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Post Re: PC Build
I can verify that I in fact did not die, but the hard drive did.


Tue Feb 23, 2016 5:28 pm
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Post Re: PC Build
I think building it yourself gives alot more satisfaction. And for me at least, the shipping cost of parts was less than fees people would charge to build it + shipping fee.

It's not hard to make your own PC. Read a few guides and the rest is common sense. Most things are well labelled these days.

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Wed Feb 24, 2016 2:28 am
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Post Re: PC Build
zhuang281 wrote:
I think building it yourself gives alot more satisfaction. And for me at least, the shipping cost of parts was less than fees people would charge to build it + shipping fee.

It's not hard to make your own PC. Read a few guides and the rest is common sense. Most things are well labelled these days.


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Wed Feb 24, 2016 2:40 am
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Post Re: PC Build
dreadlordnaf wrote:
redalert150 wrote:
I've finally decided to build my own desktop. Except I have no idea where to start. Everyone keeps telling me how easy it is but I don't get it lol.

I'm mostly going to use it for gaming, video recording and streaming. I'm looking at a $800 or so budget. Anyone have some builds they like to share or websites?


When you say build, do you mean actually order all the parts individually, then assembles and screw them together yourself?

Or do you mean order from a site that allows you to customize every option?

Having built PCs before from the ground up with all the pieces laying unassembled on the floor, there is actually little benefit to doing this anymore. It's not any cheaper and likely its more expensive due to individual shipping costs for all the components. It can be very frustrating if you have never done it before. You can spend a day putting everything together and still not even get your system to turn on, then troubleshoot it for hours on end only to realize that the motherboard power connector is bad. And you can actually break things pretty easy. I've accidentally stepped on RAM sticks before splitting them into two, cut myself on poorly designed metal cases, and that rule you were taught in grade school, to ground yourself or whatever so you dont shock the computer,, there is some truth to that. I touched a hard drive once when I had a ton of static electricity built up and it gave me quite a shock and then died.

Highly recommend you just use one of the sites others have mentioned to customize your own, and have someone else deal with putting it altogether. There are infinite combinations of PC setups so don't overthink it. Choose the fastest computer setup you can that is within the 600 to 650 dollar range, then add on the best graphic card you can to that system that costs around 150 to 200 dollars, which will put you at your 800 dollar range.



Not to be rude, but that was just he biggest crock of shit.

Build it yourself. It is cheaper (the sites that build for you typically mark up their parts as well as charge a commission on the build, not to mention a completed build can weigh enough to cost much more to ship than the individual parts that could have been shipped incredibly cheaply in envelopes and you best believe the builder is going to make you pay that shipping), it also gives you an intimate knowledge of what your computer is capable of and how it works. This means you know it's short comings and makes trouble shooting and upgrades in the future incredibly easy.

Also what he said about static is mostly bullshit now. ESD was a huge problem a decade ago. The industry adapts though, and even most processors (the most sensitive piece of the computer in terms of potential ESD damage) are relatively resistant to ESD.

Finally just to make a point. If you have stepped on RAM sticks then you need to realize (because everyone else already has) that your problems in building are solely your own. If you are just tossing RAM cards on your floor, then building a PC isn't the problem, you are. Don't try to discount someone a useful skill, learning opportunity, and a chance to save money based on your own short comings.

The one point you did make that held a bit of merit was the trouble shooting bit. Sometimes you will put everything together and it won't work, but it is typically incredibly easy to figure out. Just check your PSU to make sure all of the components that need it are receiving power, check all your SATA data ports on the MOBO, and make sure your SATA drives have power. The part he said about parts coming in bad is extremely rare provided you don't buy refurbished (don't buy refurbished parts), so I am not even going to address it since it's as simple as sending it back and having a new one overnighted to you.

Also, Amazon exists. So provided you have a prime account (you should) or know someone who does (you do, just ask around) you can buy all of the parts you need without shipping costs. Hell, my most recent build I had most of my parts shipped from Michigan to California to Japan and didn't pay a cent because of Amazon Prime, and some even had to come from as far away as New York all the way to Japan. Without Prime it would have been like 240 USD for all the shipping, I paid 0 USD for shipping.


