CDRLabs.com

Hi:
I'm thinking about getting a whole new PC from scatch and I want one
with all the components working together and only one company working
on it.
Gateway has one that is pretty impressive ($2000) and includes WIN XP
Media Center 2004, MS Works Suite 2004, DVD +/- burner, 17" LCD
monitor and a 3-year in-home service contract. I'm going to a retail
store to check it out. It has a 2.8mhz with 800FSB and 160GB HDD,
Would I be better getting an ASUS P4-800 Deluxe and other components
made up?
I'm also thinking about HP's line.
I hope you can help me with you experiences.
Thank you.
Richard

I personally prefer building my own PC to buying PCs from places like Gateway, Dell or HP.

Advantages for building your own:
You can customize it to contain exactly what you want and need.
The machine has standard components; no proprietary parts.
It's fun and educational!
The machine doesn't come pre-loaded with large amounts of junk software. (some people may like this software; I prefer starting with a clean install of Windows and installing only the software I want)
The machine will be easier to upgrade in the future.

Advantages for buying a pre-built PC (including custom machines from Gateway or Dell)
Price may be lower.
Warranty may be easier to deal with.
Not as much knowlege needed as you won't have to build the machine.

Thanks for your input. That's exactly why I'm thinking of getting a "pre-
built" because the factory-trained tech knows all the ins and outs and can
help with any problems.

I see. If you don't want to learn a lot about how a PC works, buying a pre-built machine is probably the best option.

That's the reason I'm going for a pre-built because I wasted 100s of $ on
so-called tech support and am still no better than when I first started!
I'll still check out the option of custom made.

The machine doesn't come pre-loaded with large amounts of junk software. (some people may like this software; I prefer starting with a clean install of Windows and installing only the software I want)

.......... including adware & spyware.

I've been into computing for almost 10 years so I know what I like and
what's extra junk.
Thank you for your input.

CDRecorder wrote:Advantages for buying a pre-built PC (including custom machines from Gateway or Dell)
Price may be lower.

I would put this under the advantages of building your own PC, and I would change it to read "Price will be lower." All you need to do is shop around. Heck, even if you don't shop around and buy all the parts from a vendor such as Newegg, you'll still save money compared to having Gateway build it for you. The main reason why I build all my PC's from scratch is mainly that, because the price is much less than a Gateway, Dell, HP, etc. When I built my current machine (P4 2.4GHz, Intel D845PEBT2 Mobo, 1GB RAM, Radeon 8500 128MB DDR Video Card, Maxtor 80GB HDD), it cost me between $500-550, and at the time, Dell was selling P4 1.8GHz machines with 256MB RAM (maybe 512 if one acted during Dell's special upgrade period), 80GB HDD, and god knows what graphics card (definitely not a Radeon 8500 or anything close to it) for $499 after rebate! See the difference? I'm sure if I had Dell custom build a similar machine to the one I built then they would've charged me at least $200 more. That's $200 I'm glad I kept!

However, all the other advantages for each respective choice that CDRecorder mentioned I would also agree with. The only reason, in my mind, to have Gateway build a machine for you is because you know you'll use their tech support in the future or if you don't know how to build your own machine. For some people, this is the only reason they need to buy a Gateway, and I respect that. For some people, buying a Gateway makes perfect sense.

Good point, TheWizard. I didn't shop around as much when I built my first PC, so I probably didn't get as good of a deal on it as I would if I were to build one now. I didn't know about Newegg back then.

There is an even better place than Newegg...it's called eBay.