Igniq.com has posted an interesting look at the vast cost difference between purchasing a pre-built, high end gaming PC or building one yourself. Of course, even those who don't tinker inside their own PCs knows that a home-built rig is usually cheaper than a retail counterpart, but it might surprise you to learn just how much cheaper.
Igniq's Gary McKeon priced the various components he would need to build a top-of-the-line gaming rig. With a quad core 3.07GHz processor, beefy graphics card and loads of RAM, his PC clocks in at just under $2,400. Not cheap, to be sure, but an Alienware PC with similar specs would cost nearly twice as much at over $4,600.
The lesson here: If you need the best gaming PC around, you can save a lot of money by building it yourself (or finding someone to do it for you). Unless you just need a little alien head on your PC case, of course.
Reader Comments (133)
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 12:34AM Ballistic H said
Passion of building a PC is the same kind of passion as tuning a car.
Reply
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 4:20AM NineT9 said
@Ballistic H
No console can match the beauty of some PC cases out there... for example, my $800 PC case show below :)
http://pics.apartment808.com/users/Vision/Picture.JPG
Reply
No console can match the beauty of some PC cases out there... for example, my $800 PC case show below :)
http://pics.apartment808.com/users/Vision/Picture.JPG
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 4:57AM delicatessen lama said
@NineT9 :: Nice, though only a dedicated gamer like yourself can appreciate the size. Most people (even myself), like the small size of a console more (though I'd rather have what you got instead of a console any day coz it'd be much more powerful).
Reply
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 6:42AM AntiVillian said
@NineT9
I find it funny you felt the need to put a pack on condoms in that picture.
Reply
I find it funny you felt the need to put a pack on condoms in that picture.
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 7:01AM InfinitiProject said
@NineT9
So that's where all those beautiful XBMC themes came from... ;)
Reply
So that's where all those beautiful XBMC themes came from... ;)
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 7:56AM Cap Morgan said
@AntiVillian
I was wondering what that extra port was there for...........
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I was wondering what that extra port was there for...........
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 9:36AM Quinreisen said
@NineT9
Ha! I have that same desk. My tower is only a Silverstone Fortress. It looks great on the desk.
Reply
Ha! I have that same desk. My tower is only a Silverstone Fortress. It looks great on the desk.
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 10:12AM Kaemon said
@Ballistic H
Thats true, I suppose, the car thing.... I mean, I find it fun to just go in and change or arange things on my PC.
Mine took me months to put together, because I kept buying parts as I went along, and the later parts are better than the begining parts becasue I kept getting more extravagant :-/
So I ended up with Two 23" Monitors, a Asus P6X58D Premium Motherboard, a i7-930, 3TB of HDD, 6GB of ram, 2 ATi 5770 in crossfire and a GT240 for physx....
All in all it cost around $2200 or so, maybe a bit more...
Deffinatly cheaper than buying premade.
Reply
Thats true, I suppose, the car thing.... I mean, I find it fun to just go in and change or arange things on my PC.
Mine took me months to put together, because I kept buying parts as I went along, and the later parts are better than the begining parts becasue I kept getting more extravagant :-/
So I ended up with Two 23" Monitors, a Asus P6X58D Premium Motherboard, a i7-930, 3TB of HDD, 6GB of ram, 2 ATi 5770 in crossfire and a GT240 for physx....
All in all it cost around $2200 or so, maybe a bit more...
Deffinatly cheaper than buying premade.
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 10:22AM waitn2drive said
@NineT9 gotta love thermaltake lvl 10.
yeah, i know what case that is (:
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yeah, i know what case that is (:
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 4:01PM NineT9 said
@Kurian
ya I'll be honest, the concept photos of the case were slick, looked real nice... but i still love the finished version of this case, anyone that see's it in real life wonder wtf it is, its hilarious... but definetly one of the best purchases ive ever made
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ya I'll be honest, the concept photos of the case were slick, looked real nice... but i still love the finished version of this case, anyone that see's it in real life wonder wtf it is, its hilarious... but definetly one of the best purchases ive ever made
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 4:05PM NineT9 said
@InfinitiProject
hahahaha heyyyy a fellow xbmc / vision fan :) lol funny stuff
@Quinreisen
That's awesome you have the same desk, I seriously love it! It's a pain to take apart, but definitly a stylish desk :)
@AntiVillian
lol ya the condom thing was a joke for the pic, like a nerd like me would have a chance having sex with a real girl :\
Reply
hahahaha heyyyy a fellow xbmc / vision fan :) lol funny stuff
@Quinreisen
That's awesome you have the same desk, I seriously love it! It's a pain to take apart, but definitly a stylish desk :)
@AntiVillian
lol ya the condom thing was a joke for the pic, like a nerd like me would have a chance having sex with a real girl :\
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 12:54AM Raiki said
@Beatz
Agreed, last year I built my computer for $1200 with a GTX 295 and i7 processor. Pretty badass rig that can max just about everything. With the same specs, it costed like $2000 on other websites, I didn't even bother with Alienware.
