Building your own PC has been the passion of many gamers and computer
geeks for decades - tracking the new hardware releases, comparing
specs, performance and the bang for buck has always been a part of the
PC world.
But with companies becoming ever more efficient with
their computer manufacturing, as well as new exclusive deals being
struck between computer parts developers and retailers, is it still
worth it to build your own PC instead of just buying one pre-built?
While
the question is valid, and there are instances where buying a pre-built
PC can be the right choice, the truth is that, as far as price goes, it
will most likely still be cheaper to assemble your own PC, at least in
the foreseeable future.
So how exactly can you save money by building your own PC?
There
are a few factors that determine how much you actually need to spend on
a PC, not the last of which (obviously) is what your primary use for it
is.
There are basically three main ranges of PCs. Even though
there might be countless variations of hardware you can combine, the
three main levels that are often cited by computer experts are:
1. Work Tasks/internet/Office.
The
least demanding PC, simply used for tasks that don't really require
much recourses, is obviously going to cost the least. In this case, the
PC can cost as little as a few hundred dollars, but of course, there are
factors to consider as well.
You should take into account that
technology gets old very quickly, and that even tasks like browsing
online or working with Office programs can become more demanding in the
future. So if you're buying a PC that's already using out-of-date
hardware, you might need to upgrade much sooner than you'd like.
Recommended Specs
You
don't really need to splurge on an expensive motherboard, in fact, a
simple Intel Graphics HD card will more than suffice for watching movies
or anything of that nature.
However, investing in an Intel i3 or
i5 processor is a good idea because it simply makes everything a lot
more efficient. Since RAM got much cheaper, there's no reason why you
shouldn't get 6GB of RAM, even if you likely won't be needing as much.
Finally,
the Solid State Drive (SSD) has revolutionized the PC industry, so it's
one of the most important computer accessories nowadays, since it
dramatically increases load speeds.
Potential Savings
At
the low-end of the PC market, the savings of assembling your own PC
might not be as significant - many companies buy older discounted
computer parts in bulk and are able to sell them at relatively low
prices. Of course, if you dig around, you can also find amazing deals
and save even more.
2. Mid-range gaming/entertainment PC
The
next level is a PC that just a few years back might have passed for a
high-end PC, but has now succumbed to the ever-growing demands of the
newest and hottest game releases. Of course, you can still use it to
play most of the games, but for the most demanding ones, only medium
graphics settings will be possible.
Recommended Specs
When
you want gaming, the very first thing is the Graphics Card - many
stores selling pre-built PCs try to pass off NVidia GT series graphics
cards as gaming cards, but they really don't stand a chance against
current games, so if you plan to play any of the newer games
comfortably, you should always look at the NVidia GTX series graphics
cards. Also, you can check out the AMD Radeon R9 series, as they have
some budget graphics cards with a lot of bang for the buck.
As for
the other specs, an Intel i7 is always nice, but as far as gaming goes,
it doesn't have that much of an impact that would justify the increase
in price. A SSD is also a must, and 8GB of RAM might be a good idea as
well.
Potential Savings
Gaming PCs are a
huge market, and even in the mid-level, stores often jack up the prices
significantly, so if you assemble the PC yourself, you can often save up
to 30 percent, if not more.
3. High-end gaming PC
If
you want a PC that will give you the ultimate gaming experience no
matter what crazy-realistic graphics the game might have then buying a
PC with the cutting edge technology is your only viable option.
Recommended Specs
If
you want the best, you have to pay for it, and there's no going around
the fact that in order to play the best game in high graphics mode,
you'll probably have to invest in one of the newer models of the NVidia
GTX cards, which won't come cheap.
An i7 processor is also
recommended at this level, as well as 8, or even 16 GB of RAM. Also,
consider opting for both a SSD and an optical drive for storage, as that
increases your options, since those games can take up a lot of space!
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