Buy it or build it?

[Americano]

I had a PC motherboard failure on one of our desktop PCs and looked at replacing the MB or the PC. The unit has an older Pentium 3.40GHz dual processor, 266MHz DDR2533 memory with current SATA2 HDDS and video card.

After looking at retail offerings and local builder prices, what I wanted was around a grand. Being cheap, I looked at barebones with the idea of using my OS, HDDs and video card. I ordered a barebones box with a current MB having the usual onboard bells & whistles (including four SATA connections and six USB ports), 3.2GHz quad processor with upgraded cooling fan and 4GB of fast DDR3. $378 delivered.

I'll spend a couple of hours installing my OS, HDDs and video card. This winter I'll replace the MB on the failed unit and use it as a backup.

[drgoodtrips]

I had a PC motherboard failure on one of our desktop PCs and looked at replacing the MB or the PC. The unit has an older Pentium 3.40GHz dual processor, 266MHz DDR2533 memory with current SATA2 HDDS and video card.

After looking at retail offerings and local builder prices, what I wanted was around a grand. Being cheap, I looked at barebones with the idea of using my OS, HDDs and video card. I ordered a barebones box with a current MB having the usual onboard bells & whistles (including four SATA connections and six USB ports), 3.2GHz quad processor with upgraded cooling fan and 4GB of fast DDR3. $378 delivered.

I'll spend a couple of hours installing my OS, HDDs and video card. This winter I'll replace the MB on the failed unit and use it as a backup.

How are you going to replace it? Used one on ebay?

[Americano]

How are you going to replace it? Used one on ebay?

Already ordered manufacturer refurbished (ASRock) on eBay. Dirt cheap. I buy a lot of things on eBay. Just ordered a new pair of winter boots from there, 60% of what retailers want. I love bargains.

A little off-topic, but many new goods sold on eBay (and Amazon) are handled under the same process as well known retailers such as Walmart use on their proprietary websites. A great deal of the merchandise on Walmart's web store (and others) clearly states 'not available in stores'. Order placed with seller, trips seller purchase order to distributor, merchandise dropped-shipped to buyer with billing to distributor. I avoid brick & mortar stores as much as possible.

[drgoodtrips]

Already ordered manufacturer refurbished (ASRock) on eBay. Dirt cheap. I buy a lot of things on eBay. Just ordered a new pair of winter boots from there, 60% of what retailers want. I love bargains.

Good deal. I just wanted to make sure you weren't thinking of purchasing a new one and retrofitting. I'm not really a PC deck-out enthusiast, but I deal with the hardware enough to know that route will almost certainly end in extreme annoyance. :cool:

A little off-topic, but many new goods sold on eBay (and Amazon) are handled under the same process as well known retailers such as Walmart use on their proprietary websites. A great deal of the merchandise on Walmart's web store (and others) clearly states 'not available in stores'. Order placed with seller, trips seller purchase order to distributor, merchandise dropped-shipped to buyer with billing to distributor. I avoid brick & mortar stores as much as possible.

I've gotten a taste of that a bit with my home automation. You can't buy that stuff in retail stores, but there are several businesses that operate selling the hardware through ebay. It's just like going on some commercial website and ordering.

[Americano]

Good deal. I just wanted to make sure you weren't thinking of purchasing a new one and retrofitting. I'm not really a PC deck-out enthusiast, but I deal with the hardware enough to know that route will almost certainly end in extreme annoyance. :cool:

Way too many variables for my amateur knowledge level.

I've gotten a taste of that a bit with my home automation. You can't buy that stuff in retail stores, but there are several businesses that operate selling the hardware through ebay. It's just like going on some commercial website and ordering.

[cshaun]

I am not really a fan of computer systems that are already built by the maker but it sure makes an easier life for those who are not really familiar with all the hardware available.

Though they are probably built to be optimum on what they have to do, it is still a lot better to be able to choose the type of hardware you are going to get.

Take for example the need for a multi cored processor and the amount of ram you would need. if you are just going to base it from what is presented already, you might not be able to get the right one for you.

[pramjockey]

I did a re-build, pretty much from scratch a bit ago. I went to look to see what it would have cost me to buy a machine equivalent to what I built from parts. The big manufacturers (Dell/HP) don't make one. So, it'd have to be a smaller builder. I was really surprised - for the equivalent machine, it'd have cost about 3x as much to buy it built than it did to build it myself.

I was quite surprised at the results.