Off-the-shelf PC

[Shrek]

Greatly appreciated.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Let me add one more thing. I am a bit confused about your hesitation to put one together yourself. There is no shame in having someone else do it. It is nice to have someone else you can point a finger at if something should go wrong. But I note you have already alluded to the fact that you want a system where you could upgrade the CPU. That suggests you are comfortable enough with your own skillsets to pull the cooler and the old CPU, mounting the new CPU and remounting the cooler. I seem to recall other posts where you have replaced PSUs and graphics cards, as well as various drives. And I know you are fully aware of ESD precautions.

Am I right so far?

My point is, other than mounting the motherboard - where the biggest concern (other than ESD and dropping it) is making sure the case only has a standoff were the motherboard has a mounting hole - you have already pretty much done a complete PC assembly. All that is left is installing the OS and that takes time, but is not hard either.

Oh, the other concern with mounting the motherboard is remembering to insert the motherboard's rear panel I/O shield in the case BEFORE mounting the board.

So I wonder, why not just build one yourself? I can tell you that building your own also brings a nice warm fuzzy feeling with it!

 

[unwind-protect]

So I wonder, why not just build one yourself? I can tell you that building your own also brings a nice warm fuzzy feeling with it!

Until one of the component doesn't work and you don't know which one

 

[crlogic]

The ABS brand prebuilts on NewEgg are off the shelf parts and good value. I've worked with a few of them

 

[Bill_Bright]

Until one of the component doesn't work and you don't know which one

Ummm, that's where troubleshooting comes in - and tech support forums like TPU.

Your point is valid, but not to dissuade anyone from building your own. How many non-plumbers fixed running toilet? Or non-mechanics did minor maintenance on their own cars.

There is nothing to stop anyone who built their own computer from taking it to a repair shop if it breaks.

 

[Shrek]

Let me add one more thing. I am a bit confused about your hesitation to put one together yourself.

The effort! and the price; let me explain

• Just finding the right power supply is a big project for me (sames goes for RAM, CPU, etc) so hard to do all at once
• I am used to getting hold of some junk and then slowely upgrading with second hand parts; my present Core 2 Quad CPU was around $25 with postage

all this fun would be lost.

Last purchase was a 2TB SATA SSD for just over $40, just finding the right carrier was hard enough; I started with some cheap ones I needed to rethread before I found a better solution.

 

[Bill_Bright]

The effort!

Everyone has to put their own value on their own time and effort. In the past, I have painted my own houses, inside and out. But now I am seriously considering hiring someone to do some paintwork simply because I don't want to put the time and effort into it myself. It will certainly cost more to have someone do it, but I consider it worth it since it will free up time for things I would rather be doing.

Same with maintaining my vehicles. I used to do all my own maintenance - to include pulling transmissions, swapping out flywheels, replacing U-joints and more. But never brakes. I want someone I can sue if something goes wrong! But now, I just have my mechanic do all the work - in part because I can afford it, but also because I value my own free time more.

Just finding the right power supply is a big project for me (sames goes for RAM, CPU, etc) so hard to do all at once

Doing proper and thorough homework researching components is indeed, if you want to do it right, the most time consuming and even challenging part of building your own. This is especially challenging if one has a touch of OCD.

You might check out PCPartPicker. It is a great tool for beginners and experienced builders alike. One thing it is good at is ensuring the various components are compatible. It also determines power supply requirements based on the parts selected.

and the price

You seem to be hung up on "up front" costs and I would urge you to look at costs strategically (long term) instead. With careful shopping, you WILL save money in the long run simply because you will be able to perform various upgrades over time, allowing the computer to keep evolving to stay current and to meet your changing and evolving needs. That helps extend the overall lifespan of the computer. And that saves money in the long run compared to the alternative which is buying all new more often.

I am used to getting hold of some junk and then slowely upgrading with second hand parts; my present Core 2 Quad CPU was around $25 with postage

all this fun would be lost.

The process and fun is very similar. It is just brand new (and under warranty) parts instead of used. And of course (and again with careful research), shipping is free!

The only thing I do NOT recommend is buying your new components, one-by-one, slowly over time. Instead, build up your budget until you can buy everything all at once, or at least over just a couple weeks time frame. The reason for this is primarily because warranties typically start at the date of purchase. You don't want your motherboard warranty to be 6 months old, for example, before you buy the CPU to mount on it. Also, many retailers have a 30 day (or something similar) "no-questions asked" return policy - where you can return something even if you just change your mind. If that expires, you may have to deal with product manufacturers' return policies instead, and/or if no fault is found, you may be charged a restocking fee.

 

[Shrek]

Many a valid point.

 

[nomdeplume]

Will be fun to see what you eventually go with and where you take it.

 

[Shrek]

My thoughts are bouncing around (even to extent of considering Windows 10 LTSC) and will hopefully settle at some point.

