Pre-built vs Custom Built PC’s?

[anonuk]

Traditionally we have always had prebuilt computers at work, and I’ve enjoyed custom built PC’s at home (used to be an IT/network engineer).

We are looking at upgrading a couple of PC’s in the office (actually mine and my wife’s, both directors) and are struggling to decide whether to stick with the prebuilt or custom build some PC’s instead.

With prebuilt, we have always bought Dell machines and we don’t have to worry about windows licensing because it comes with the computer, and we get 3 years on site warranty. With custom built, we get to decide what the computer looks like, the specs down to the last component (for example the dells generally can’t take higher end graphics cards).

I’m interested to hear what you guys prefer and whether you run custom builds in your businesses.

 

[fisicx]

Haven't used a PC in years. Got a Windows laptop and a MacAir. They do the job so no need for anything bigger.

My wife works in finance for a large London business. Everyone uses a lappy.

 

[anonuk]

Haven't used a PC in years. Got a Windows laptop and a MacAir. They do the job so no need for anything bigger.

My wife works in finance for a large London business. Everyone uses a lappy.

Laptops are not an option unfortunately. We work with some incredibly large photoshop files and even our Core i5 10600 PC's with 32GB Ram struggles at times.

 

[Nico Albrecht]

Laptops are not an option unfortunately. We work with some incredibly large photoshop files and even our Core i5 10600 PC's with 32GB Ram struggles at times.

That's still very low specs for Adobe Photoshop.

For daily office drives pretty much an good spec PC will do. For the likes of actually getting real work done we buy in refurbished HP Z series 6 and 8 and modify them.

The last one had 2 x 10 core XEON CPU's 512GB Ram , 2 x Raid 0 NVME SSD's paired and plenty of expansion slots and mechanical drives in Raid 5 space. They come with 1500W power supplies so GPU's if req. no problem at a price build under £2000. That's a lot of processing power for that kind of money.

I tend to stay away from AMD as their tech cpu and gpu is buggy and unstable as hell specially if you need very stable systems

 

[Deleted member 325090]

We use laptops for the office, including some decent spec i7's which handle most of what we throw at them. Using desktops there just wouldn't suit us as we often do hot-desking and we'd also have to provide PC's for staff to use at home, as we do a mix of remote and office work.

However I do prefer working on my desktop when I'm working from home. Talking of which, I'm due an upgrade and I was considering a 5900x, but I am slightly worried about stability, so I'm probably going to end up with an 12900k when they get released in a few weeks and hope there are no initial teething issues, as both the CPU and chipsets are new.

Over the years I've had both pre-built and custom PCs. I always prefer the custom because of the added flexibility for upgrades, and I can also choose exactly where the money is spent and where compromises are made.

I've always tended to stick to full retail windows versions too, so they can be moved between boxes as I upgrade.

 

[Paul Norman]

You can, of course, get a 32 gig laptop these days, off the shelf.

But this one comes down to preference, largely. Choose your spec, check out the Dell website, get a couple ordered. That's the easy route, and essentially how I source my laptops. And how I would source a desktop.

But then, I don't know how to custom build one, and getting the local PC store to do it for it is going to be the more expensive route.

I am not too worried about the warranty issue, as I regard laptops/desk tops as fairly transient items anyway. They last between 2 and 4 years under heavy use, and that's fine.

 

[KM-Tiger]

we have always bought Dell machines

In my experience a fair few people have always bought Dell because they have always bought Dell, rather than because Dell are good.

But I think you answered your own question with your comment about large image files. From what you say you definitely need a custom spec.

 

[The Byre]

The last one had 2 x 10 core XEON CPU's 512GB Ram , 2 x Raid 0 NVME SSD's paired and plenty of expansion slots and mechanical drives in Raid 5 space. They come with 1500W power supplies so GPU's if req. no problem at a price build under £2000. That's a lot of processing power for that kind of money.

THIS!

For large Photoshop work, that's the kind of setup you need as one is usually working on more than one image at a time. Get the biggest, baddest, meanest graphics card and two large calibrated 4K screens so that you can have menus and similar guff on one side and images on the other.

 

[anonuk]

I tend to stay away from AMD as their tech cpu and gpu is buggy and unstable as hell specially if you need very stable systems

I’ll have a look at the HP Z series, thanks. The prebuilt I was looking at was the Dell Precision Xeon systems.

With regards to AMD, I actually have a 3800x based custom build at home for music/video editing and it’s not bad. The memory support has recently improved and they are a lot more stable now. I do think for work though that I’d likely stick with Intel.

In my experience a fair few people have always bought Dell because they have always bought Dell, rather than because Dell are good.

But I think you answered your own question with your comment about large image files. From what you say you definitely need a custom spec.

FWIW the reason we have stuck with Dell in the past is that we’ve never had issues with them. We had a Dell server psu fail once and Dell sent an engineer out and swapped the psu without hesitation (and this was on a server we’d bought second hand).

We have been looking at the Dell Precisions and even the Xeon models come with a 300w psu hence why I thought a custom build might be better.