Similar to Apple, all these pre-built websites charge a premium per part, and the premium just increases in price as the price of the part itself gets higher instead of being static. This means that the closest you'd have to getting a good deal is to buy a crappy machine.
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Agreed, last year I built my computer for $1200 with a GTX 295 and i7 processor. Pretty badass rig that can max just about everything. With the same specs, it costed like $2000 on other websites, I didn't even bother with Alienware.
Similar to Apple, all these pre-built websites charge a premium per part, and the premium just increases in price as the price of the part itself gets higher instead of being static. This means that the closest you'd have to getting a good deal is to buy a crappy machine.
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 1:00AM Ashkental said
@Beatz
The thing with dell or alienware is that if something breaks or anything occours, you call in and the next day they have a replacement for you. I tried to convince my father of letting me build my own PC, it would be MUCH cheaper... instead he refused and got a Dell PC for more than DOUBLE the price, If I had made my own machine with the same money, it would run 2 Crysis at the same time both on Ultra....
I tried to argue with him, but the thing is with those people that don't know about pc is that they value their hard earned money and they want to protect their investment, and Dell and Alienware provides a frigging good protection plan if you ask me.
But on my personal oppinion i'm all for making my own machine.
Reply
The thing with dell or alienware is that if something breaks or anything occours, you call in and the next day they have a replacement for you. I tried to convince my father of letting me build my own PC, it would be MUCH cheaper... instead he refused and got a Dell PC for more than DOUBLE the price, If I had made my own machine with the same money, it would run 2 Crysis at the same time both on Ultra....
I tried to argue with him, but the thing is with those people that don't know about pc is that they value their hard earned money and they want to protect their investment, and Dell and Alienware provides a frigging good protection plan if you ask me.
But on my personal oppinion i'm all for making my own machine.
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 1:05AM liquidsoap89 said
@Beatz
And that moment of absolute failure when you learn that the motherboard you`ve bought is toast is the complete opposite of bliss....
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And that moment of absolute failure when you learn that the motherboard you`ve bought is toast is the complete opposite of bliss....
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 1:06AM liquidsoap89 said
@liquidsoap89
I still buy my own parts though, there`s no way in hell I`ll buy an Alienware or Dell over a custom pc!
Reply
I still buy my own parts though, there`s no way in hell I`ll buy an Alienware or Dell over a custom pc!
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 1:09AM DyslexicAlucard said
@Ashkental If you're worried about a part breaking on a custom PC, why not just bank the ton of money you saved building it yourself and use that to buy a replacement part? Hell, you could replace the GPU and STILL be ahead, I'd reckon.
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Posted: Aug 26th 2010 2:35AM Hunter141072 said
@Beatz
many people complains that a gaming p.c. is too expensive and that´s why a console is better, that´s crap... i built mine 2 years ago, i don´t have the latest top gfx card but i can kick the butt of any xbox 360 anytime, and my gfx card has a retail price right now of probably 100 dollars, not to mention that you can do way more things with a p.c. than what you can do with a console......
Reply
many people complains that a gaming p.c. is too expensive and that´s why a console is better, that´s crap... i built mine 2 years ago, i don´t have the latest top gfx card but i can kick the butt of any xbox 360 anytime, and my gfx card has a retail price right now of probably 100 dollars, not to mention that you can do way more things with a p.c. than what you can do with a console......
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 7:56AM Necrothug said
@Morisato
Of course you have to wait for those replacements.
1. Contact NewEgg for an RMA.
2. Send in bad part.
3. Wait.
4. Recieve new part and install.
This can take days, but most likely over a week. On the otherhand, thru Dell, ort Alienware or others, you can get the part replaced the next day in many cases.
1. Contact PC maker about part.
2. Tech comes the next business day with replacement part.
Reply
Of course you have to wait for those replacements.
1. Contact NewEgg for an RMA.
2. Send in bad part.
3. Wait.
4. Recieve new part and install.
This can take days, but most likely over a week. On the otherhand, thru Dell, ort Alienware or others, you can get the part replaced the next day in many cases.
1. Contact PC maker about part.
2. Tech comes the next business day with replacement part.
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 3:40PM trendscenedental said
@Beatz
Ah, such a great feeling indeed! My new rig cost me about $1300 so far, and I still have another $900 to go for some additional RAM and a water-cooling setup from www.xoxide.com but it's gonna be SO worth it!
Reply
Ah, such a great feeling indeed! My new rig cost me about $1300 so far, and I still have another $900 to go for some additional RAM and a water-cooling setup from www.xoxide.com but it's gonna be SO worth it!
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 12:36AM daytripper said
This alien isn't stupid, he knows what really rules the world.
Reply
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 12:37AM Discotheque said
I made a decent one for like under 800. It maxes most games out there at the moment. The really beefy ones like Metro 2033 and Crysis aren't on all full-ultra settings, but they still look soooo goood.
Reply
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 10:18AM AirIntake said
@Kurian Sorry, but you don't know what you're talking about. I paid $1100 a year ago for a system with a Core 2 Quad Q8200, ATI 4850 1GB, and 8GB of DDR2 RAM. It plays everything at 1080p with all graphics on with the exception of Metro 2033, which I have to play at high. This system is likely only worth $800 now.
