Deciding Between A Custom-built And Pre-built Computer

By Author: Lee Cooper
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In the Computer Stone Age - say, 25 years ago or so - just about every computer was custom built. Before the big computer makers turned PCs into commodities, you would order a certain motherboard, a certain CPU, a certain amount of RAM (at up to $400 a megabyte in the mid-1980s) and even specify the wattage of your power supply. Then the marketing people took over from the entrepreneurs, and pre-built computers started to rule the roost.

Today, computer components have become so powerful and so relatively inexpensive, and manufacturing processes so sophisticated, that it is a simple thing for the majors - Dell, H-P/Compaq, IBM, Gateway - to offer custom-built computers as well as pre-built ones. How do you decide what is best for you?

What'cha gonna do?
The most important consideration is what you are going to use your computer for. If you are going to do some word processing, web surfing, music playing and a little photo work, an off-the-shelf pre-built computer is the way to go. Unless you have some high-octane processing to do, such as high-end game playing or professional video editing, you don't need ...
... anything more than a company's entry-level model. You could probably even make do with two- to five-year-old technology, even, if you don't mind buying used or refurbished PCs without warranties.

On the other hand, if you are going to make more demands on your computer, you need more horsepower. For gamers, it is not just the CPU (Central Processing Unit, or main brain) strength that matters. Today's computer games also require a great deal of graphics processing, meaning more powerful graphics subsystems. The lower-end computers have less powerful graphics chips integrated on the main circuit board, while higher-end machines have separate graphics cards.

More money vs. more smarts

If you need more power, for games or video or what-have-you, and don't really know the technical side of things, get a more expensive computer. The CPU and the graphics subsystems are the first things that computer makers upgrade as they fill out their lines. If you do know the tech stuff, then you are the kind of person who can do well in the custom-built computer market.

Remember that custom-built can mean a few different things. For Dell and HP, for example, it means starting out with a basic, barebones setup to which you add your choice of standard or upgraded components. However, there are a thousand and one (a million and one?) PC storefronts around the country that offer custom-built computers, and this time the term involves real customizing. With this kind of dealer, you can spec everything from the computer case and power supply to the amount of RAM, the kind of CPU, the size of the hard drive and the sophistication of the DVD burner. Every choice is yours.

Final considerations

Don't spend money that you don't have to spend. Spend only what you need to get the job done, unless you know you will doing other, more power-hungry operations in the near future. In that case, spend what you need to and get the capability that will hold you for at least a year. Whether you go with a pre- or custom-built computer is not as important as what you need to do, and how to do it cost-effectively. The fact is that a solid, capable, new computer can cost as little as $200-300 now, and will do all the basics like web surfing, photo editing and music/video playing right out of the box.

Remember, too, that it is not just PCs that can be approached this way, as Apple offers custom-built computers and various outfitting options for its new Macintosh models, as well. Dealers in used and refurbished computers have also made room for the Mac models, which are now powered by Intel CPUs and share many components with the rest of the PC world now, a real change from the founding era of the 1970s and 1980s.

So, for you power users out there, whether you want a PC or a Mac, you can have it the way you want it with just a little effort. And you folks who make fewer demands on your computers will find a great selection of pre-built computers that will do everything you want for precious little coin. But now that you've learned a little more about how it all works, deciding between a custom-built and pre-built computer might not be quite as easy as before!

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