Wed Feb 24, 2016 3:15 am
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Post Re: PC Build
Oooh forgot, another point that should (if you are reasonable) completely turn you off of a third party builder forever. Most of them will not insure the shipment for you, and will make you pay for that out of pocket which is like an extra 10-20 dollars depending on the value of your build.

If you opt out of the insurance, most companies will verify it works then ship it to you, if it breaks on the way most will make you pay out of pocket to fix it yourself, or if they are generous they will make you pay to ship the whole tower back (expensive), so they can fix it (probably for a fee), then let you pay to have it shipped back to you (also expensive).

I have dealt with multiple highly rated third party building sites and this is standard procedure for them if you actually read through the terms of your orders from them. Some even go as far as to say that if you opt to let them used refurbished parts in your build then they will not cover the repairs in anyway related to refurbished parts they used even if you have a warranty through them for your build.


I have had towers built, and I have built them. You want to build yourself, unless you are rich, lazy, and don't give a fuck.


Wed Feb 24, 2016 3:33 am
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Post Re: PC Build
ShawnMcCall wrote:
Oooh forgot, another point that should (if you are reasonable) completely turn you off of a third party builder forever. Most of them will not insure the shipment for you, and will make you pay for that out of pocket which is like an extra 10-20 dollars depending on the value of your build.

If you opt out of the insurance, most companies will verify it works then ship it to you, if it breaks on the way most will make you pay out of pocket to fix it yourself, or if they are generous they will make you pay to ship the whole tower back (expensive), so they can fix it (probably for a fee), then let you pay to have it shipped back to you (also expensive).

I have dealt with multiple highly rated third party building sites and this is standard procedure for them if you actually read through the terms of your orders from them. Some even go as far as to say that if you opt to let them used refurbished parts in your build then they will not cover the repairs in anyway related to refurbished parts they used even if you have a warranty through them for your build.


I have had towers built, and I have built them. You want to build yourself, unless you are rich, lazy, and don't give a fuck.


I actually received a broken harddrive when I first built my system. I got to ship it back for free and receive a new one (did have to pay shipping fees on this time iirc).

I also highly recommend building it yourself as it will really save you a lot of money. There are plenty of instructional videos on youtube to help you out (hell, I even found ones specific for the parts I was using) and I'm sure you have people around you that know how to do it as well, you can always ask those for help.

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Wed Feb 24, 2016 3:38 am
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Post Re: PC Build
ShawnMcCall wrote:
I have had towers built, and I have built them. You want to build yourself, unless you are rich, lazy, and don't give a fuck.


Seriously wtf? Yes because one needs to be a billionaire to be able to order a computer online. Oh wait I forgot this is the SS forums. It's necessary when you disagree with someone to create a fantastical extreme strawman with no basis in reality and critique all other viewpoints against it.

If the op has the time and finds it enjoying then he should go for it. But the financial argument is not as strong as it use to be since the places you can customize and order from usually buy their parts in bulk so are getting them much cheaper than you can.


Wed Feb 24, 2016 9:02 am
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Post Re: PC Build
dreadlordnaf wrote:
ShawnMcCall wrote:
I have had towers built, and I have built them. You want to build yourself, unless you are rich, lazy, and don't give a fuck.


Seriously wtf? Yes because one needs to be a billionaire to be able to order a computer online. Oh wait I forgot this is the SS forums. It's necessary when you disagree with someone to create a fantastical extreme strawman with no basis in reality and critique all other viewpoints against it.

If the op has the time and finds it enjoying then he should go for it. But the financial argument is not as strong as it use to be since the places you can customize and order from usually buy their parts in bulk so are getting them much cheaper than you can.



I especially like the part where you refuse to address the part about worthwhile parts being build specifically to withstand relatively high levels of ESD, which you stated they don't. Or the part where you refused to acknowledge that the main point(s, plural if I count you killing an HDD since HDDs come in a big ass protective case to protect the actual disc inside meaning you would have to do something incredibly dumb to damage an HDD with any sort of electrical current from the outside) you were having trouble building with were entirely your own negligence. Or the extremely shady business practices that third party companies will put into their warranty "protection" since they know that most PCs will eventually break, or the fact what you could have shipped for mostly no cost at all will be replaced by an 80+ USD shipping cost (if you're close) for even a relatively light tower build (which the company *will* make you pay, in addition to labor, and the parts that they will probably mark up), which shipping an assembled tower *is the best way to break it outside of dropping them from second story windows.*

Also, since he is budget building, it makes infinitely more sense to buy parts himself and do a personal build, so that he isn't wasting what could go to a more powerful build on sinking 20% of his entire budget to ship, insure, and have the tower built.