 

[Nico Albrecht]

I’ll have a look at the HP Z series

The HP Z440 is a good starting point for entry stuff from this refurbisher: https://www.bargainhardware.co.uk/refurbished-workstations/hp/z440

For stuff they don't have just fit it yourself they are a bit expensive on the GPU side but for a base unit it is a good start. 600 and 800 series just bigger machines with even more options

 

[Chris Hanson]

Using pre-built offers longer warranty and return to base options as long as you stick with the configuration. Like you say the OS is OEM so it comes pre-installed and ready to go. Having the data drives mirrored to an external hard drive helps in case you need to ship the PC.

Using custom machines gives you the option for greater spec graphics ram etc so it all depends on what you are going to use the PC for. Standard office work can be done on all standard pre-built machines. Graphic and video work needs higher spec machines so get a PC or laptop to fit each role.

 

[ah017]

I tend to stick with off-the-shelf computers as it's less hassle than spending time building the 'perfect' PC and there's usually a Dell machine that's close enough (save for some extra RAM and a better SSD).

What I'm using for myself and works well for me is using a portable 13" laptop for admin work and light development, and having a powerful desktop PC in the office for the heavier lifting. When I'm working remotely or visiting clients then I use Parsec (parsec.app) to remote control the desktop - then I get the best of both worlds! It's not the cleanest solution, but I've yet to find anything else that comes close (aside from having a virtual PC in the cloud, but I have development issues with it not being 'local').

 

[anonuk]

Just revisiting this one final time before taking the plunge one way or the other.

I've come across a deal from a Dell reseller on the Dell Precision 3650, with an Intel Xeon W-1350P CPU, 16GB Ram, 256GB nvme and a Quadro P2200 5GB card for £1,000+vat. I would need to upgrade the ram and the ssd, and I've no experience with Xeon CPU's outside of servers.

In comparison I can build the following PC for £970 and then just need to add Windows and a GPU from somewhere.
Intel Core i7 11700k
Asus Prime Z590-A
64GB Corsair Vengeance 3200MHz DDR4
500GB Sabrent PCIe4 NVMe
BeQuiet Pure Base 500 Case
BeQuiet Power 11 600W PSU
BeQuiet Dark Rock CPU Cooler

As has been said above, I don't want to be messing with a system for hours when it decides not to work, and the Dell has the Quadro card included. My concern is with the cooling ability of the Dell PC's which from the reviews I've seen isn't particularly good.

 

[Nico Albrecht]

500GB Sabrent PCIe4 NVMe

LOL you better have good backups in place for this bad boy. Sabrents are a pile of shit

 

[anonuk]

LOL you better have good backups in place for this bad boy. Sabrents are a pile of ****

I disagree. I've been running a Sabrent in my main PC at home (that does video editing and music production) and it's been faultless. In comparison, I have had PNY drives in the past and every one failed between 12-18 months of age.

That being said, the network at work is set up to store everything on the servers (even documents/downloads/desktop/etc).

 

[Nico Albrecht]

I disagree. I've been running a Sabrent in my main PC a

You run 1!!! We get a couple in every months, cheap Phison controller, sort of okish nand chips, piss poor firmware that is optimized for speed only and a ticking time bomb.

PYE is actually using the same off the shelf basic Phison OEM controller controller

Samsung EVO or Pro much better choice.

 

[ah017]

I guess it comes down to how much you value your time. It can be monetarily cheaper to build your own and you would get more bang-for-your-buck, but that's time you're not working in/on the business. I'd say go for the custom build, stick with a 'regular' case so that maintenance/building is easier, and look at a CPU when prices become more reasonable.

P.S. I haven't heard of major issues with Sabrent, but I'll be stickin with Samsung SSDs until they give me reason not to!

 

[anonuk]

I guess it comes down to how much you value your time. It can be monetarily cheaper to build your own and you would get more bang-for-your-buck, but that's time you're not working in/on the business. I'd say go for the custom build, stick with a 'regular' case so that maintenance/building is easier, and look at a CPU when prices become more reasonable.

P.S. I haven't heard of major issues with Sabrent, but I'll be stickin with Samsung SSDs until they give me reason not to!

Thanks. My decision has become even more difficult now that the Alderlake CPU's have been released for preorder. If I stick with DDR4 and go for the 12700k, I would be looking at £1007 plus Windows 11 and a GPU (refusing to buy a GPU with current prices).

 

[ah017]

Remember, there's always something else just round the corner. Prices may fluctuate a little, there may be some reductions on the current chips, AMD may discount some chips to continue to be competitive.

At what point does the need to upgrade become a necessity, and can you wait to see if there's any change in pricing?

On the topic of upgrades, does anyone know if computer hardware and upgrades are eligible for the 130% super deducation announced earlier this year?

 

[anonuk]

Remember, there's always something else just round the corner. Prices may fluctuate a little, there may be some reductions on the current chips, AMD may discount some chips to continue to be competitive.

At what point does the need to upgrade become a necessity, and can you wait to see if there's any change in pricing?

On the topic of upgrades, does anyone know if computer hardware and upgrades are eligible for the 130% super deducation announced earlier this year?

