Build or buy ??

ritchiea2005

ritchiea2005

Suspended / Banned
Messages
283
Name
Ritchie
Edit My Images
Yes
I'm in the process of buying a new desk top which will only be used for photo storage/editing my question is do I build one or buy something off the shelf such as
http://www.chillblast.com/Chillblast-Fusion-Photo-OC-Lite.html

I'm not that up to date with computers so any advise would be appreciated. I'm currently using an acer aspire laptop i5 with 8 gig of ram and it's painfully slow!! So if you had £1100 to spend which way would you go ?
 
Build it! Why let someone else have all the fun and pay them for it :)

Saying that, if you aren't comfortable doing that then it isn't really a question.
 
If you are compitent in building your own machine then do so.
You basically save on paying a companies overheads and building a rig is a very satisfying job........well i think so anyway! :D
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I've always built my own - there is always a compromise *somewhere* in a pre-built (or even online custom) machine. I like to pick the parts myself, and then build it at leisure, making sure everything is just right (especially the cables - if you can see any, it's wrong!).
 
Built my own desktop, and enjoyed doing it. But what I think it cost me would have got a nice pre-build for slightly less. Weight out what you want using something like pc partpicker then have a look around to see what may be on offer or in a sale.
 
I built my current pc because I couldn't find what I wanted pre built. But if you can, an off the shelf pc saves all the research. Assembling one from parts is a doddle though.
 
I wish I'd built my desktop for several reasons:
1) It would have been quieter
2) It wouldn't have had a rats nest of cables blocking the front air intake
3) I'd have specced it with an SSD in the first place, instead of adding one afterwards
4) I wouldn't have such a nasty case to contend with every time I want to remove/replace/add components

I don't think it would have cost much more, either.
 
afasoas said:
I wish I'd built my desktop for several reasons:
1) It would have been quieter
Click to expand...
Yes. Picking the electronic components is the easy part of the research. The hard part, for me looking for a small yet quiet machine, is finding the right small case with enough space for a big fan cpu cooler. You can find out the individual dimensions, but are never sure if the assembled parts will fit in. And does the air flow nicely? I went into several component suppliers, who didn't want to open up cases and coolers to find out. Online research finally confirmed a set of components that would physically fit.
 
Last edited:
And not just the CPU cooler, I found that the easy part. It's the case fans that are too often way noisier than need be. I normally swap them all out which makes a huge difference. Likewise on one case I've also got a huge fan in reverse to get air into the case to make certain the flow goes nicely.

Like for like it will be cheaper if you source your components correctly. Ultimately if I were to calculate my own hours it would be hugely more expensive. But I enjoy it so don't care, my children normally do the actual installation these days under my supervision. They learn something, and granny/grandpa found it amazing that they build it. Letting them make mistake and it not booting etc it all part of the fun :)
 
nickEnackEnoo said:
Can I ask, is it just as easy to build a laptop?
Click to expand...
Yes and no. There are lots of generic cases that many builders reuse with standard components. However the components are generally merely in the trade channels and not easily accessible to consumers. Generally also much more specific and limiting as to which chipset fits in what case due to height and cooling restrictions.

Other may have different experiences, personally I don't think it's worth it.
 
dejongj said:
And not just the CPU cooler, I found that the easy part. It's the case fans that are too often way noisier than need be. I normally swap them all out which makes a huge difference......
Click to expand...

I find tweaking the default fan speed profile can make a big difference - normally each temperature has a set rpm and rpm is often set quite high by default but they are over cautious often.
 
boliston said:
I find tweaking the default fan speed profile can make a big difference - normally each temperature has a set rpm and rpm is often set quite high by default but they are over cautious often.
Click to expand...
Don't disagree with that, sometimes the fans need to go full blast so it is nice when the fans that are in your case are of top quality. I generally just bin the supplied ones, well not really bin but keep in my spares cupboard.
 
