SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - View Single Post - How much money is saved building your own rig?

CaptainHaplo · 12-14-09, 07:41 PM

How much you save depends on the rig you buy or build.

If you go with a cheap, mass produced office desktop - integrated graphics, 350W power supply, 2 Gigs ram, etc - you actually can save money buying a prebuilt like a dell.

However, if you want a game machine, your going to save money multiple ways if you build it yourself.

Say you go with a "customized" machine - your still limited to whatever hardware your customizer company works with. If its your rig and your hands in it - you can choose any combination of parts.

Second - you can pick your parts based off a number of items - not just price. But then - it sure doesn't hurt when you see that vd card you REALLY wanted on tigerdirect's daily special does it? But it does when you really wanted it - went with a custom job from someone - and ended up with a lesser card. You can compare performance - not just across chips, but manufacturers. Say a company offers you a 260 card - cheap. But you spot one 5 bucks more at a local supplier. The brands are different - and you research and find with the extra 5 bucks - you get a lifetime warranty - instead of 1 yr. Etc Etc...

Lets check and see what the costs are shall we?

A prebuilt Alienware with the following....
I7 920
2x gtx260's
6 GB ddr3
640 GB HD
24x cd/dvd burner
SB X-FI Titanitum
Includes a chassis and Win7 64Bit HP.
Cost - $2374 (not counting shipping, handling and insurance)

Now - with that budget - lets see what a homebuilt the same can cost
I7 920 with Asus P6T MB - $505.00
2x gtx260's -$175 each - $350
6GB ddr3 - $316
1kw PSU - $112
24x cd/dvd burner - $33
Win7 64Bit HP (OEM) = $106
SB X-FI Titanium - $125

Total cost of the homebuilt - $1547
But tack on another hundred for shipping the pieces and lets round it to $1650. That still saves you $700+ for an equal system. Sure you get a year of "tech support" - and for a standard user, thats great. But for a hardcore person - the folks the "alienware" and similiar are supposed to cater to - they don't need that - so its a waste.

You can use that for more machine - use these numbers and see...

I7 950 with Asus P6T MB - $815.00
2x GTX 275's - $236 each - $472.00

More machine - and still a few buck left over for a nice looking case to stick it all into with good cooling.
Note that this price list was pulled in about 10 minutes - using a single research website which lists various vendors for the parts.

12-14-09, 07:41 PM	#8
CaptainHaplo Silent Hunter Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 4,404 Downloads: 29 Uploads: 0	How much you save depends on the rig you buy or build. If you go with a cheap, mass produced office desktop - integrated graphics, 350W power supply, 2 Gigs ram, etc - you actually can save money buying a prebuilt like a dell. However, if you want a game machine, your going to save money multiple ways if you build it yourself. Say you go with a "customized" machine - your still limited to whatever hardware your customizer company works with. If its your rig and your hands in it - you can choose any combination of parts. Second - you can pick your parts based off a number of items - not just price. But then - it sure doesn't hurt when you see that vd card you REALLY wanted on tigerdirect's daily special does it? But it does when you really wanted it - went with a custom job from someone - and ended up with a lesser card. You can compare performance - not just across chips, but manufacturers. Say a company offers you a 260 card - cheap. But you spot one 5 bucks more at a local supplier. The brands are different - and you research and find with the extra 5 bucks - you get a lifetime warranty - instead of 1 yr. Etc Etc... Lets check and see what the costs are shall we? A prebuilt Alienware with the following.... I7 920 2x gtx260's 6 GB ddr3 640 GB HD 24x cd/dvd burner SB X-FI Titanitum Includes a chassis and Win7 64Bit HP. Cost - $2374 (not counting shipping, handling and insurance) Now - with that budget - lets see what a homebuilt the same can cost I7 920 with Asus P6T MB - $505.00 2x gtx260's -$175 each - $350 6GB ddr3 - $316 1kw PSU - $112 24x cd/dvd burner - $33 Win7 64Bit HP (OEM) = $106 SB X-FI Titanium - $125 Total cost of the homebuilt - $1547 But tack on another hundred for shipping the pieces and lets round it to $1650. *That still saves you $700+ for an equal system.* Sure you get a year of "tech support" - and for a standard user, thats great. But for a hardcore person - the folks the "alienware" and similiar are supposed to cater to - they don't need that - so its a waste. You can use that for more machine - use these numbers and see... I7 950 with Asus P6T MB - $815.00 2x GTX 275's - $236 each - $472.00 More machine - and still a few buck left over for a nice looking case to stick it all into with good cooling. Note that this price list was pulled in about 10 minutes - using a single research website which lists various vendors for the parts. __________________ Good Hunting! Captain Haplo