Very true. With the Alderlake, I am a little concerned that if I don't act quick, I'll lose out as the chips may sell out and not be available again until next year. That being said, there's no huge immediate need, so I may just wait it out and see what the real reviews say.

Or, of course, I can just buy the Dell

 

[paulears]

2 x MacBooks and a couple of iMacs, but the video and audio work is on rack mounted PCs, built for the job - and the cases are now on their third or fourth insides. The reason is mainly the variable sizes of the video cards, with their processors to take the load of the computer processor - some of the rebuilds are simply because a change of motherboard have to be tempered with the physical layout of the insides. If I need a double or wider width graphic card, but also want a firewire card for legacy hardware, you can't really buy them off the shelf. To save time, I used one of the so called specialists to supply me with all the bits - the pile of boxes couldn't all be plugged into the mother board - a real pain. If you can do it yourself, it's better - but the price advantage seems to have vanished. Buying bits is no longer cheaper.

 

[anonuk]

2 x MacBooks and a couple of iMacs, but the video and audio work is on rack mounted PCs, built for the job - and the cases are now on their third or fourth insides. The reason is mainly the variable sizes of the video cards, with their processors to take the load of the computer processor - some of the rebuilds are simply because a change of motherboard have to be tempered with the physical layout of the insides. If I need a double or wider width graphic card, but also want a firewire card for legacy hardware, you can't really buy them off the shelf. To save time, I used one of the so called specialists to supply me with all the bits - the pile of boxes couldn't all be plugged into the mother board - a real pain. If you can do it yourself, it's better - but the price advantage seems to have vanished. Buying bits is no longer cheaper.

Sounds like an awesome set up.

I have even contemplated rack mounted PCs/Servers in the server room and remote KVM or something, but seems overkill and getting more into the realm of boys toys haha.

I agree about the price advantage. The system I'm looking at is a Dell Precision with a Xeon W-1350P CPU. It only has 16GB Ram and a 250GB nvme drive but has a Quadro P2200 card. Total price is £1150 inc vat.

The closest PC I can build is the I7-11700k with 16GB Ram and a 250GB nvme but with only a 2GB Graphics Card and that comes to £1200 inc vat.

 

[SteveHa]

I built my home PC many (20+) years ago. It's a lot like Trigger's broom, and nothing of the original remains.

But when you say your machines are in need of upgrade, does the whole machine need upgrading, or just some components. (I've upgraded MB/CPU and kept the same machine more than once).

 

[anonuk]

I built my home PC many (20+) years ago. It's a lot like Trigger's broom, and nothing of the original remains.

But when you say your machines are in need of upgrade, does the whole machine need upgrading, or just some components. (I've upgraded MB/CPU and kept the same machine more than once).

When we ‘upgrade’ we tend to cycle the machines so we would replace one machine completely and then use that machine elsewhere in the businesses.

The issue with the current PC’s being Dell, there’s very little you can do in terms of upgrading. They’re already running nvme drives and already have 32GB ram. The psu is also proprietary so can’t even put a decent gpu in them which I think is the big issue. The Dell Precision systems are supposed to be much more geared towards beefy GPU’s etc though.

 

[SteveHa]

The issue with the current PC’s being Dell, there’s very little you can do in terms of upgrading.

Yep - which is why I don't buy proprietary pre-built and have always built my own. I can upgrade mine as and when. The likes of Dell (though not the Alienware arm) and HP using proprietary components is a pain.

 

[anonuk]

I just thought I'd post an update on my decision...

I declined the quote for the Dell Precision this morning and have decided to build 2 custom pc's instead.

My reasoning in the end came down to the fact that Dell (and other manufacturers) cut corners in places that I may not even be aware of. The reviews I've seen suggest that the Dell Precisions get incredibly hot and start to thermal throttle, and the power supplies are often proprietary making it difficult to upgrade in the future. I'm not sure about the Precision line up but I know the current home PC's don't even have a 24 pin motherboard connector. Top that with the fact the Xeon CPU was only 6 core vs 8 cores in the i7, it just didn't make sense to get the Xeon.

In the end, I opted for buying two Quadro RTX 4000's off eBay for £525 each) and will build the two PC's around those. I figured that I'll be able to do the full build for around £1300 with a much better GPU than the Dell would have had.

 

[ChrisWilson]

if you have someone to build a cheap custom build or you can do it for yourself go with it

 

[ButtonITSolutions]

Feels like I'm commenting after the event but thought I'd offer my opinion.

I built my own PC for years but over recent years I've gone to off the shelf products. My latest purchase being a Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Extreme Gen 3, which so far I'm very happy with.

I have 2 reasons for going off the shelf. The first, as some have mentioned, is the time it takes to research and find the best components that will work together to go into a PC. I have more than enough on to fill my time that I don't want to waste time on this.

The other reason is compatibility issues. Off the shelf products are using hardware combinations that are being used by many others. The manufacturers get plenty of chance to test the combination and to fix any driver/compatibility issues. And if they can't then it's they're responsibility to fix it. On machines that I've built myself that becomes my problem and again, I don't have the time or desire to have to deal with that anymore.

 

[BizziBee]

Pre-built, one less thing to spend your time on