quote:
Originally posted by Adeptus
Make sure you are comparing the same exact configuration
I find that (in Australia) brand name system manufacturers don't actually disclose the entire configuration they are going to sell. They advertise a system that has a given processor, ram amount and hard disk size (and other specs), but they keep flexibility for themselves to give you any speed of ram, and and brand of hard disk or a combination of disks if it's cheaper.
quote:
Originally posted by Adeptus
Anyway, reasons to custom build are the flexibility, more expansion room, and the experience (if you put it together yourself). Reasons to buy prebuilt are minimal hassle and better overall design (smaller, more quiet) than you'd easily get from generic cases and components.
Certainly pre-built computers are often very small. I disagree though that they have less hassle, because when they malfunction, you are left to rely on the manufacturer's support services. It would be very annoying if your new computer would not turn on and you had to wait for the weekend to end before you could call your manufacturer, wait on hold, then read then a diagnostic code to have them tell you to reseat some ram on the non-standard motherboard inside the computer.
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