this post was submitted on 05 Aug 2023
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My general advice would be to try to find a company that lets you select the individual parts like G. Skill 16GB (2x8) 3600Mhz vs a generic +16GB RAM upgrade (just an example and not a hard rule). Stuff like Origin PC and iBuyPower or whatever is local to you.
That way you avoid stuff like Dell and other big OEMs. You'll probably pay a bit more but that way you know exactly what you're getting in terms of quality. It's easier to look up reviews on individual parts than a whole prebuilt and they will likely be priced by quality.
That being said, if you know anyone who's put together their own PC or is the "computer person" maybe ask them for help with choosing those components.
A PC needs 7 main components: CPU, motherboard, GPU, RAM, storage, a power supply and a case.
Your choice of CPU and GPU can come from any youtube channel like Hardware Unboxed. Your motherboard, RAM and storage doesn't matter much tbh. Your case should have good airflow (anything with mesh really) and your power supply should be rated gold ideally from a reputable brand with enough headroom for your components (750W will cover most mid-high end stuff, 550W is likely fine for most). And you can figure out how much they're charging you extra for the building and warranty by checking how much the components cost on their own.
If you can make those few decisions then you're most of the way there barring the company techs messing up but if it performs as expected in games and temps are OK when you get it then you should be good to go.
@Sami @Dharkstare
Also recommending PCPartPicker, which lets you select compatible components, so you don't accidentally get things that wouldn't work together. It's not 100% guarantee, but it's served me really well over the years.
Yeah, it's a good tool for sure but I'm still recommending they go with a prebuilt just a more 'fine-tuned' one so they don't need to worry about compatibility. If you can choose the two options together on the custom PC company's site then they are compatible. But it's definitely the best way to tally up how much a comparable PC would cost you if you put it together yourself.
I second this.
About 6 years ago I had to make 20 upper mid teir pcs for a client's art department. I normally build my own but 20 seemed like a lot to do at once so I outsourced it to a company called Xidax.
I could pick the parts that met my spec and perhaps because it was a larger order I was able to get some parts they didn't have on their website after calling and asking. But most importantly it wasn't too much more expensive than a big box store pre-built but with quality parts, not just economy parts you might normally find in a lot of prebiilts. (PSUs and drives are important not to skimp on, especially in enterprise environments.)
I would say, building your own is better. Both from a cost and learning perspective. It's a lot easier then it seems, I know it's intimidating. But if your uncomfortable building your own. Go with a company you can pick name brand quality parts from that will last.
Also, I would avoid water cooling unless your workload demands it. Water cooling is honestly not worth it.
PS if you plan to upgrade it yourself. A case can either be very important or something you replace easily. The better your case is to build in, the longer you might keep it. Case in point. My fractal design silent case is the oldest PC part I have (at least 10 years old) and it's probably never going to need a upgrade.