lancer said:
The only advantage to buying over building, is if you where getting a low end system, then it makes sense.
Very true!
Note the following Pors and Cons apply to all pre-built systems. The one reference to Dell should not be taken out of context. Dell IMHO is the least bad of the pre-built PC houses.
Pros
Basic system is cheap with a lot of freebies (software, printer, LCD monitor)
Compatibility very high on baseline systems.
Cons
-They rape you on ANY upgrade$! Marketing 101 give away the dolls, charge a fortune for the dresses.
-Compatibility is TBD on pre-built systems with upgrades included. There are 10,000's of possible combinations. you can't affor to test everyone of them. I have 2 friends at work with some real Dell horror stories about upgrades, sorry SAZAR.
-Upgrade or enhancements of pre-built systems is intentionally near impossible. Slot limited, cooling limited, power supply limited, etc. Bare nbones design and planned obsolescence makes profits for companies.
-What you get with the included freebies is questionable and variable. The printers may have "mini" ink cartridges, the LCD's will usually have poor viewing angle and latency. Software usually has transfer limitations and advanced features disabled.
-Open the case and add anything in and your warantee is crippled (possibly voided).
-You may not be able to do a major upgrade due to Windows liscence restrictions. You have to replace the MB with one that has an HP, Dell, etc Bios.
-Expect long hold times trying to contact customer service. When you sell cheap systems and pick up the support for all of the piece parts inside, including software install, your call centers are going to get swamped. (Throw in the obligatory off shore call center language issues too.)
-On site serice is of no value unless they come nights, weekends and holidays because the rest of the time I'm at work and can not take off and sit for half a day waiting for the repair man to show up. Guys at work are constantly using vacation time to go sit and wait for computer service guys.
Bman™ said:
Opinion applies to art, music or whether a particular woman is hot. Matters of procurement, finance and technology are resolved by cost/benefit studies.