Please enlighten me, I must be missing something?

[flyinpilot212121 724]

Hello fellow avsimers...

I’m pondering an upgrade in the next little while and I constantly read that building is much cheaper than buying a pre-built. I’m not so sure about that, I went to newegg and would pick out a couple pre-built packages, I would then individually price the components and the math doesn’t add up that it’s noticeably cheaper? Example, A pre-built I was looking at was roughly 2k. The Gpu in the system alone is 1000-1100$? Then you have to add In the time it takes to build Which essentially can be worth something as well.
 

How is building cheaper than buying a pre-built on say newegg? I must be missing something.

[FLNG 6]

I'm also considering an upgade with what would be my 4th home built machine.

thanx for alerting me to the fact I may not be saving much with the DIY approach.  I too will be interested in looking at this...

 

Jeff

[flyinpilot212121 724]

5 minutes ago, FLNG said:

I'm also considering an upgade with what would be my 4th home built machine.

thanx for alerting me to the fact I may not be saving much with the DIY approach.  I too will be interested in looking at this...

 

Jeff

Please do a couple test runs, choose a pre-built package, then price the components individually using the same service(supplier) cause maybe I’m doing something wrong in my method of pricing this. 

[G-RFRY 1,765]

In the UK you can buy a prebuilt system, you can configure the build yourself and when i include my home build specs they don`t come out the same lot more expensive. 

[Bob Scott 7,848]

Most of the prebuilt machines cut corners on things like power supplies, memory, fans, SSDs etc.

When I build I get to choose quality, known components, like high quality name-brand Platinum or Gold-rated PSUs not running too close to their rated capacity, memory that isn't high frequency but high CAS latency bait-and-switch stuff (note that very few builders advertise RAM specs beyond just the memory frequency), hydrodynamic or maglev bearing PWM fans vs sleeve bearing constant-speed noisy and comparatively short-lived cheap DC fans, Samsung SLC or MLC SSDs with proven fast, reliable controllers vs off-brand OEM stuff hidden under the M2 cover, etc.

And when I mount a CPU cooler on the CPU, I do it with care and good quality thermal paste...some of the sloppy messes I've found under the cooler on pre-built rigs was really hideous--excess paste laid on as if with a trowel and slopping over the side of the IHS, or insufficient to fully cover the mating surfaces.  One I took apart for a friend still had the protective plastic anti-scratch cover stuck to the CPU cooler plate!

I probably don't come in much less, if less at all, than a pre-built, but I am getting things I value in exchange for the trouble of building it myself.  If you want it done right, do it yourself or be prepared to pay a premium to a builder with a reputation for quality design and build.