Is it better to build or buy a computer?

In today’s society, computers are a valuable resource that most people rely on. Research suggests that it is better to build a computer rather than buy one. This is because building meets the particular need of the user, pricing of computers and proprietary parts used by major companies is x. Do computer companies put bloat software on prebuilt computers? What about computer support system?

Various authors have given different opinion regarding the subject. They seek to explain why a certain choice will be more considerable as compared to the other. The others who have written different resources regarding the issue. The include the following. McRae, K., & Marshall, G. (2012). Haynes build your own computer. Spark ford: Haynes, Chambers, M. L. (2009). Build your own PC do-it-yourself for dummies. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley. Prokaza J. (2015). Is It Cheap to Build Your Own Personal Computer? Lendino J., (2010) Reasons You Should Built Your PC., Ralph N., (2010). Don’t Buy It, Build It, Pitts R., (2011). The High-End PC, Macmillan P., (2014). Choosing Your Next, Gaming PC: Should You Build, or Get a Laptop? Graziano D. (2013). The Pros and Cons of Building Your Own Computer., Betts, A., (2015). Is It Still Cheaper to Build Your Own Personal Computer? Dexter, A., (2015). 10 Reasons Why You Should Build Your Next PC, Gordon W, (2013). Is Building a PC Really Cheaper Than Buying One? Chambers, M. L. (2009). Build your own PC do-it-yourself for dummies. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley., and McRae, K., & Marshall, G. (2012). Haynes build your own computer. Spark ford: Haynes

Chambers, M. L. (2009). Build your own PC do-it-yourself for dummies. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley.

The author gives different reasons why one would consider building a computer rather than buying one. at the same time, he gives reasons that would make the same individual or organization decide to buy rather than build the same.

The reasons that trigger an individual to make a decision towards buying or making a computer are determined by the intended purpose of the user and the expense of undertaking the selected choice. Small businesses might consider buying a computer rather than making it due to a number of reasons. The reasons might include limited budget, lack of technical proficiency, limited time, having great already canned software that might as well take a lot of time developing and the at times considering that the business does not involve technological competition.

A limited budget might be a limitation to the smaller business since developing a software might require more money than the company or business might be able to raise. In this case, it would be logical to buy a computer rather than build one. by choosing this, the company might save a lot of funds and still achieve the same purpose as intended.

Lack of technical proficiency, on the other hand plays a major role when making the decision to buy a computer. If a business or individual has a deficiency in proficiency, making the computer would be impossible. It requires a lot of skills to come up with a stable computer with good software. If there is no reliable team of developers to come up with the desired product, then one might consider buying a pre-built computer.

Lack of time is another factor that would make the individual or company decide on buying the computer rather than make one. this is because making a stable computer will require time to come up with a successful software. The time factor might be considered if the computer is required over a shorter period of time. It would spell disaster if a team of developers do not take their time to think and plan for the software they want to come up with. It would be full of issues and would not be successful.

Another reason why one might consider buying a computer rather than build one is that there might be an efficient readily available software in the market. There would therefore be no reason of coming up with another one. most common businesses have the software they would require for business readily available in the market. Some of these businesses include restaurants, banks and schools. The best thing about such software is that they have already been tested and proved efficient. Such software would therefore be efficient to use rather than deciding to make software whose effectiveness has not been tested or proven great.

McRae, K., & Marshall, G. (2012). Haynes build your own computer. Spark ford: Haynes

The authors maintain that a business might decide to buy rather than build a computer if the business involved is not technologically involved. Such a business would be a carpentry workshop. In this case, building an amazing technology would unlikely be a factor that would place the business better in competition (McRae & Marshall, 2012). The software would as well not be used to improve the quality of services offered in such a business. The factors that the clients would consider instead of technological related advances would be the quality factor and the prices of the products

The authors give factors that might make an individual or business consider making a computer rather than buying a prebuilt computer as well. Some of these reasons might be: increased productivity, competitive advantage, and faster reaction time.

