Custom-Building systems vs. Buying Brand-names

  • Thread starter Thread starter Dave Hardenbrook
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Dave Hardenbrook

I am a self-employed computer tech who would very much like to include
custom-built systems as part of the services I offer my clients.
However, I'm wondering about the best way to "sell" the idea to them.
As far as I can tell, there is no way to build a custom system (unless I
use all used parts and charge $0 for labor) for less than a $300 low-end
Dell. As a card-carrying computer geek, the advantages of a
custom-build system are obvious to me, but from the POV of my clients,
many of whom are "Word-and-Email-Only" users, these advantages would
seemingly be trumped by the higher price tag. So how do I go about
"selling" the idea of custom-built systems to the average user?

Thanks ahead.
 
Dave said:
I am a self-employed computer tech who would very much like to include
custom-built systems as part of the services I offer my clients.
However, I'm wondering about the best way to "sell" the idea to them.
As far as I can tell, there is no way to build a custom system (unless I
use all used parts and charge $0 for labor) for less than a $300 low-end
Dell. As a card-carrying computer geek, the advantages of a
custom-build system are obvious to me, but from the POV of my clients,
many of whom are "Word-and-Email-Only" users, these advantages would
seemingly be trumped by the higher price tag. So how do I go about
"selling" the idea of custom-built systems to the average user?

Thanks ahead.
Click to expand...
Some examples:

-Custom PC's have parts of higher quality: the OEM PC's often have parts
that only just made it trough the qualification, or have a name for just
that pc so useless parts can be sold anyways. The chipsets could be made
to support the current CPU, but no higher, or no more RAM then present
when the PC is sold

-Custom PC's can be...Custom :P You can build a PC for any budget or any
specific needs, with more or less RAM, CPU power, Graphic power or HDD
space.

-Custom PC's last longer: when a PC becomes too slow, you can easyly
upgrade it, where OEM PC's might not support an upgrade (see point 1).
Also: they are easily repairable: if one part breaks, it is always
replaceable.

-Custom PC's often have better cooling: you can add in some large fan
in, for example, a Coolermaster Stacker: 8 120 MM fans that you could
put on a really low voltage to be almost unhearable.

-Custom PC's have new techniques: long before the bigger OEM company's
introduced them, custom PC's already had a Socket 478-->479 converter to
use Pentium M processors.

-Custom PC's learn you something about them (OK, this is a less
important one). A classmate of me recently wanted a computer: the best
money could buy! Then it turned out that he had an Ca 900 dollar budget.
So we started looking for some parts and he ordered a custom computer,
now he knows what is inside, why, and it runs great :P)

These are just some points, there are probably more.

Marc
 
I am a self-employed computer tech who would very much like to include
custom-built systems as part of the services I offer my clients.
However, I'm wondering about the best way to "sell" the idea to them.
As far as I can tell, there is no way to build a custom system (unless I
use all used parts and charge $0 for labor) for less than a $300 low-end
Dell. As a card-carrying computer geek, the advantages of a
custom-build system are obvious to me, but from the POV of my clients,
many of whom are "Word-and-Email-Only" users, these advantages would
seemingly be trumped by the higher price tag. So how do I go about
"selling" the idea of custom-built systems to the average user?
Click to expand...

I gave up on it. Once Sam's and Costco got into a six-month return no
questions asked policy, I realized that there was no way in the world
I could compete with that.

I like upgradability, but I have yet to actually upgrade the cpu on
the same mainboard and I've been building systems for myself for over
ten years. Another problem with custom-building for people is that
you have to do it in enough volume to have pieces around when somebody
brings you something you built with a problem; they don't want to wait
and you don't want to have to pay the shipping to get them going
overnight.

I'm not much on prebuilt systems, but I can't help but assume they
have people helping get parts designed the way they want them, whereas
to get stuff we believe is better all we can do is plop down more
money and hope.
 
Dave Hardenbrook said:
I am a self-employed computer tech who would very much like to include
custom-built systems as part of the services I offer my clients. However,
I'm wondering about the best way to "sell" the idea to them.
As far as I can tell, there is no way to build a custom system (unless I
use all used parts and charge $0 for labor) for less than a $300 low-end
Dell. As a card-carrying computer geek, the advantages of a custom-build
system are obvious to me, but from the POV of my clients, many of whom are
"Word-and-Email-Only" users, these advantages would seemingly be trumped
by the higher price tag. So how do I go about "selling" the idea of
custom-built systems to the average user?

