Buy Or Build Pc?

Hi there, my name is Shay. The company I work for is looking into getting some new computers to control our instrumentation. We got a quote from our instrument manufacturer, but the only issue with them is that we wanted the 512MB hard drives swapped out for two 2+TB HDD setup with RAID 1 and they are not able to accommodate this request.


We looked into an alternative that we "built" to more or less match their Dell computer, specifically the RAM and Processor. It's about the same price as the computers would be from Thermo but I believe is actually a bit of a step up.

Curious how difficult it would be to purchase their computer and upgrade the HDD to a Raid 1 ourselves?

Also, would we want to only have HDD drives, and do away with the SDD?

A co-worker recommended this below:

"My recommendation would be to keep the OS on the SSD and put your generated data on the HDD (Raid1).."

Please help!! Any insight would be greatly appreciated as this is not my background and is kind of out of my wheelhouse. Thank you!!

 

I don't see the purpose for RAID arrays any more. It is important to remember that RAID1 (mirrored drives) should NEVER be considered as a backup solution. This is because, by definition, just about anything that happens to Drive 1 will happen to (is "mirrored" on) Drive 2. If the data becomes corrupt on Drive 1, it will become corrupt on Drive 2. If accidently erased, it gets erased on both drives. If malware infects one, it infects the other. If lightning, fire, flood, theft take out the computer, both drives are taken out.

The only technically legitimate reason for RAID1 is when it is absolutely essential for the computer to remain on-line and in production, with zero downtime - such as with a "mission critical" server for a life support system, or air traffic control operations, or some critical security system - just in case a drive fails during operation (a pretty rare event!). But even then a mirrored computer - instead of mirrored drives - would be a better option.

It is a major misconception that mirrored RAID arrays act as an instant backup of your data. Another misconception is that they improve performance. In most cases, any improved performance is only seen with reads and typically, those gains are marginal at best. With today's fast processors typical large chunks of RAM, those gains tend to be negligible. 20 years ago, RAIDs made a lot of sense. Today? Nope. And performance with writes can actually take a hit because the data must be written to both drives, then compared to ensure it is indeed identical.

Then of course, hard drives are slow, noisy, power hungry, mechanical devices.

So the better solution is to develop and maintain a robust backup solution.

That said, the best solution is to go all SSD and then develop and maintain a robust backup solution. Even the slowest SSD will run circles around the fastest hard drives and improve all around performance of the computer. As a compromise, have a nice size SSD as your boot and program drive (where you also install all your applications as well as the OS) and a hard drive for all your user data files - plus a robust backup solution.

As far as buying from a big factory PC maker vs building your own, lets just say I have not bought from a big factory PC maker in 30 years and have no intention of ever doing so - except for laptops and that is out of necessity, not by choice.

Dell, HP, Acer, Lenovo, etc. factory made computers all use proprietary components. This greatly limits your options during purchase. It also greatly restricts your upgrade options after purchase. And it results in higher repair costs.

When you build your own (or have a local shop custom build for you) ATX Form Factor industry standard compliant components will be used. This ensures nearly limitless options during the build and throughout the years of service in terms of upgrades and repairs.

There is no similar industry standard for laptops, otherwise, I would build my own there too.

Not sure what this means but it sounds like you are looking at a company that will configure and sell a Dell computer for you. While I am familiar with these companies, they really only serve as consultants and middle men, between you, the end user, and Dell. And middle men always jack up the prices and take their cut. If using a middle man, that service better include total support, to include installation and setup of the computers, setup and connecting to your network, configuring printing services, etc. as well as total setup of critical security. Plus provide all technical support should anything go wrong for at least 1 year.

Otherwise, why not deal directly with Dell?

For the record, as an IT consultant and custom PC builder, I tell my clients I cannot compete in prices with Dell, HP, Acer, etc. This is because I cannot go to ASUS, Intel, Microsoft, Corsair, etc. and promise to buy 1,000,000 motherboards, processors, OS licenses, and RAM sticks over the next year like Dell and HP can. But I can promise to build a better computer that more closely matches my client's needs, instead of 1,000,000 customers "just like them".

So my advice is to shop around with local shops too. It may cost you a bit more up front, but you get what you need, not what gives Dell the most profit margins. Plus, it is really nice to have a local shop nearby to call when something goes wrong. And supporting local small business owners is just good for your local community and economy.