Building your own computer -- Why you might want to consider other options first
Dec 22 '00 (Updated Jan 02 '01)
UPDATE -- January 2, 2001 -- See bottom of review for major details.
I'm going to predict that some of you are already just about ready to dismiss me as some moron who doesn't know what he's talking about and give this opinion an "NR," just from the title. I'm going to predict that this is going to be one of my least popular reviews to date. That's because I'm about to show an example of why, in some cases, building your own computer may have recently become a huge waste of time and effort.
First of all, let me explain a little bit about my background, for those of you who aren't familiar with my previous work. I grew up around computers and became indoctrinated with the skills and knowledge required to use them effectively. Although I'm only 21 years old, I've worked at various jobs requiring computer skills of some sort for over six years. I've owned six different computers, and I've used (and supported) literally hundreds.
What I'm getting at here is that I've had a pretty good amount of experience with computers. Basically all computers sold in stores these days come with everything you need, and with a little shopping around, you're sure to be able to find one that has anything and everything you could possibly want, as well. Alas, this was certainly not always true. Just about six or seven years ago, no computers came with a sound card installed. If you wanted a sound card, you had to go out and purchase one yourself (the emerging, incredible technology around then was the SoundBlaster 16), bring it home, and install it in your computer. Otherwise, you had to learn to love your excellent, six-tone PC speaker. If you don't remember this, you can't possibly imagine how cool games became once I got my first Soundblaster.
With all that having been said, let me give you a brief demonstration of why building a computer yourself is no longer cost-efficient. Here's a sample list of the basic components I would want, were I to build a computer right now, along with approximate prices:
Intel 566MHz Celeron PGA microprocessor with 100MHz bus @ $99.95
Intel Motherboard, 100MHz @ $119.95
Pentium processor heatsink & fan kit @ $19.95
3Com Fast EtherLink XL PCI 10T/100BTX NIC 3C905B-TX-NM @ $74.99
128MB 100MHz SDRAM DIMM Memory Chip @ $99.95
ATI RAGE 16MB Pro Graphics Card @ $96.95
SoundBlaster Audio PCI 128-Voice Wavetable Sound Card @ $82.07
Maxtor 10.2GB EIDE UDMA 100/3.5 LP 7200RPM Hard Drive @ $109.95
Teac Standard 1.44" Floppy Drive @ $19.95
Teac 40X Internal EIDE CD-ROM Drive @ $49.95
Iomega Internal 100MB 3.5" ATAPI Zip Drive @ $79.95
U.S. Robotics 56K V90 Internal PCI Performance Pro Modem @ $79.99
Generic Computer Case @ $45.00
TOTAL: $978.60
All prices listed above, with one exception, are taken directly from those quoted on Microwarehouse.com, which has average-to-high prices and extensive sources of computer components, hardware, and software, anywhere on the web. The only exception is the computer case, on which I suppose you'll just have to take my word. As you may have noticed, I went with high-quality, name-brand components where possible, but I certainly didn't pick the most expensive parts here. So, for under $1,000, you could have a fairly nice computer which would probably be sufficient for the average user for several years to come (at least three). The particular motherboard I picked has three memory slots, so you'd be able to upgrade your memory as necessary.
The funny part of all this is that the components I've listed here are almost exactly the same as those contained in my own computer. Well, no, I suppose that's not the funny part; the really funny part is that I bought that computer about a year ago for significantly less money. That's right -- my computer was purchased, also from Micro Warehouse, for just $699.99 -- compared to the figure of almost $1,000 I came up with above. That's a difference of over $300, or almost fifty percent more than what I paid for mine over a year ago!
Obviously, this example is not entirely indicative of what you can expect to find with any kind of computer system. The point here is that, with a little bit of time spent on searching for a good deal (which can usually be done at work!), you may be able to save yourself a whole lot of time and come up with a comparable, or perhaps even superior, computer system for the same amount it would cost you to build one. If you consider your time to be at all valuable, then the time savings of buying a computer versus building one is also certainly worth considering. It should also be noted that home-built computers, when their components are not carefully considered, are quite often either difficult or impossible to upgrade to any significant extent.
Sure, you many be able to save yourself some money by building your own computer if you're looking for something more expensive or top-of-the-line, or if your building a special-purpose machine. If that's the case for you, then you'll have to consider just how valuable it is to you to have the latest and greatest in computer technology. That, however, is a different question for a different day. All I'm saying here is that, dollar for dollar, building your own computer is sometimes not the most economically sound decision you can make.
If you still doubt what I'm saying here, then I have just one more thing which perhaps you should consider: I have a full warranty.
UPDATE -- January 2, 2001
There are some important points which I mentioned at least briefly in this review, but which I obviously neglected to stress enough.
First of all, the reason I elected to obtain prices for these individual components from MicroWarehouse.com is because that's also where I bought my current computer. As I mentioned before, my current computer has essentially the same components as those listed above. This helps sway arguments about the ability to find lower prices elsewhere, which may certainly be possible, because that was not my goal here. The point was that, in the right place and at the right time, a shrewd buyer can find a nice, complete system for the same amount of money or less than the amount at which all of the individual components could be purchased at that time. I never meant to intend that building a computer will never be cheaper than purchasing a whole system, because this is of course not true.
Secondly, buying versus building is all about time saving. If your time is at a premium, then finding a great deal on an already-assembled system that meets your needs is far more convenient, of course. While some people just enjoy putting systems together themselves, the fact is that not everyone has time for this. Building a computer is certainly never something that should be undertaken lightly, and as I mentioned before, one must take much care in selecting high-quality and upgradable components. It should also be noted that building your own computer is often just a bad idea unless you have some experience in doing so. That's fairly obvious, however, and not the main focues of my review, so I won't go into detail about that here.
Special thanks to Turin for his ideas and input towards helping me polish this opinion. The first draft was far too general and bordered on downright insulting in some places, and deserved some of the low ratings it received. I've changed all such instances I could find, and hopefully it's now a better, more well-rounded review. Also, let this serve as a public apology to Turin for any inadvertent insults I may have hurled his way in the heat of the moment. For a well presented, opposing viewpoint on this subject, please see his review athttp://basilisk4.epinions.com/cmd-review-9C6-42BE6A19-3A44EAD0-prod3.
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Epinions.com ID:
basilisk4
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Location: Atlanta, GA
Reviews written: 233
Trusted by: 214 members
About Me:
Soon-to-be married 26-year-old lawyer who likes electronics, computers, and cars.
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