They say that the business might be oriented to increased productivity rather than what it produces using pre-built computers. Programs that are specifically made from one’s mind can enable one’s team work faster and more efficiently. This is achieved through creating one comprehensive technology rather than using multiple different programs (McRae & Marshall, 2012). An integrated program would be better placed since the users would not need to waste time switching from one interface to another. They would be able to work efficiently from a single program all the time.

The authors say that the competitive advantage is another factor that would make an individual or business decide to build rather than buy a computer. They would be seeking to deviate from the common off-the-shelf software that their business rivals might be using. Using a different software would make it easier to outsmart them. Having the same software might make it difficult to outperform them if they have other better strategies. Having a different and unique computer with different software, therefore, places the business at an upper hand. At the same time the business would be in a position to change the quality or the design of the product therefore getting the customers attention. The advantage grows as the user invests more on heavily in the proprietary program (McRae & Marshall, 2012).

Another factor that would influence building rather than buying a computer would be faster reaction time. When the business needs to build a great customer software, it might be necessary to hire a stellar software development team. The team can then build a variety of tools, products and systems. They will be in a position to shift quickly as the market needs. Technological strategies could make a great difference in market dominance and obsolesce (McRae & Marshall, 2012)

A custom software is worth the time and cash invested in it. It is of much importance if one is hoping to make a meaningful scale in business. A customized software is supposed to be made to fit the company needs. It is supposed to be focused on efficiency and scalability. It can make a big difference between offering a commoditized service and offering a highly differentiated one at a better price (McRae & Marshall, 2012). Building a custom software or a computer might unlock a host of benefits for a business or individual as well.

Gordon W, (2013). Is Building a PC Really Cheaper Than Buying One?

Gordon maintains that for the basic lower-end computers, one should consider buying. He continues to say that many computer enthusiasts might understand that the manufacturer will always have the power of selling in bulk. They will always sell cheaper the product at a cheaper price as compared since they make and sell the computers in bulk. He advises that if the customer does not need the computer for complex tasks, they should not consider building any. He suggests that they will probably get the same results as they would if they had considered building one.

He gives an analysis of the things the customer would have to buy if they decided to build the computer. The same accessories or software would be given at a cheaper price if bought as one complete computer. They include the operating system, which usually costs at around $100, a mouse, a keyboard and a monitor and/or speakers. If one choses to build the computer, they will be forced to buy these accessories separately ultimately spending much more money than planned.

If one desires a computer for gaming, overlocking and other more complex needs, Gordon says that the customer should then consider building. This is because many computers that are designed by the manufacturer for this kind of jobs are usually overpriced. Therefore, building one would cost a little less than the quoted cost. The same applies if one requires a more enthusiastic machine that will require special features. The customer should build the computer themselves to make sure their desired specifications are included in the machine. He says that this will enable the user be in a position to know what to prioritize. For instance, a computer that is required for gaming might need no hyper-threaded CPU but would require a very efficient video card. Gordon says that picking a motherboard that lets the user get more bang through interlocking can be better than buying a locked-down prebuilt PC.

He continues to say that the user is placed at better position if they build the PC since making an upgrade will be much simpler. Some components can be upgraded while others might be reused such as the case and power supply. He insists that this is not possible with a pre-built computer since most of them use proprietary parts. Therefore, doing this might save money when upgrading.

Gordon finishes by saying that the best thing to do is firsts to seek to understand the intended function of the computer. After that. It will be easier to compare what option might work; buying or building the computer.

Macmillan P., (2014). Choosing Your Next Gaming PC: Should You Build, or Get a Laptop?

Macmillan suggests that there are three main options that are available in the market. He says that when it comes to buying or building a computer, there are those who seek for the cheaper option while others choose the alternative that will give them their desired results.

