Some of computer questions

I started thinking about building my own computer. How much do people save building their own computers? I have a few tutorials on this, I just don't know if it is worth the trouble. BTW Guys please don't post anything on how to build computers, I already have tons of info on it, don't need anymore.
And one more thing, a local store, and a WD 120gig 8mb cache h/d is $339.95 Canadian. Is that a good price? I tried looking at pricewatch.com but I got lost with all the clicking, and I couldn't find that hard drive, I may have zoned out after clickong on next so any times, so any help??

EDIT: Sorry about the bad spelling, I zoned out. I mean the bad spelling in the topic if you didn't realize. :)

you actually don't save a LOT, but you can save about $200-300, that's what I've saved in past, part of it is not having to pay for windows if you don't want it.

btw, not familiar w/ canadian pricing

$200-$300 isn't bad. And one more thing, just wanted to tell you guys why I am thinking of building now, the online site I was going to buy from, they had links to WD hard drives that didn't exist, I searched for them, and clicked on their links which didn't work, so then I e-mailed them about it, complaining, saying it hadn't worked for a while (Because they were selling them for very low prices) and the guy e-mailed me back saying the site was down for updates, and would be back up after the weekend. I checked, and now the hard drives are Maxtor hard drives, geez, they were trying to rip people off.

If you're interested in building a machine, I say go for it! It's an absolutely great learning experience, because you get to troubleshoot different hardware and software conflicts/compatibility issues on a system you can completely customize yourself. The advantage is not necessarily that you save money (sometimes you do, other times you don't), but you get much better equipment for your money. You can get top-of-the-line products ranging from motherboards to video cards, from hard drives to cd-rw/dvd-rw drives, etc. You can get all brand-name parts which have terrific support for their individual products, where, in a pre-built machine, you may have a series of no-name parts. The options are endless and you definately will get your money's worth.

In the past, I built a lot of machines, both for myself and others, but now I just buy pre-built ones. The two main advantages I see to pre-built computers are support and standardization. For support, not only can I have a representative come to my home office to service a computer if there is a problem which I cannot fix, but I can also find all of the drivers necessary for the machine in one easy to find location online, unlike a custom-built machine, where you have to hop across tons of web sites, downloading individual drivers for each piece of hardware. By standardization, I mean that fact that I can easily buy a few of the exact same system for a reseller and I can be absolutely confident that they are completely identical, making it easier to roll-out new drivers and patches via a server, etc.

I think it's a great experience to build your own machine, though, so I say that you should try it out.

AJ

The last system I built cost me 1300 bucks (1 1/2 years ago) and was a ground up build that included a new moniter and RAID capability. I was in the doghouse with the wife until she saw a system (Alienware) that used the same components and retailed for around 4 grand. Thank the good Lord she saw that ad!! So yeah, I think it's cheaper to build your own IF you are building a system where the quality of the components is the most important thing. If you're just looking to get by cheap, it's a toss-up.

Geez allen, you saved a ton! But how long did it take you to build your system? How long to get all the parts together? And how long to assemble it??

I did my shopping on www.pricewatch.com so everything had to be shipped to me. I placed orders on Thursday and Friday and had everything in by the following Wed. afternoon. Assembly took about an hour and a half that evening (case and P/S were already mated, put in M/B, processor, RAM, HDs, floppy, CD and Vid card). Thursday morning I spent another 3 or 4 hours loading the OS, M/B drivers, and the other devices (soundcard, modem, etc.). It has been my experience that you don't just 'put it all together and boot up'. Things have always gone more smoothly for me by putting the bare essentials in the box (Wed. eve.) and then adding components one at a time when dealing with a windows box. Grand total time: 1 week from first order to first boot of a complete system. I also have to say that this was the most trouble free build to date for me.

khakisrule,

I have never bought a premade "department store" computer. I generally save several hundred dollars by building my own. I thouroughly believe that any computer with a "name " on it means junk and limited support.

I agree with avdven also with respect to his validation of driver support, etc... But I would only buy premade computers if I were going to put them into a workstation enviroment, and knew that I would be depeciating them and replacing them on a regular basis.

Build your own you will be MUCH more pleased with it in the future.