Thanks ahead.
Click to expand...
You can't. The people who understand are tech savvy and would probably want
to build their own. The Costco crowd doesn't understand, or care about the
difference as long as the thing turns on. These are also the people who
bring their box in for repairs because a floppy was left in the drive. I
have friends who bring their box in for repairs at least once a quarter,
usually to remove a hijacker! They can't be talked to, they don't want to
know. That's where you make your money off these folks. Just repair their
Compaqs and keep the offer open and every now and then a surprise will come
along.
 
I am a self-employed computer tech who would very much like to include
custom-built systems as part of the services I offer my clients.
However, I'm wondering about the best way to "sell" the idea to them.
As far as I can tell, there is no way to build a custom system (unless I
use all used parts and charge $0 for labor) for less than a $300 low-end
Dell. As a card-carrying computer geek, the advantages of a
custom-build system are obvious to me, but from the POV of my clients,
many of whom are "Word-and-Email-Only" users, these advantages would
seemingly be trumped by the higher price tag. So how do I go about
"selling" the idea of custom-built systems to the average user?

Thanks ahead.
Click to expand...

The answer is obvious, Dave. If you want to sell a custom built
machine to these people, you have to go below the $300 entry-level
box.

Get a stack of obsolete boards, a bunch of DIMM memory sticks, some
old HDDs that test ok, and cheap new cases. Put them together and
sell them for $150 each as "Word-and-Email-Only" specials. Get some
parts redundancy going and sell them with a personal warranty.

Sell them with Win98 or Dynebolic Linux.

Charlie
 
Advertise what you build to a market looking for just that.
Something like High-end Game PCs Custom Built, and
really put a nice one together, and test and benchmark it
with several games. Virtually no techs or Custom Computer
Shops know how to do this, so it takes someone who is
willing to learn and keep up. You could even start a club
for your customers to stay aware of upgrades and new
developments. Personally, I find it kind of amusing to
walk in to a local computer store, and get into a conversation
with the owners about "what's new" in the gaming world.
They know very little about it, but they talk big. The real
gamers, on the other hand, do know, and most of them
know better than to just order a bunch of parts and expect
to get a good system out of it. It takes work and testing
to generate a good game box, and a gamer will pay the
extra cost. Also, another market is rapidly developing ...
and the techs and computer stores, again, know very little
about it .... Multimedia. None of them can configure a Hauppauge
card, or know which one works best, and why. None of them
know beans about LCD monitors in different viewing modes.
100 % of them will sing the praises of an nVidia 6800, and
not know that there are dozens of different models, most of
which are incompatible with a certain chipset ( which one :-).
So the market that I think you would find productive is the
gameboxes for adult gamers.

johns
 
I'm looking around now and it is an ordinary charge of $65 to
assemble a home computer. The customer must buy the all the parts
at your store (and none brought from home). (my area stores are
internet prices on parts - very competive local market).
 
I am a self-employed computer tech who would very much like to include
custom-built systems as part of the services I offer my clients.
However, I'm wondering about the best way to "sell" the idea to them.
As far as I can tell, there is no way to build a custom system (unless I
use all used parts and charge $0 for labor) for less than a $300 low-end
Dell. As a card-carrying computer geek, the advantages of a
custom-build system are obvious to me, but from the POV of my clients,
many of whom are "Word-and-Email-Only" users, these advantages would
seemingly be trumped by the higher price tag. So how do I go about
"selling" the idea of custom-built systems to the average user?
Click to expand...

Sorry for joining this thread late.

I don't think you can. For Word-and-Email-Only users, the low end Dell
is fine. I suggest you recommend Dell (or whoever you like) to people
looking for a very low end computer. They will come back to you for
repair, and perhaps a higher end system in the future.

What you can do is target specific niches. johns made a good
suggestion o f gamers. I would add a couple more.

Sell quiet systems. These don't have to be silent, but you can easily
build systems that are quiter than the discount boxes.

Sell small systems (or small *and* quiet). Something like the Asus
pundit cases.

Terry
 
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