buy or build?

[stuck]

Some time soon I going to have to upgrade my very aged hardware. So what do you good people think, should I:
1) buy a (branded) desktop/tower?
2) go for a more flexible option of a laptop, to which I can plug in keyboard and mouse and hook up to my nice wide gamut Dell monitor?
3) build a desktop/tower?

If 1) which brand and/or any particular model?
If 2) which laptop?
If 3) which mobo/CPU/graphics card are the current favourites

My home PC requirements are modest. Photoshop is probably the heaviest duty software I use but it's such an ancient version I can't see it being compatible with a 64bit OS so that's something else that will need an upgrade.

Ken

[viking33]

Ken. I have always built my own desktop PC. It gives you a large array of options and costs to fit your budget and needs. you can Google "build your own computer"
The last system I built is from Portatech.com. Others I have used are from
Newegg.com and Directron.com.
I like the ability to start out with a case and power supply, then go on to the other components one by one. The result is my design, not some other persons liking.
You can choose to have the vendor assemble and test it for you, if you wish. I usually pick this, in order to receive a system that will work out of the box and not have to have return and wait and play act.
I have had very good results doing it "my way."

[stuck]

I built my own Win 98 PC back in, umm, 1998 but replaced it with a second hand branded box that came without an OS so I only had to build the software side that time. So yes, I appreciate the flexibility of DIY. I was just wondering that given my modest home PC requirements if an off the shelf solution would be simpler?

Ken

[HansV]

If your needs are modest, you might buy a cheap desktop or laptop from a high street chain; even modest computers nowadays are usually quite capable.

[John Gray]

Why on earth would you want to build something when perfectly good PC manufacturers have done all the hard work for you?

Buy a second-hand ex-company high-end Optiplex*, or workstation*.
(I know I would...)

If you want a laptop, second-hand Lenovo Think-Pad* types are good - but avoid those with 1366x768 screens...

* my first look would be Microdream or Morgan Computers.

[BobH]

I built this desktop system several years. I started with a tower box that I had on hand then bought a PSU twice as large as I thought I'd need. I then looked at CPUs and picked Intel Core i5 3.GHz Ivy Bridge after comparing price-performance for a half-dozen or so alternatives. Next I decided how much RAM I wanted - as much as the OS will address - and then compared graphics cards. I already had an NVIDIA card (1024MB NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT (EVGA)) adequate for my needs knowing that I could trade up later if this became a performance inhibitor. It has not, so far. Having settled on each of those components to drive the mobo needs, I evaluated and chose one adequate to the tasks plus at least 50% more as cushion, and bought the ECS Z77H2-A3 . I had decided to go with Win7 64-bit (latest and greatest at the time) and had a multi-use upgrade option that reduced my cash outlay. I bought and assembled the components and installed Win 7 then ran tests and checked error logs. Luckily I had no major issues.

Later I bought an SSD (232GB Crucial_CT250MX200SSD1 ATA Device) and reconfigured the OS to reside there. I strongly urge you to use an SSD as it relieves stress whe reboots are done. I was driven by a limited budget; get the biggest fastest one you can afford, is my 2 pence worth. I started with the 500GB HDDs I already had and have since added two 1-Tb drives and reconfigured file placements. I also re-purposed an on-hand DVD optical disk drive (Optiarc DVD RW AD-7280S ATA Device) which only rarely gets used today. The only software upgrade that I did at the time of the build was Win7 from XP.

In hindsight it was foolish not to buy a new tower case as using the old one gave me limited USB 2-3 and iSATA ports. I only saved a few dollars and would have been better served spending a few more 'quid' (see what associating with you lot have done to my language usage?).

It's been at least 5 years since I built this system. I think I did it all for less than 500 USD (using components on hand anf re-purposing some), but don't trust a geezer's memory! I searched and found builders' forums and used Tiger Direct and New Egg extensively for shopping specs and costs. The main new components were the PSU, the mobo anf RAM sticks.

I re-used existing keyboard, monitor, mouse, speakers, etc.

HTH. There are probably dozens of better ways to go about choosing components and building. I offer this for consideration of the approach I took.

[viking33]

John said:
Why on earth would you want to build something when perfectly good PC manufacturers have done the hard work for you?

