Buying vs. building a PC. Which should you opt for?

When it comes to custom PCs, one of the first questions you may be wondering is should I buy, or build my own?

Although building your own PC is often cheaper, there are advantages and disadvantages to both options. In this post, we dive into the pros and cons of buying vs. building.

Price

Price is typically the first thing that comes to mind when considering buying a prebuilt vs building your own. The cost of a prebuilt or custom built PC can vary greatly between the manufacturer and components. In many cases, building your own system is typically cheaper, although the amount may not be as much as you may expect. In most cases, prebuilt systems may be $100-200 over what you would pay for the same components. In higher end systems, you may see a higher premium.

Skyforge PC offers competitive pricing, with our savings passed onto you whenever possible.

Often, system builders will receive a discount for buying components in bulk, and you may see these savings passed onto you in the price.

Although the price of building a system may be cheaper, this doesn't factor in any issues that may arise during the build process, suboptimal spending, which can lead to spending more money than you had initially planned.

Component selection

Undoubtedly, component selection can be overwhelming. With new generations of hardware, new standards, and the rapid changing landscape of technology in general, finding the best components for your budget, all while ensuring compatibility can be difficult.

Skyforge PC carefully selects each component to ensure you are getting the combination of performance and upgradeability for your budget.

Effective marketing, conflicting information and an opinionated industry can often confuse builders into selecting components that do not offer them added performance, or any real benefit, when their spending could be better utilized. Buying from a reputable system integrator can often help avoid these problems. 

Troubleshooting

Although building a PC can be a great option, there are a large variety of issues from both hardware and software that can arise. Whether it's due to improper installation, incompatible hardware, or obscure problems, troubleshooting can quickly become a boon when things don't go as expected.

Our team of experts at Skyforge PC are deeply familiar with our components, and go through an extensive validation process in order to minimize any possible issues that may arise.

Luckily, many issues are fairly easy to diagnose with some time and research, but the reverse can also hold true, especially when more sophisticated problems come up.

Convenience

Convenience is one of the biggest factors to consider when buying a PC vs. building. Without a doubt, buying a computer is very convenient, and often this convenience can offset the added cost that can come with any headaches that may arise when opting to build your own PC.

As someone who loves convenience, I often weigh the time and hassle saved with the cost savings. Convenience for the customer is always a win! - Yusuf Celenli 

Conclusion

In conclusion, both building and buying a PC have upsides and downsides to keep in mind.

Advantages of building a PC

• Can be slightly cheaper than buying prebuilt
• Learning opportunity
• More control over component selection
• Familiarity with components

Disadvantages of building a PC

• Having to research components and compatibility
• Possible incompatibility issues
• Issues due to user-error
• Having to troubleshoot when errors arise 

Advantages of buying a PC

• Plug & play
• Quick delivery
• Convenience
• Peace of mind  

Disadvantages of buying a PC

• More limited configuration options
• Can be more expensive when buying a higher cost PC
• Can be slightly more expensive than building
• Less familiarity with components 

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