If you build your own you can tailor the spec to fit your requirements.
A lot of so-called "high end" machines have expensive gaming graphics cards, which are completely wasted if you only want to run Photoshop and Lightroom.
Building your own will not necessarily save you any money, but you can spend your money on the bits that YOU want, rather than what somebody else thinks you want.
 
dejongj said:
Don't disagree with that, sometimes the fans need to go full blast so it is nice when the fans that are in your case are of top quality. I generally just bin the supplied ones, well not really bin but keep in my spares cupboard.
Click to expand...
I removed the case fan and power supply, and fitted a silent power supply and 120mm silent CPU fan.(Scythe Shuriken)
Almost no sound comes out of it. Useful info here: www.silentpcreview.com, www.quietpc.com
Brian G said:
If you build your own you can tailor the spec to fit your requirements.
A lot of so-called "high end" machines have expensive gaming graphics cards, which are completely wasted if you only want to run Photoshop and Lightroom.
Building your own will not necessarily save you any money, but you can spend your money on the bits that YOU want, rather than what somebody else thinks you want.
Click to expand...
I thought I'd try the motherboard graphics before buying a graphics card. And it's more than good enough for my photography and general needs. So I never bothered getting a card this time. Less heat in the case too. Admittedly I don't have MS Windows to slow things down.
 
Last edited:
dejongj said:
Don't disagree with that, sometimes the fans need to go full blast so it is nice when the fans that are in your case are of top quality. I generally just bin the supplied ones, well not really bin but keep in my spares cupboard.
Click to expand...
I seem to remember the fans on my pc were single speed rather than "PWM" which can be set to custom speeds - I did a post to remind myself what to do if I have to set them up again:
http://www.boliston.com/2013/12/28/setting-up-a-pwm-profile-for-a-cpu-fan/
 
ritchiea2005 said:
I'm in the process of buying a new desk top which will only be used for photo storage/editing my question is do I build one or buy something off the shelf such as
http://www.chillblast.com/Chillblast-Fusion-Photo-OC-Lite.html

I'm not that up to date with computers so any advise would be appreciated. I'm currently using an acer aspire laptop i5 with 8 gig of ram and it's painfully slow!! So if you had £1100 to spend which way would you go ?
Click to expand...

It says it comes with Windows 10 pre-installed, but don't forget that technically buying a computer like that would not only comes with Windows, but also comes with other junk already pre-installed, trail versions of McAfee, AVG, etc., also pre-installed with demo games, pre-installed with god knows what other stuff the online shop, Chillblast had rented out a bit of storage space to those software companies who installed their software on it.

Building your own do meant a totally clear HDD, you then install Windows on it, then you install what you want on it.

I built my computer, and for me, it was worth it.
 
Major Eazy said:
It says it comes with Windows 10 pre-installed, but don't forget that technically buying a computer like that would not only comes with Windows, but also comes with other junk already pre-installed, trail versions of McAfee, AVG, etc., also pre-installed with demo games, pre-installed with god knows what other stuff the online shop, Chillblast had rented out a bit of storage space to those software companies who installed their software on it.

Building your own do meant a totally clear HDD, you then install Windows on it, then you install what you want on it.

I built my computer, and for me, it was worth it.
Click to expand...

Chill blast give you the option not to install the OS and or other software that is selected by default in the customisation process of the purchase. So there iscstill scope to have the machine delivered with a blank hard drive and you go out and source your own OS
 
For myself I build my own but for work I get them built to my spec and doesn't really cost much extra.
 
ritchiea2005 said:
I'm confident enough to build it just wondering if it's worth the effort, would I end up with a higher spec PC for my money ?
Click to expand...
Yes you would end up with more for your dosh.

I have a chilli blast fusion mammoth but ended up rebuilding it myself and its now a lot faster for less money than the one priced above.

A H60 watercooler on an overclocked skylake i7 is imo 'pushing it'! A 750 Ti pretty old spec now but overkill for photo editing and underkill for gaming.
 
stupar said:
Chill blast give you the option not to install the OS and or other software that is selected by default in the customisation process of the purchase. So there iscstill scope to have the machine delivered with a blank hard drive and you go out and source your own OS
Click to expand...

Do they?? Then in that case, note to the OP: Go for it if you want to!

About time a company gives you a blank machine and you install your own OS on it, comparing to far too many other companies that sells you a machine with OS pre-installed (along with other junk software!).
 
Thankyou all for your advise think I'm going to go for it next month but will lose the blue ray drive and up the ram to 32gb. I looked in to building one but was struggling to match that spec for the money [emoji106]
 
Last edited:
I bought a refurbished DELL OptiPlex 7020 small form factor PC from the DELL outlet store last year, it came with Windows 7 Pro & cost me less than it would have cost just to buy the INTEL i7 CPU & motherboard had I built it myself.

It is small, quiet & fast enough(for me) running CS5 using the onboard Intel graphics. As a bonus it shipped with 3 years NBD onsite warranty.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top