He says that building a computer will enable the user to make the best bang for the buck. This is possible since the computer is built from parts one built themselves…

He however, gives one limitation about building the computer, one might waste a lot of time testing the compatibility of the components. One might find that the motherboard does not fit in well with the processor. The need of either one graphics card or two, is another problem.

The solution to this, he says, might be the use of company teams such as Reddit where one can place an order and a budget of the computer they want to build. The forum then responds on what is needed for the work neatly laid in a list at their best prices.

The reason for buying according to him, might be portability. Laptops, mostly prebuilt, are very much portable and would be more preferable. Laptops can give the best all-in-one system that has all the user needs especially when it comes to gaming. They include all the control tabs that a user might require in their gaming need, the problem is that the battery used in these laptops don’t keep it long enough. So no matter how good and portable the laptop might be, its battery life makes the alternative unfavorable.

Graziano D. (2013). The Pros and Cons of Building Your Own Computer.

In his article, Graziano gives some numerous reasons for building as well as buying a computer. He has the same idea as (Graziano, 2013) since he claims that thee purpose for buying or making a computer should be defined by the expected requirements of the user.

For basic word processing, Web browsing, and video streaming, a computer from your local Best Buy will do just fine. In fact, you may be better suited for a low-priced laptop than a large and clunky desktop. He insists that while one can purchase high-end computers from companies such as Alien ware, you can probably get better bang for one’s buck by building your own.

Building a computer from scratch isn’t for everyone, though. The process can be long and stressful if you don’t know what you are doing, and can turn into an endless money pit. He says that one can take the dwindling market of desktops as a chance to buy them at a low price.

Graziano reminds us that as with any tough decision, there are both pros and cons to buying a PC versus building one. Buying a PC from a manufacturer like HP, Dell, or Lenovo can be very cheap. Prices have been driven down to all-time lows. Basic desktops and laptops now start at around $300 (Graziano, 2013). one will therefore have a device that just works, in most cases, out of the box. The pre-built computers have an additional advantage of having tech support and a warranty.

Things get a bit more expensive when one starts looking for better equipped models, or begin to add newer and faster components. Companies make their money on things like added memory, more storage, and upgraded video cards. A top of the line gaming computer can run as high as $3,000, but it doesn’t have to cost that much according to him.

Building an own computer allows for complete customization and gives the user the ability to upgrade the internal hardware whenever they please, something that cannot be done with most pre-built models. You can create a powerful desktop for less than those pricey high-end models, with the tradeoff being that you are on your own.

Individual components carry warranties, but it’s on you if something goes wrong. Computer doesn’t power on? Tough luck. A specific component isn’t being recognized? There is no 24/7 tech hotline for you to call.

He put it clear that his intention is not to scare anyone away from building a PC, but rather ensuring that they understand the risks involved. He advises people to take their time and do proper research, before deciding on whether to build or buy a computer. Not only can building a computer be a great learning experience, but can actually be pretty fun.

He says that if companies were in a position to combine prortab9lity with functionality, the n buying prebuilt computers such as laptops would be the best thing. But as long as this is not yet done, building customized computers would be the best option.

Betts, A., (2015). Is It Still Cheaper to Build Your Own Personal Computer?

Betts holds that it has been an old belief that building a computer was the only way one would come up with the best computer. Time has changed, he says. PC prices have plummeted and people have started buying laptops as appliances, using them for up to four years before buying replacements. (Betts, 2015).

He however evaluates the prices of different computer elements to help the user know what the best option would be. He explains the average price of every component ranging from the processor, the motherboard, memory, graphics card, storage, power supply, fans, case, the operating system and extras. He gives estimates for each component and then the price of a pre-built computer that has all the components installed. He shows that at the entry level system, the price of building the computer will be slightly higher than buying a pre- built computer with similar specifications. This he does by comparing Dell Inspiron that has a one terabyte hard disk, eight GB RAM and processor speed of 1.3 GHz since it is the most commonly used.

