Is It Cheaper to Build Your Own PC?
Generally speaking, the shortest answer to the question of whether it is cheaper to build your own PC is – yes! There are many reasons for this situation and today we will talk about the main points that make PC building an attractive prospect for most gamers.
Flexibility When Choosing Parts
The first advantage of building a PC by yourself is the fact that you can handpick each component in your build for your specific needs and purposes. If you need a PC to use as a media machine you can buy parts specifically optimized for that and ignore other components that would bring little value to your build.
Moreover, being able to choose your parts allows you to choose the best possible hardware in its category. In many cases, pre-built PCs are made by companies that have deals with specific brands which might lead to suboptimal components being used while better alternatives are on the market.
Cheaper Parts
Another big advantage of building your PC is the fact that you can hunt for good sales and deals leading to a reduced cost for the overall build. You can cut down on costs even more if you go hunting on the used PC parts market for good deals on the parts that you need.
Certain people might be reluctant to buy used parts but if you are someone with enough PC hardware experience you can ensure that the parts you are buying are in good condition. Buyers should ask for the warranty that came with the product, ask about the condition of the hardware, and ensure that the part is working properly before the purchase happens.
Generally speaking, pre-built PCs will not only be more expensive but will use cheaper proprietary parts that are hard to service or repair, forcing you to invest a lot more time and money than otherwise needed.
Better Quality
When you build your machine you will end up sourcing the best possible RAM, CPU, GPU, storage devices, power supply, etc. More importantly, when building your machine you can pay extra attention to details that pre-built CPUs often overlook but which are crucial for good performance.
Things like a proper CPU cooler, case fans, a motherboard with good VRMs and power delivery, are often overlooked resulting in a load of problems later on. These are mistakes that even rookies avoid when building their rigs but which are common when dealing with PCs bought from a shelf.
If you think that we are exaggerating you should take a look at the reviews from Gamers Nexus and see how bad the situation is. A lot of these pre-built PCs come in cases from the 80s, use extremely cheap parts that are proprietary and cannot be repaired or swapped, have extreme issues with heat and ventilation, and are overall a huge waste of money.
No Bloatware
One of the most annoying aspects of dealing with a pre-built PC is booting it for the first time just to be greeted by a million different tabs and pop-ups that came with the integrated software from the company you bought the PC from.
These useless services will drain your CPU and other resources, reducing the already shaky performance of your pre-built machine . If you bought a pre-built PC because you wanted to not deal with installing a fresh Windows ISO then we are here to disappoint you because you will still need to do that regardless (if you want to completely get rid of all the malware-like software that is pre-installed).
Downsides of Building a PC
The main downsides associated with building a PC are related to the fact that you need to do a lot of research and ensure that your parts are compatible while also needing to assemble all of the hardware without breaking anything.
Although modern PC parts are foolproof and there is plenty of information and video materials available online, certain people are still unsure about proceeding themselves. For these situations, you can use services like PowerGPU where you can select the parts you want but allow them to build the PC for you. You get a custom PC without the hassle of building it, while also using aftermarket parts found in proper builds.
This will come at an extra cost but considering the slew of issues you would otherwise have to deal with if you would purchase a pre-built PC from somebody like Alienware or HP Omen it is worth it.
Conclusions
Taking into account all of the above, building your PC can not only be cheaper initially (sales/deals/used parts) but will also be cheaper long-term since you will not need to repair or change cheap hardware that is faulty, will not have to deal with thermal issues, and will not have a bloated slow Windows installation.
The biggest hidden cost of a pre-built PC is the brain cell tax that will inevitably hit you when you need to open up your PC to fix something and realize that there is nothing you can do without spending more money. Save your marbles, build your custom PC.