New build vs Dell

[bnl]

I'm trying to build a PC for a friend under $1k USD. However, every build I make seems to end up more expensive than a similar specced Dell. The main differences being likely a lower build quality mobo and psu, which I'm not sure he would even care about at the end of the day either. Any advice?



1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

Gaming

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?

$1k USD including tax

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
USA - IL

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.

cpu, ram, case, psu, mobo, vid card, hard drive, windows

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
None

6) Will you be overclocking?
Maybe
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1680 x1050 21inch

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
This week
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.

UEFI

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Do not have OS, need 64 bit version.

 

[DesertCat]

If you aren't reusing any old parts (except monitor) and you don't have a transferable version of the OS, Dell is pretty much always going to be cheaper for similar components. They deal in volume pricing that normal consumers just can't get for individual parts.

I would say the main reason to build your own is if a person wants particular enthusiast grade parts like a specific vid card, motherboard, etc. and/or if the person wants the potential for good overclocking. That doesn't appear to be the case here, so... enjoy your Dell shopping experience.

 

[fixedmy7970]

for $1000? I'm not so sure a dell would be cheaper, plus the dells lock the bios so you can't even overclock.

I'll spec something out for you real quick. (also, at your monitor max resolution, a $1000 dollar comp will not even be noticeable)

If dell can beat this the holy smokes:
WD Blue 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive = $30.99

PNY GeForce GTX 770 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 SLI Support Video Card =$399.99

Gift 32GB USB 3.0 Drive $0.00

NVIDIA Gift Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Blacklist $0.00

Thermaltake TR2 TR-700 700W ATX 12V SLI Ready CrossFire Power Supply = $59.99

Team Dark Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 Desktop Memory = $58.99

ASRock Z77M LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard = $89.99

Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor = $219.99
Subtotal: $859.94
Shipping: $20.42

OS Windows 7 home:
http://snaggstuff.com/microsoft-windows-7-home-premium-64-bit-full-oem-branded-gfc-00599-brd.html $63

optional upgrade monitor:
Acer V233HL 23" LED LCD Monitor - 16:9 - 5 ms $163.46

 

[motolube]

I hate, well, no, not reall, I despise Dell so in my case I would rather not have a computer than give them my money, ever since they sold it, it has become a give me your money and we will make you a pc and charge you more for it... aside from having the worst customer service ever.

Newegg usually has some good weekly combo deals and I do believe you can make a good gaming rig with 1K.

This is just an example from last week, if you wait for tomorrow or the day after, this week combos may show an even better deal as this one is pretty much over and done with.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Combo...-EMC-072613-Index-_-Combo-_-Combo1392238-LM2A

When you say Gaming, is this Online (Multiplayer) or Solo Campaigns... I only do the latter but I have heard you may need a bit more power when doing MP.

Here's another list... http://www.newegg.com/Special/Combo...0&action=search&SortField=2&PageSize=10&Page=

I like combos because they take the worrying about compatibility (Mobo, CPU & RAM) out of the equation, at least for me so I am free to purchase the rest of the item w/o risk.

Also, check out the HOT DEALS AND USED DEALS on this site, they are extremely helpful.

Yet another good combo but witn Win 8... http://www.newegg.com/Special/Combo...+Windows+7&ListType=Combo&action=search&item=

 

[Rusty4560]

Lenovo

 

[Dangman]

I'm trying to build a PC for a friend under $1k USD. However, every build I make seems to end up more expensive than a similar specced Dell. The main differences being likely a lower build quality mobo and psu, which I'm not sure he would even care about at the end of the day either. Any advice?

Well what build have you made? What Dell are you looking at?

In general, outside of a really fantastic sale, a Dell comparable to a DIY gaming PC would normally cost at least an extra $200 to $300 over that DIY PC. So something is a really wrong if your DIY is cheaper than a a similarly specced Dell.

Also, don't go fixedmy7970's build as it has a shit quality PSU and a hard drive that's so slow that it'll slow down the DIY system so much that a half priced Dell would be more responsive.