He then compares the performance of the computer by bringing in HP Envy desktop. He gives the estimated price of buying it as saving $50 as compared to building it. For a gaming system, he compares Asus model G20AJ-B11 has an i7 processor, GeForce GTX 960 graphics card, and 16GB RAM. Putting all this together, he claims that buying it for gaming purposes will save the buyer a whopping $276 as compared to when they would build one such computer.

He recommends that since the pattern is clear, one should just need to identify the need of the computer hen look for one that befits the need in the market. At the budget end of the market, the margins are so low that it’s difficult to undercut the price of a pre-built PC, and any savings you can make on the hardware will likely be cancelled out by the $100 price of a copy of Windows 10.

When one moves towards the mid-range, savings become possible. It may not be enough to warrant the extra effort involved in building a personal computer but it’s certainly worth exploring.

It’s at the top end of the market where the benefits of building your own PC become pronounced. Not only are you able to make savings on equivalently-specified machines, but you also get to tailor the specs to your exact needs. Broadly speaking, the more niche your PC requirements, the better off you’ll be building your own.

Of course, this is all based on you starting from scratch. The real beauty of a custom-built PC is that you can easily build in future upgrade paths. This enables you to update individual components as needed and keep your PC running for longer than a store-bought model ever could.

This is different from what most of the other writers are saying. Authors like Gordon, Betts and Dexter claim that building one would enable the users to get their desired results.

Dexter, A., (2015). 10 Reasons Why You Should Build Your Next PC

Dexter is of the opinion that people should build their computers instead of buying. He says that there are numerous reasons for the same. He raises the trust issue as one of the major reasons as to why one should choose to build the computer.

He says that by doing so one can build a system that is fits the size for the space one has and one that saves on money as well. This is because one will eliminate the components that are not essential and major in the most important ones

He says that building it can help in creating the perfect PC, as opposed to someone else’s concept of perfection.

Prokaza J. (2015). Is It Cheap to Build Your Own Personal Computer?

Prokaza compares different factors to come up with the best method of obtaining a computer; buying or building one. she compares the prices of building as well as. The price of building a computer, she found, was a bit higher than that of buying it. She however, adds that despite the high price, building it would give the user the liberty to decide on the choice of components to use.

Time factor then comes in. building a computer will consume more time than buying it. She says that “This isn’t a weekend project where you pick cheap components online, You’ll need to know what you want in some detail and how best to combine each part to get the best bang for your buck, then take your time to build it”

However, to save on time and money, she suggests that one must be crafty. One can choose not to start from scratch, reusing previously bought components might help. If you’ve ever upgraded your current PC and didn’t dispose of the old components, then using them in a second PC will cut costs — as long as they still work, of course (Prokaza, 2015). The result may not be particularly powerful if it’s built from obsolete parts, but it should be more than enough for web browsing, email and running a free productivity application like Libre Office, and it can probably easily manage without an optical drive. Reusing an old processor or hard drive can slash the price of building the computer, as will an old mouse and keyboard too. Since it’s illegal to install and use an existing copy on a second computer, one might install an older version of an operating system that you no longer use. Things have been made even easier by the existence of Linux in the market, she adds.

Lendino J., (2010) Reasons You Should Built Your PC.

Lendino says that Building your own PC is as rewarding as ever. Fortunately, it still makes plenty of sense, too.

He admits that it is true one cannot beat the convenience of today’s retail PCs. As consumer interest shifts to laptops and cell phones, desktop PC sales still carve out a substantial niche in the market. On paper, they look pretty good. Many of the lower-end models come with free PCIe slots, at least the ones in regular tower cases.

In theory, he says that a gamer could go with a $600 Gateway, Dell, or HP configuration, and then add a better video card. That would be a convenient computer for most people. Even for gaming, it would work for a while, providing you kept the extra video card to a shorter, lower-end model that fits inside the case, and that isn’t too demanding on the PSU.

