ENTERPRISE

Off The Shelf Or Self- Build? (Part 1)

1/11/2013 6:13:17 PM

If you don’t want to build a PC, why not simply customise an existing one?

Building your own PC is a fun experience, one that allows you to choose the components you want and really get to know your PC. Some would argue that everyone should try it at least once.

But what if you don’t want to? Putting together a PC isn’t a small task by any stretch of the imagination. You have to learn about the parts, select them, and then put them together without making a mistake. Most of the time you’re juggling a mixture of fragile, expensive and complicated components, and one slip could send hundreds of pounds straight onto the scrapheap. It’s not a process for the faint-hearted and, indeed, you might be better off getting someone else to do it for you.

Building your own PC is a fun experience, one that allows you to choose the components you want and really get to know your PC.

Building your own PC is a fun experience, one that allows you to choose the components you want and really get to know your PC.

However, that doesn’t mean you’re also denied the ability to choose and customise the parts you want in it. It’s just that you do the fun bits and someone else does the hard bits – the bits where things have the potential to go spectacularly wrong. If you’d rather let a professional carry that burden, you’re in luck: online pc builders (such as computerplanet.co.uk) let you build the PC of your imagination, without then requiring you to put it together.

But why might you do this? What are the benefits? And conversely, what do you give up by doing so? Over the next few pages, we’ll look at what it means to buy a PC, whether you build it from scratch, choose parts for someone else to build or go straight for an off-the-shelf solution. That way, you can decide whether you want to take the plunge or let someone else do the tinkering for you.

Pre-Build Vs From Self-Build

When you’re buying a system online, you have two main options: order the parts and build it from scratch or customize an existing system.

There’s no doubt that building systems from scratch is something only the advanced user should attempt. These are people who know what they want in a system and have the time to put it together or who simple don’t trust anyone else to do it. Pulling a coherent system out of thin air requires you to know a lot about components - their requirements, compatibilities and capabilities - and that’s hard to learn simply by sitting down and doing research. It can take years to become experienced enough to know what graphics card complements which processor, and whether a case is appropriate for the system you’re building or not.

There’s no doubt that building systems from scratch is something only the advanced user should attempt.

There’s no doubt that building systems from scratch is something only the advanced user should attempt.

If you’re not part of the PC-building elite, you might be wondering what you can do instead. It’s an easy question to answer. Instead of trying to compose a system from nothing, start with a pre-build, off-the-shelf system, and then go to work on turning it into the system you want.

Virtually any company that sells PCs will give you the option to start with a pre-build base and customise it to your needs. They’re normally available in a range of budgets and can be used to guide the inexperienced user towards a working system. Think of it a bit like buying a car. You don’t have to choose the individual engine parts to construct a car, because someone else does that for you, but you can then decide what colour it is and whether the seats are fabric or leather. Either way, it does the basic job of getting you from A to B, but one is more personalised than the other.

“You’ll normally find that pre-builds are worth the money even after you consider the labour premium”

Of course, it’s not just about skipping the difficult part. There are other reasons to get a pre-build that might factor into your decision. To highlight these factors, we’ve looked into the pros and cons of getting someone else to build your system against the alternative of building yourself so that we can answer the question: should you get a pre-build?

Pro: Favourable Economy

One of the good things about pre-builds is that the components inside them tend to be cheaper when bought as part of a bundle than if you were to buy them separately and build the same machine yourself. It’s mostly just economics at work; the builder needs to buy pre-build parts in bulk, so the wholesaler can offer them a discount, which can be partly passed on to the customer. The customer is then incentivised to buy bundles, which means they spend more money overall, so the builder gets a better deal than if the customer was to buy just a few parts. Microsoft even offers a rebate program that allows certified builders to claim money back on PCs they build.

One of the good things about pre-builds is that the components inside them tend to be cheaper when bought as part of a bundle than if you were to buy them separately and build the same machine yourself.

One of the good things about pre-builds is that the components inside them tend to be cheaper when bought as part of a bundle than if you were to buy them separately and build the same machine yourself.

For interested buyers, these factors combine to mean that pre-builds tend to be easier on the wallet. In theory, because you’re forced to buy everything from one source, it can mean that you end up paying more for some parts than you would from another supplier. However, component prices rarely differ by more than a few pounds, and once you factor in extra costs such as postage, the price of a pre-build is only very rarely higher than if you were to build your own machine out of the same parts bought from their cheapest source. Certainly, the cost on your time is much smaller as a result.

It’s not an immutable rule, of course. Discounts and sales could mean that some parts can be found significantly cheaper elsewhere, and if a supplier has limited availability, the price might stay higher than it should be. Do your research, though, and you’ll normally find that pre-builds are worth the money even after you consider the labour premium they involve.

Con: Potentially Limited Customisability

As we’ve indicated, one of the best things about building your own PC is that you can decide what goes in it. With a pre-build, of course, you inevitably have to sacrifice some of that flexibility when compared to a fully bespoke system.

It can be component-level flexibility, such as being unable to choose a particular CPU due to restrictions on available motherboards, or it can be peripheral-level, such as a company not having the device you want in stock. Either way, if you want a pre-build, that’s a trade-off you’ll have to live with.

In fairness, many companies will give you the option to completely redesign a system even if you choose a pre-build as a base. Computer Planet, for example, compiles components and allows you almost unlimited free range in deciding the contents even on pre-builds, but Dell’s system has a much more limited set of choices depending on the model you select. Remember, though, to take care when you’re altering a pre-build’s specs that you aren’t losing out on discounts or perks as a result of doing so.

Choosing what goes into your PC is ultimately the best thing about buying one from a serious PC-builder rather than a production-line retail outlet, so don’t forget that you’re the one in charge. If you can’t find a system that has what you want, get on the phone and talk to someone. It’s likely those limited options won’t be quite as limited as they seem when a computer system’s doing the arbitration.

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