All right, I’ve read a few of these so called’reviews’ on name-brand vs. assembled machines. I wonder where they are coming from. First of all, you are never, mark my words NEVER guaranteed well-balanced performance if you buy a pre-assembled, name brand computer. I am routinely under-impressed by what companies like Compaq, Hewlett Packard, and IBM, to name a few try to pass off as worth your money. Don’t throw your cash away on a machine built by some large corporation. You can get OEM prices yourself on a computer, don’t even bother going to the store, shop on the internet. I recommend a site: https://pricewatch.com
as a street price search engine for PC parts. If you know what you’re doing, or if you have a friend or family member who does, this is the way to go.
I diverge, because I need to explain why it is that I think you get a much better deal building a machine yourself. Yes, I know it’s unconventional, but hear me out. Why don’t we take for example a single component, say.motherboard? I am an avid believer in ABIT motherboards, especially their new line featuring the VIA kt266a chipset. Where can you find a manufactured PC with this board in it? The answer is simple; the only place you will find such a computer is if you are willing to shell out over 3 thousand dollars to get a computer from one of a select few companies including Alienware and FalconPC. As mentioned above, these computers can cost well over three thousand dollars. If you built your own(and I know of a place where you can even get the cases they use), it would cost less than 1000 dollars, guaranteed. If you don’t believe me, email me with the specifications of some DELL or Gateway or IBM system, and I’ll email you back with the price difference if you were to buy the exact same or even better quality components yourself.
The bottom line: If you’re getting a new computer, find a nerd to get your stuff and put it together for you.