There are, however, pitfalls to this approach. In years past, PC enthusiasts decried retail PCs, saying that a custom-built model is significantly cheaper and performs better. The first point is no longer true; economies of scale have made it difficult to save money when building a PC on as an individual. But the latter still holds. There will always be a place for boutique PC builders that can put together killer, high-end gaming PCs.

Ralph N., (2010). Don’t Buy It, Build It

Ralph comments that finding a perfect personal computer means a lot to different people. That if one searches hard enough, they might find a factory made machine that matches the requirements but at a reasonable price. However, it might take so long before finding the PC. Instead of waiting to find the perfect match one should consider building your own. Technology has become increasingly helpful and having the computers modular with a guide one can build a dream machine with the needs and budget set right.

He continues to say that the most important step of building a PC is exactly knowing what you want it to do. The only bad thing is spending a lot of money on assembling a part that would easily found and cheaper. After identifying the functions decide how much you are willing to spend. He says that the computer manufacturers have the advantage of buying the components at a way cheaper price than the individual who buys the components online. However, the individual does not undergo cost such as the cost of assembling of which the individual can readily do

He continues to compare the performance of a $500 system and same category kind of desktop PC. Some properties such as the graphics performance was better in the built computer. However, the challenge was in tackling the high definition content. The end result is smooth and higher resolutions due to the feature of H.264 decoding.

He goes ahead to give an example of the built computer with the already existing system of a higher price. The built machine struggled a bit with its cheap pre-assembled pats. He says that the graphics performance was still great and this would enable and ease the playing of some games. He concludes that deciding to build a computer individually helps to choose a fairly versatile condition. He concludes that building one’s personal computer is better because it enables features not included to be incorporated and included in the making.

Pitts R., (2011). The High-End PC

Pitts compares the high end computer to a race car that requires more care and attention than the normal computers. It is important to understand the meaning of high-end and goes ahead to explain. He says that a pre-built computer would be better placed. He explains it as a machine that would be able to handle games with high graphic settings and one that can support for quite a number of years. He goes ahead to give an example of the latest technology that add up to 40000 graphics although it can be jacked with 4 cooled NvidiaGTX-780i.

The author goes on to support that one would spend a little more on buying a high-end computer than building one. However, the best thing about buying the machines is that they will be built with technology that has been looked at and proved to work. Better still when the bought PC has developed any problem one can send back the machine to be exchanged with another one or have it repaired for you. He also adds up that the most important thing in building the PC is finding parts that will work well and give futureproofing to justify the expense. He points out that the builder should not only check the new technology but the reliability of the technology since the future proofing is based on this.

He gives the actual figure that should be saved in case on decides to build the same. He gives an example of a PC he individually built in 2012 that spent $1400 lesser than the actual market in the market though the computer was not as much appealing as one that could be bought in the market. He goes ahead to point out the different parts he used in building the PC. In conclusion the author advocates to buy the PC since the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

In conclusion, the user should consider the function of the computer before deciding in whether to buy or build it. If the computer is required for basic light job, then buying it would be the best option but if the computer is required for a more specialized work, building it would work best.

References

Prokaza J. (2015). Is It Cheap to Build Your Own Personal Computer?

Lendino J., (2010) Reasons You Should Built Your PC.

Ralph N., (2010). Don’t Buy It, Build It

Pitts R., (2011). The High-End PC

Macmillan P., (2014). Choosing Your Next Gaming PC: Should You Build, or Get a Laptop?

Graziano D. (2013). The Pros and Cons of Building Your Own Computer.

Betts, A., (2015). Is It Still Cheaper to Build Your Own Personal Computer?

Dexter, A., (2015). 10 Reasons Why You Should Build Your Next PC

Gordon W, (2013). Is Building a PC Really Cheaper Than Buying One?

Chambers, M. L. (2009). Build your own PC do-it-yourself for dummies. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley.

McRae, K., & Marshall, G. (2012). Haynes build your own computer. Spark ford: Haynes