My quote: The result is my design, not some other persons liking.
Perhaps some could not be bothered to do it this way but why get what they want? Then go out and buy a computer out of the can!

[BobH]

I too liked being able to make the component and function choices plus I enjoyed the challenge of building it myself. If I were not retired it might be different.

[StuartR]

The last couple of PCs that I bought came from a company that allows me to make changes to the configuration to meet my needs. I wanted PCs that were very quiet and this company specializes in building custom PCs that make very little noise.

[Rudi]

My Like John says, Why build!" You have instant gratification when buying a fully functional unit. (But that is my opinion as I am not a tinkerer!)

Its tough to suggest a brand nowadays as they all have their individual pros and cons. I've only ever had 3 brands over the years (Acer, HP and Lenovo) and I've never had significant issues with any of them (maybe I'm lucky!!)

Have a look at this brief guideline to help make your choice regarding a purchased PC/Laptop/Brand.

[stuck]

Buy a second-hand ex-company high-end Optiplex*....
* my first look would be Microdream or Morgan Computers.

Thanks, I think I'll start my searching there.

Ken

[viking33]

Buy a second-hand ex-company high-end Optiplex*....
* my first look would be Microdream or Morgan Computers.

Thanks, I think I'll start my searching there.

Ken

If you have a little time, go to one of the sites I mentioned and build your self a "fantasy" PC which you can also use as a cost comparison to other builds. You don't have to commit yourself at all.

[stuck]

Ooo, overkill or what but John's suggestions have turned up a Xeon PC for not a stupid amount of money. If I had one of those I could try the latest (free) version of Terragen and there's a chance that a render would complete sometime before my death at a ripe old age.

Ken

[BobH]

I have had no good experience with remaindered or refurbished PCs. I quit buying them after the 3rd one died before it should have. Even if the seller offers a period of warranty or comparable replacement, I found it not worth the hassle. YMMV but I'll exploit my budget constraints by building my own from judiciously acquired parts and by re-purposing components that are known quantities to me.

Again YMMV; I'm only reporting my experience. I once had a penny-pinching CFO who would not be convinced that remaindered/refurbished systems were a bad idea until, after purchasing several hundred, our MTTF experience when compared to buying new showed there was no advantage even after spending most of the difference in purchase costs in repair and maintenance costs (nevermind lost user productivity); yet when it came time to replace his system, only top shelf name-branded and warranted products were to be considered.

... jus' sayin'

[DaveA]

We use a local OEM, and start with a standard package and then have them up grade the disk size, RAM and what ever else.
These come with a warranty and they have been great machines.
If I really have issues with them, one can grab the tech across the counter, which is kinda hard to do with the Big name boys.

NOTE: now that we have moved, we will need to find a new local OEM.

[jonwallace]

I built my last one, mainly for the experience (it's like lego, only the build manual has words, not always english), but also because I wanted it as quiet as possible as it sits in the corner of my living room. I was able to buy a monster slow-speed fan for the processor (it looks like the back end of a florida swamp-boat) and a reasonably high-end fanless video card. It did give me the confidence to swap out the video card for an even higher end (also fanless) when I bought a new monitor that the old card didn't support.

[viking33]

NOTE: now that we have moved, we will need to find a new local OEM.

Renton, Washington? I had an uncle who lived out there many years ago. Small world, Dave!

[Rudi]

If Dave has recently moved, then he move from Renton to somewhere else.

[DaveA]

We are now in the Olympia WA area. about 60 miles south of Renton.

Did this uncle work for Boeing?

[stuck]

...build your self a "fantasy" PC...

I've done that on UK sites but I seem to have expensive tastes By the time I've pared things back to a sensible budget I then feel disappointed that it's not what I wanted

That's another reason why a refurbished model appeals. You can get more for you money. OK as Bob pointed out it could be a false economy but my current hardware is a recycled machine that cost next to nothing and has lasted close to 10 years. In fact it's still more than adequate for my needs - except it runs XP

I may yet simply install a Linux distro, there's room on the main HDD to dual boot, and use the Linux side for web surfing and retain XP for Photoshop and other Windows apps I use.

Ken