after you hear what I have to say.
There are many benefits you gain from building a PC that you would miss out on if you were to just purchase a pre-built PC instead. These benefits make building a PC the right choice. It does not matter what you need a PC for whether it’s for school, work, producing music, doing graphic design work, gaming, etc. Regardless you will still benefit from building a PC.
Cost benefits
When you buy a pre-built PC, you are not just paying for the parts that make up the PC. You are also paying for the labor that goes into building the PC. Let us compare the prices of a pre-built PC with a custom-built PC. Here is a pre-built PC you can buy from BestBuy for $1,344.99. I created a list using Pcparetpicker.com (a website that allows you to pick out parts you want for a pre-built PC) that includes everything that the pre-built PC has from the BestBuy link. The custom-built PC will cost a total of $1074.98. That is a total of $260.00 you would save if you decided to build the PC instead of just buying it from BestBuy.
One time fees
When you build a PC, you will typically spend $1000 or more on it (depending on the computer parts you buy for your custom build). You will also spend the same amount when you go and buy a pre-built PC.
What happens in 5 years when your computer is outdated? If you built your own PC, then you are in luck. Once you build a PC you never have to replace the PC. People who have built their own PC have the luxury of upgrading the parts in their PC over time. For example, say you need to upgrade your Memory (the ram). Instead of buying a new Computer you can just buy new memory and replace your old memory on your PC. This would cost you anywhere from $80 to $300. This is much better than having to spend over $1000 on a new computer.
If you think you can upgrade the computer parts of a pre-built PC, you are sorely mistaken. Computer manufacturers will usually hot glue computer parts into the motherboards of the pre-built PCs they sell. This makes owners of pre-built PCs unable to upgrade their computer parts. This forces them to go buy a new computer once the computer becomes outdated. That means you must go out and spend $1000 or more to get a new updated pre-built PC. That is why it is better to build a PC instead of buying a pre-built one.
Better warranties
Warranties are never free when you buy a pre-built PC. When you purchase a PC at any retail store, they will offer you a warranty for the PC you are buying. Unfortunately, this is not free, and it is not cheap. The lowest price you will be looking at for a pre-built PC warranty is about $100. If you decide to build your own PC, you will find that each of the computer parts that you buy for your custom build will all come with FREE warranties. The warranty covers everything that a pre-built computer warranty would cover. The only difference, in this case, is the warranties for computer parts are free. This means you would be getting more bang for your buck from the warranties alone.
The lengths of the warranties you get for your computer parts are typically much longer than the warranties of pre-built PCs you pay for. The length of a warranty for a pre-built PC that you buy is typically one year or less. On the other hand, the length of a warranty for a computer part is 2–3 years long. Some computer parts will even come with a LIFETIME warranty. You will NEVER find a lifetime warranty for a pre-built PC. Not only is a warranty for a computer part free, but the warranties even last longer than a warranty for a pre-built PC.
convenience
When you need to use a warranty for a pre-built PC, the PC manufacturer makes it inconvenient. When your pre-built PC has a malfunction, you will have to mail your whole PC to some location where a third-party company will fix it and send it back. This can take anywhere from 3 weeks to 6 months. Waiting up to 6 months for a warranty makes you feel like you are not getting your money’s worth. I personally would be offended if I had to wait up to 6 months to get a pre-built PC fixed especially if I have to pay for the warranty.
Using a warranty for a computer part is quite simple and convenient. All you must do is contact the manufacture of the computer part you need to have replaced. You then give the manufacture the needed information to prove you have a warranty. Then they just send you another exact copy of the computer part your bought. You would be able to get the computer part replacement in under 7 business days. A seven-day wait is nothing compared to having to wait up to 6 months for a warranty to be applied.
Bloatware sucks
If you ever bought a laptop or a pre-built PC then you know how much bloatware sucks. Bloatware also called “crapware”, is unwanted software that is preinstalled on a computer you purchase. This video created by Linus Tech Tips does a great job explaining bloatware and gives examples.
Bloatware is a source of revenue for computer manufactures. Third-party companies pay computer manufactures to put their software on laptops and PCs that computer manufacturers will then sell. You should never have to deal with something like this after spending a lump sum of money on such an expensive device.
Have you ever wondered why your laptop/PC is running slow after purchasing it? This is because bloatware causes your computer to run slowly. Part of the reason is that bloatware takes space on your computer.
When you build your own PC, you get to avoid bloatware altogether. This will save you the hassle of spending hours trying to remove the bloatware.
Customization
Most pre-built PCs that you can buy, do not necessarily have top-of-the-line computer parts in them. You also do not have the luxury to get a pre-built PC that has exactly everything you want. Your options are limited when you are choosing from a select few pre-built PCs at a retail store.
Building a PC allows you to customize it as you please. This allows you to determine how much of your budget you are going to spend on each computer part. When you build your own PC, you can decide how much you want to spend on each computer part you need. This allows you to be able to build the computer for what you need it for. For example, if you are a graphic designer, then you would want most of your PC build budget to go towards getting a high-end GPU (the graphics card). You can then spend less money on the rest of your computer parts, so you stay under your budget.
Ability to customize the style
When you buy a pre-built PC, you do not have the option to customize its style like this person did (this person built her PC based on a Sakura theme). You must build your own PC in order for you to be able to customize its look and style.
When you build your own PC, you can design it however you want. Say wanted to build a PC that is RGB-themed. You can do that. Say you wanted to build a PC with a batman theme. Well, you can do that too. There is an unlimited number of ways you can customize the style of a custom-built PC. You just need to use your imagination.
Learning is good
You learn a lot when you build a computer. Even if you already know a lot about computers, you will still learn something you never knew when you build a PC. by the time you are finished building your PC you will understand exactly what every part of your computer does. The Knowledge you gain from building a PC helps you become tech-savvy
You ARE the tech support
Not only will you become tech-savvy from building a PC, but you will become tech support. When building your PC you will end up learning how the computer works, and you will end up knowing what all the components in your computer do. This will allow you to be more competent in solving issues that your computer might have in the future. This can save you money from having to take your computer into a shop when your custom-built computer has a malfunction.
When you buy a Pre-built PC, you are limited to the resources you have to fix your pre-built PC. Computer manufacturers will usually offer 24-hour tech support for the pre-built PC you purchased from them. Sounds nice right? WRONG. The 24-hour tech support is usually done through a third-party company that is outsourced. That is after you have waited in a queue over the phone for about 45 minutes. I know this because I have been through it once and let me tell you it’s a nightmare. If I were you, I would want to avoid this nightmare.
In summary
After reading this article I hope you realize that you would benefit from building a PC instead of buying a pre-built PC. The benefits that I mentioned are only the main benefits you gain from building a PC, not ALL the benefits. There are plenty more benefits you gain from building a PC. I could even write a 500-page book about the benefits you gain from building your own PC. But, I know don’t have to since it is already clear as day that you benefit way more from building a PC than buying a pre-built PC.