Build vs Buy...but can anybody beat DELL's prices?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Tom_O
  • Start date Start date
Tom_O said:
I was really wanting to build a system, partly for fun and partly to
be able to customize certain things. However I'm very surprised to
see how competitive DELL is with pricing and discounts these days.
They practicly give 1/3 of the machine away with various online
rebates and promotions each week.

I did a little comparison shopping at some independant computer stores
in my area for a base system.
Click to expand...

The problem with any Dells, HPs, Compaqs etc. that I've worked on is this:
if something goes wrong, you can't fix it yourself. If you do, you void the
warranty. Otherwise, you may have to package everything back up and ship it
back the manufacturer. If you're lucky, the tech support guy you talked to
on the phone may deem it acceptable to send an on-site repair person... but
even that is inconvenient and undesirable.

There's also the bigger problem (to me at least) of proprietary components.
For example, Dell's infamous power supplies and HP's insanely priced
replacement motherboards. If the warranty is up and *then* something breaks,
then good luck trying to figure out how to get parts without paying through
the nose (by ordering them through the manufacturer). Finally, information
about individual components is often limited, and the available BIOS are
usually very limited so that you can't make many custom adjustments to your
system.

There are valid reasons (from the manufacturer's perspective, at least) for
all of the above, and for many folks that's the way to go. As for myself, I
want to put exactly the components I want into the case I choose. I'm not
out to save money. When I'm all done building and testing the new system,
then I know it intimately and can troubleshoot and replace parts much
easier.
 
Wheat Muncher said:
Tom_O Babbled on and on and on about:

<snip> You get what you pay for. I
have found that Dell's are good for those who are accustomed to accepting
what is given to them, and being content with it. They leave little room
for customization or tweaking. Forget over-clocking- You would be able to
see the smoke billowing, flame spewing death spiral for miles ;-)
Click to expand...

Well said! :-D
 
You forgot an operating system, keyboard, mouse, maybe an antivirus
one year subscription, and maybe some bundled apps that don't have any
value to you. This might be as much as $200 included in the Dell package.
Click to expand...

Operating system -- I am using Linux on the new computer I put
together. Cheap to free (legally, too) depending upon how you get it (and
FreeBSD, NetBSD, and OpenBSD also meet this qualification). Bundled apps -- I
will instead be using OpenOffice. Antivirus 1 year subscription is $29 from
Command Software (for example -- and they do make a Linux version). For
keyboard and mouse (and monitor for that matter), I am using the same ones
that I use on my old computer, via a KVM switch (IoGear MiniMicro) that cost
$35.

I found that I could get a cheaper computer than what I put together
only by accepting unknown (and the key is UNKNOWN) compromises on parts
compatibility and quality. The only bad thing I ended up with is a stinky
power supply (came with the Enermax CS501WW3 case) -- after several weeks it
seems to be boiling off the nasty stuff, but I'd like to avoid that in the
future.

For what it's worth, here's my system, although it is a lower-end
unit than what the original poster specified and doesn't include a monitor,
keyboard, or mouse (since I already had these; but I did add in a couple of
other things):

Item Description Price
11-124-047 CASE EMAX|10B2M ATX CS-501WW3 BR RT $49.00
11-999-012 ACCES FAN|12CMX25 UC-12FAB-B ENER R $12.99
13-139-120 MB SY-KT333 DRAGON PLUS SOYO RETAIL $73.00
14-102-260 VGA ATIOEM|RADEON 9100 64M DDR DVI% $72.00
17-107-407 IOGEAR MINIVIEW GCS62 2PT KVM RTL $35.00
19-103-383 CPU AMD|2000+/266 TBRED XP RTL $66.00
20-145-410 DDRAM 256MB 32MX64 PC-2700C2PT COR% $48.50
21-152-001 FDD 1.44MB NEC|FD1231H-304/305% $ 6.50
22-144-132 HD 80GB|MAXTOR 6Y080L0 72R ATA133 % $84.00
27-151-019 CDRW 48x24x48|SMG SM-348BEA COMBO% $66.00
33-127-013 ROUTER DLINK|4-PRT DI-604 RETAIL $48.00
99-888-006 TOOL ACC|ANTI-STATIC WRIST STRAP% $ 4.99
COM Discount for 99-888-006 & AMD ($2.00)

Subtotal $563.98
Tax $40.89
Shipping and Handling charge $29.78
Amount Paid $634.65
^^^^^^^
--
Lucius Chiaraviglio
Approximate E-mail address: (e-mail address removed)
To get the exact address: ^^^ ^replace this with 'r'
|||
replace this with single digit meaning the same thing
(Spambots of Doom, take that!).
 
Back
Top