People here have been very patient with what might seem like me not being able to make up my mind.

 

[A Computer Guy]

My thoughts are bouncing around (even to extent of considering Windows 10 LTSC) and will hopefully settle at some point.

People here have been very patient with what might seem like me not being able to make up my mind.

I have to admit I've been a bit baffled as the conversation unfolded. On one hand I think AMD AM4 or Intel LGA 1200 aftermarket parts would be your style but on the other hand I think you deserve to treat yourself to something closer to the current availability just because you kept your old system working for so long you deserve to splurge in that glory of $1000 budget suggested build earlier.

 

[Shrek]

I think you are right and I will forgo the joy/trouble of keeping an old jalopy running and enjoy a modern computer; but old habits die hard, and I need to convince myself.

 

[A Computer Guy]

I think you are right and I will forgo the joy/trouble of keeping an old jalopy running and enjoy a modern computer.

Hey I'm not trying to rain on anybody's parade. LOL when I went from my Q6600 to AM4 there was plenty of joy/trouble in a modern computer at least for a short time. Overall not too bad in my case and I'll likely keep my AM4 PC for quite a long time. Just like when Q6600 came out I feel like I got in at the right time and ended up with exactly what I needed. I didn't have any major problems that didn't eventually get sorted out, some others had much worse luck and worse experiences, so I knock on wood so hopefully the endurance of my newer system will last at least as long as my old one did.

 

[Shrek]

Not at all, 'your logic is undeniable' (V.I.K.I)

 

[Bill_Bright]

but old habits die hard, and I need to convince myself.

I think this is a conundrum every consumer encounters over and over again during our lives.

I remember way back in the early 60s, after watching The Wizard of Oz at a neighbor's house on their brand new (first in the neighborhood) RCA color TV, my dad arguing with my sister, me and my mom, "Why do we need a color TV when our Zenith black and white TV still works perfectly fine?" With Mom on our side, Dad lost that argument.

How many still operating CRT TVs and monitors have we replaced with LCDs?

How many still operating 4:3 monitors have we replaced with widescreens?

Perfectly good 8-Tracks for cassettes? VCRs for DVD players? DVD players for Blue-rays?

Cordless home phones?

MP3 players?

Calculators?

Cell phones?

Hard drives? (We're getting there!)

It is just a fact that for the last few decades, home/consumer electronics tend to outlast the technology they support. They get retired before they die. That is, to keep up with the latest technologies and "state-of-the-art" (and Jones?), we end up needing (or just wanting) to replace still operating hardware with newer, faster, [hopefully] better stuff.

It is just a "fact of life", if not "cost of living" too.

 

[Shrek]

It is typical of me to 'go round and round' when trying to figure something out, and I appreciate the patience show here to this approach.

 

[Bill_Bright]

It is typical of me to 'go round and round' when trying to figure something out, and I appreciate the patience show here to this approach.

I know. We are doing that with silicone oil, huh?

The difference here is big-time money. A new computer is a major expense - at least until I win the lottery!

 

[P4-630]

This is a 10-year plan?....

 

[Shrek]

Unrealistic?

 

[kapone32]

So what would you buy for $300 (new)?

6750XT all the way.

 

[JrRacinFan]

@Shrek Fair warning I didn't read the whole thread/

Look into an ABS brand tower if youre looking for "prebuilt". It's basically a NewEgg in house brand that uses off the shelf parts. Similar to Cyberpower but I trust ABS more.

 

[Shrek]

THIS is what I am after!

Greatly appreciated

 

[maxfly]

You've got 2 years to research your parts and make up your mind. Easy peasy.

As for pre-built vs custom? Pre-built systems have their place. You can pick up used pre-builds for a fraction of the cost of a custom rig. I've actually used several in situations where a client is cash strapped and isn't looking for a hotrod. Plug in a decent monitor, keyboard and mouse boom, done. Newegg has thousands of them. The problem with most pre-builds are nearly all are built from lower quality components in comparison to a well thought out custom rig. The only exceptions being boutique builds but those are ridiculously over priced as a rule. Custom builds are pretty much self explanatory. Build it to your EXACT specifications. No corners need be cut and no compromises need be made. A custom rig can be as high quality (or low)as you're willing to go. A
pre-built on the other hand is almost always globally cut cornered and compromised from it's inception.

With your history of tinkering and modifying, I'm actually shocked that your even considering a pre-built.

 

[Shrek]

With your history of tinkering and modifying, I'm actually shocked that your even considering a pre-built.

A most excellent point!

Took me half a day just to figure out what bug-zapper to get...

 

[kapone32]

A most excellent point!

Took me half a day just to figure out what bug-zapper to get...

One of the things you could is look for a nice APU based PC. Usually you can get those for a good price.