Reply
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 4:50PM KAL326 said
@Discotheque Exactly I am still rock'n out a 8800GT 512MB and can run most games perfectly fine at 1920x1080. StarCraft2 is maxed with everything but reflections on. C2D E7500, 4GB ram, and the previously mentioned 8800 is all that's really required for a 'gaming' computer anymore unless you want to run the OMFG EYECANDY ORGY games at max everything.
I actually had a gaming rig I parted out due to lack of major use. Sold off a i7-920, 12GB DDR3, 2 x 260GTX, MSI SLI Plat, and Corsair 850W PSU. Since I bought the mem for $100 per 6GB kit and the rest of the parts on sale I didn't really loose much on the machine(that or I found some dumb people on Craigslist to buy the parts)
Reply
I actually had a gaming rig I parted out due to lack of major use. Sold off a i7-920, 12GB DDR3, 2 x 260GTX, MSI SLI Plat, and Corsair 850W PSU. Since I bought the mem for $100 per 6GB kit and the rest of the parts on sale I didn't really loose much on the machine(that or I found some dumb people on Craigslist to buy the parts)
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 12:39AM Halwende said
Not to mention it's a whole lot more satisfying than just buying one. There's something to be said for doing your own research on parts, putting them together, installing the OS of your choice and gaming on a machine you've custom built with your own hands
Reply
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 12:41AM The Joy of Painting w Bob Ross said
@Halwende
Comment twins, lol.
Reply
Comment twins, lol.
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 12:40AM The Joy of Painting w Bob Ross said
Building your own rig is extremely satisfying as well.
Reply
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 12:41AM WiNGSPANTT from TopTierTacticsco said
Also, before anyone whines about $2,400, please be advised that this a stupidly powerful PC. You can run any modern game at Xbox/PS3 settings (or higher) for 1/3 this cost if you have existing hardware (hard drives, DVD drive, case, etc) lying around.
Mind you, on most PC games, the kind of settings that make something look like a current gen console are probably considered "medium" or maybe "medium-high"
Reply
Mind you, on most PC games, the kind of settings that make something look like a current gen console are probably considered "medium" or maybe "medium-high"
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 1:01AM StrangeObjective said
@WiNGSPANTT from TopTierTacticsco
Whoa, no kidding? That's crazy! PCs are that much more powerful, huh? I guess its no real surprise though. PCs are constantly evolving tech wise, while consoles aren't really upgradeable outside of buying a new one, right?
I'm a console gamer because up until recently I was too young to understand all of the intricacies of building a rig myself, but man, now that I understand it, if I had the money I'd be on one of those babies right now! :D (Haha, if only)
I do still love my consoles though! ;]
Reply
Whoa, no kidding? That's crazy! PCs are that much more powerful, huh? I guess its no real surprise though. PCs are constantly evolving tech wise, while consoles aren't really upgradeable outside of buying a new one, right?
I'm a console gamer because up until recently I was too young to understand all of the intricacies of building a rig myself, but man, now that I understand it, if I had the money I'd be on one of those babies right now! :D (Haha, if only)
I do still love my consoles though! ;]
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 1:05AM einhanderkiller said
Yeah, definitely. A powerful PC does not have to be $1000+ expensive.
This build here is only around $650 and it has a GTX 460 which is a very powerful graphics card. At 1680x1050, you can play Crysis on Very High and get 30 FPS, according to various benchmarks online.
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/buyers-guide/2010/08/09/pc-hardware-buyer-s-guide-august-2010/2
Reply
This build here is only around $650 and it has a GTX 460 which is a very powerful graphics card. At 1680x1050, you can play Crysis on Very High and get 30 FPS, according to various benchmarks online.
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/buyers-guide/2010/08/09/pc-hardware-buyer-s-guide-august-2010/2
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 1:19AM Themoreyouknow said
@WiNGSPANTT from TopTierTacticsco
thank you. The console fanboys don't ever read PC news though. They are stuck in their world.
Reply
thank you. The console fanboys don't ever read PC news though. They are stuck in their world.
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 3:13AM WiredKnight said
@WiNGSPANTT from TopTierTacticsco
Haha, I came in to say exactly that!
Reply
Haha, I came in to say exactly that!
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 12:44AM StrikeFear13 said
Guys. Guys! While we're at it, the sky is blue. Thought I should inform you. Kidding. I'd never have it any other way. I loooove building my own computers. I'd like to try my hand at making a laptop someday.
Reply
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 12:44AM NeoK 182 said
My gaming PC cost be $1600 when i bought it 4 years ago. since then i've gotten a new video card, some new hard drives, and an alienware case to move it into. in total i've spent a little over $2000 now. and my computer looks and runs like a $4000 alienware from 2 years ago.
Reply
Posted: Aug 26th 2010 12:44AM ch3burashka said
Alienware isn't a good indicator of value-for-price; they are expensive for the sake of it.
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