EDIT: As for you calling it an extreme strawman argument. It's not, with the cost of (once again) insuring, shipping, and paying labor (and usually marked up parts), you are typically throwing 200 dollars away to save yourself 2 hours (if you're new and slow). Do you know anyone who drops 200 dollars to save 2 hours of menial labor that can easily be done themselves, that isn't at the very least wealthy?


Wed Feb 24, 2016 9:33 am
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Post Re: PC Build
ShawnMcCall wrote:
Do you know anyone who drops 200 dollars to save 2 hours of menial labor that can easily be done themselves


Kane drops 400


Wed Feb 24, 2016 9:45 am
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Post Re: PC Build
By the way dread, in case you think I am somehow against you in some way, I am not. I am just slightly annoyed that you're telling an inexperienced budget builder to have a tower built to save money. When in fact the third party build is going to burn a considerable portion of his budget, to get him less power.

So basically you're advising him to burn money and drop power, which are the two things that budget building tries to maximize.

So really, nothing against you. Just in this situation, the advice you are giving is simply way off the mark.


Wed Feb 24, 2016 10:09 am
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Post Re: PC Build
$100/hr for professional work over and above your usual wage. That's not too crazy, Shawn.

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Wed Feb 24, 2016 10:11 am
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Post Re: PC Build
ShawnMcCall wrote:
By the way dread, in case you think I am somehow against you in some way, I am not. I am just slightly annoyed that you're telling an inexperienced budget builder to have a tower built to save money. When in fact the third party build is going to burn a considerable portion of his budget, to get him less power.

So basically you're advising him to burn money and drop power, which are the two things that budget building tries to maximize.

So really, nothing against you. Just in this situation, the advice you are giving is simply way off the mark.


Where are you guys getting your computers built from? The Prada equivalent of the Geek Squad? I had a friend who got a job building computers in a local business and he made close to minimum wage and it would take him at most an hour per computer since he knew what he was doing and had a good process down. People building computers are not IT professionals with graduate degrees. For a business that actually has some sort of assembly line process down, even with just a few people, that time probably goes down even more and the cost becomes negligible.

I stopped building my own computer a few years ago due to the math when I realized I could get a much more powerful computer buying from someone else than trying to order all the parts individually. So my advice is also based on him maximizing his computer power per dollar. And BTW amazon prime is not really free shipping. you'll notice they jack up the price on a lot of "free shipping" items.

If you spend lots of time searching over different sites, you may in fact be able to order all the parts slightly cheaper than a pre-built one.

But whatever savings you achieve will probably be lost when you are forced to then buy a full retail version of windows since most bulk manufacturers have OEM deals where they get ridiculously discounted versions of windows that they throw in when you buy a system from them, but they will usually not throw in if you just buy one part.


Wed Feb 24, 2016 10:32 am
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Post Re: PC Build
screw buying an OS u cray bro :)


Wed Feb 24, 2016 10:42 am
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Post Re: PC Build
ShawnMcCall wrote:
I especially like the part where you refuse to address the part about.....


That is because my main goal was to provide additional information and perspectives from which the OP, who seems rather intelligent, can then use to base his own decision on. I don't really care about addressing all your points. Though I guess I do some since I bothered to write this.

EDIT: Also meant to add in for the OP, regardless of what route you take, you should find a decent system for the price and use it as a baseline to see if you are getting a good deal or not on your parts.

https://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Cyb ... AMD_8-Core - I thought this was decent deal for what you get for the money, but it doesn't include a monitor.


Last edited by dreadlordnaf on Wed Feb 24, 2016 11:10 am, edited 2 times in total.

Wed Feb 24, 2016 10:47 am
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Post Re: PC Build
Narrow minded viewpoint and doesn't bother to look into why the other side says the thing they're saying; just assumes they're stupid because they're not saying what you are saying. Also points and laughs when they don't counter-address everything you say.

This is why America can't have good things.

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