Build or Buy - my situation - please advise!

Hello everyone,

I am new to MajorGeeks, which I found for malware removal purposes, and as I was so impressed with the knowledge and help I received, I decided to stick around at this thing.

Anyway, here’s the thing…

I am using an older computer of my mother’s (not an ancient machine exactly at 1.5ghz and 256 ram, but still…)and I am in the market for something of my own as an upgrade is out of the question. I am unsure whether to build, buy a refurbished machine, or just buy something relatively cheap outright. So, I’ve seen that more or less the common thread among this and other hardware sites for first time builders (which I am, though I have upgraded vid cards, sound cards, added RAM etc on past machines) is this: “what mobo are you going to use, and what’s your budget?”

Well, this is the point at which I start shaking my head and wondering if I should just go buy an Xbox 360. lol.

Okay, so here’s the deal. My budget is super, super tight at the moment as my hours at work get cut and other expenses loom. I am having difficulty deciding on a price range because it shifts according to whether I’ll be saving a check or 2 and just buying something in one fell swoop (maybe the $4-600 range?), or just stacking away hardware piece by piece and doing a kind of build as you go, in which case I know the price will increase. If I do this, I don’t see spending more than maybe $800-900 total as an option, as I would only be able to purchase a sinngle part at the rate of one every month or so and I would like to have the thing built before the first parts i buy are outdated...lol. just a way of saying i am fighting the instant gratification bug as this machine is so bogged down I can do absolutely NO gaming at all. which brings me to my next point.

This PC would ideally be for gaming, but I’m intimidated by the whole thing as I’m unfamiliar with the current sys requirements for games these days etc. I don’t need anything super top of the line (well, I can’t afford that anyway :/ ) but I would like something respectable that can at least run most if not all current games quickly and smoothly, and won’t be totally obsolete in the next year or two.

Any insights from this point on would be greatly appreciated. I saw some refurbished machines in the 2-3ghz processor range with anywhere from 1-4gigs of RAM, for like $2-400 (tigerdirect i believe), which looked appealing enough to be slightly suspect.

Someone, please advise! I would like to get this process underway and the first step towards doing that is making a decision, which is where I’ve totally stalled as far as making a commitment. Thank you in advance!

Scott

 

Well what will be your primary use?
You say games, what games exactly and how often do you game?
Also do you need an operating system and monitor?

 

Hi insignius.

You will almost always get the most "bang for your buck" with a self build computer.


Like Dacads said though, what do you use it for mostly?

Q

 

Yeah, I guess I should have been more specific.

I like a wide variety of games, and didn't think about how that question might affect my choices, but in the past I've been drawn more specifically to Realtime Strategy type games, as well as to first person shooters and similar games (which if I'm not mistaken are bigger resource-eaters, and benefit more from the higher-end video cards). Hmm.

Ahh, in response to the first reply, yes, unfortunately I do need a monitor... and more than likely a copy of an OS, as I'm not positive that I can locate my mom's copy of XP home after her recent move (in fact it is... doubtful).

Anyway.. you guys think it would be best to just bite the bullet as far as resisting the whole instant gratification thing i mentioned, and just start plugging away at stacking up a component or 2 at a time...? Or can it be realistically expected that I could find a computer at Newegg or someplace like that, that might fit those req's?

 

You can get all the parts you need to build your own for $600 in one go

This for an example from Dacads thread....
http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=198123&highlight=build+your+own

 

Firstly I would stay away from any "refurbished" systems as they would be built from parts that are and very close to obsolete and yet they will expect you to pay. There is a shop near me that does it and I went in there out of curiosity and found they had new parts at 3 times the price of a "normal" PC shop down the road and they were selling "recycled" systems (full of very dated junk) at comparable pricing rates to new built.

I checked Tiger Direct to see if they followed the same trend, but couldn't find it. They do offer bare bones systems and there are some that would meet your purposes and budget:

Barebone-Kits
Example:
Gigabyte MA785GM-US2H AMD Athlon II X2 Barebone Kit - Gigabyte MA785GM-US2H MOBO, Athlon II X2 240, 2GB DDR2, 500GB HDD, XFX Radeon HD 4650, Case & PSU

Woops I just looked closer and these are kits, you have to build.

Pre-Assembled-Barebones&

You would still need a monitor and OS though and if you want help looking for the "better" deal being offered just ask.

It is very rewarding building yourself and often you can do it with 1xphillips head screwdriver and a sense of Lego, Meccano, etc. Normally you save a lot because you don't have to pay for the stores labour costs. Only potential problem is you have to resolve any problems/issues with the manufacturers (manu) themselves if you experience any, but many PC outlets offer incredibly poor after market service and sometimes you are better off dealing direct with the manu.

 

A final point it is really hard to say that such a system will last you 2 years from now as the industry "evolves exponentially" and the best games and software that are available then may require a whole new system architecture, i.e. CPU, and mobo chipsets.