Once you’ve made the choice to get a new gaming PC, the first step is deciding between a laptop or a desktop. The best gaming laptops today are not like the gaming laptops of yesterday. They’ve proven that they can hang with the best gaming PCs and offer exceptionally impressive performance that’s almost on par.
Assuming you have chosen to go with a desktop, the next step is finding the right one. It likely won’t be long before you are choosing between a pre built PC vs custom PC. It’s always great to build our own gaming PC. The feeling of accomplishment with every build you piece together is just incomparable. When shopping for a new PC, it’s important to choose one that is compatible with how you want to use it.
First off, you could choose a pre-built system from a manufacturer like Dell or HP. These systems will ship to your door ready to go, with all the parts and the operating system installed. All you need to do is plug them in and start using them.
But with a pre-built PC, you are going to be limited to what the manufacturer has to offer.
If you want to change up any components, you are often much better off choosing a custom-built PC from a company like iBUYPOWER or BLD. These companies offer a huge number of part options, so you can get exactly the PC you want.
We break down the unique differences between pre-built PCs and custom-built PCs.
Table of Contents
Pre Built PC VS Custom Built PC
Why is a Pre Built gaming PC better?
Some people think that pre-built PC’s are much better than custom-built ones. Here are a few ways pre-built PCs may be a good choice for you:
Convenience:
Custom built Pc’s take a lot of your time as compared to Pre Built PC. Putting together your own PC takes several hours in a best case scenario (including researching and ordering the parts, unpacking and cleanup, etc.), and that’s assuming that every part you bought works correctly.
Building your own gaming PC involves a lot of research and patience. You have to take the time to figure out what specs are best for the most intensive games you play, then track down all the parts that meet those requirements one by one. Many people don’t have the time or resources to do this.
Lower blood pressure:
There is always a chance that you will run into problems building a computer where you cannot get something working. You may figure out the problem or you may need to buy additional parts before you can continue.
Access to Customer Service:
Once you have built your own PC, you often tend to be on your own if anything goes wrong with it. There is no single manufacturer you can get in touch with who can help you troubleshoot. You have to figure out how to fix the problem yourself or get in touch with a third-party repair person who can (hopefully) make the adjustments for you.
With a pre-built PC, however, assistance is just a phone call away.
Warranty Protection:
When you order a pre-built PC, you also tend to receive at least one year’s worth of warranty. This gives you easy access to repair services for those accidental drops and spills that plague so many PC owners. Even in the event that the manufacturer is not able to repair your PC, you may be able to receive a replacement at little to no cost.
This can be ideal for gamers with limited resources and/or tight budgets.
Why is Custom Built Gaming PCs Better?
While building your own gaming PC may seem like a hassle, it is actually anything but! We find that when it comes to PCs, customizing your own gaming PC beats pre-built models by a mile.
Here’s what you get when you invest in building your very own gaming computer:
Pride and Accomplishment:
Building your own PC gives you much more than a powerful piece of gaming equipment. It is an opportunity for self-expression. Your custom PC is one of a kind, and no one else on the planet owns one that is exactly like yours. When your friends come over and are in awe at your new machine, you can proudly claim that it is 100 percent yours, built just for you, and completely unique.
Affordability:
At first, it may seem like buying a pre-built gaming PC is the cheaper option. After all, isn’t it way more expensive to buy components one by one, than find the necessary tools to put them all together?
The answer to this question is, “Not at all!”
In fact, getting a custom PC actually proves to be much cheaper than investing in a pre-built one. It all comes down to quality ,you know the exact parts you need and can make sure to find the highest-quality components. This ensures that your new PC is top of the line and guaranteed to last.
Compare this to most of today’s pre-built PCs, which are constructed with planned obsolescence in mind; they’re built to last only a few years before they begin to break, and oftentimes are more difficult and expensive to repair than they’re worth.
Moreover, companies like NZXT make it even more affordable to build the perfect PC by taking your budget squarely into account.
Better Peripherals:
Pre built PC manufacturers typically do not take the quality or comfort of your keyboard and mouse into account. Instead, you get whatever is cheapest to ship with the PC. This can greatly hurt your overall gaming experience by making your PC clunky and uncomfortable to use.
By choosing a custom gaming PC, you can also choose the best keyboard and mouse for your individual comfort and accessibility needs.
Customization Range:
Most pre-built PCs don’t come with very many aesthetic options. You are often stuck with plain silver, black, and white – boring. You want a PC that represents you and your tastes.
Why not add rainbow backlights to your keyboard?
Why not include custom decals of your favorite characters?
Why not paint your tower case your favorite color?
You have all of these options at your disposal when you decide on a custom PC; in fact, we take extensive customization into account for all of our customers and purposely offer a wide range of options.
Pre Built PC VS Custom Built PC – Brands:
Pre Built PC Brands:
If you are not ready to build a desktop yourself, buying a pre-built can give you a great starting point, which you can further upgrade with a new processor, memory, or storage.
The best Pre-built PC brands you need to know are as follows:
- NZXT Streaming PC
- Skytech Archangel
- Zotac Zbox Magnus One
- Alienware Ryzen Edition Aurora R10
- Dell XPS Tower Special Edition
- Maingear Turbo
- MSI MPG Trident X
- Corsair Vengeance i7200 Series
- Origin PC Big O
Custom Built PC Brands:
If you are in the market for a new gaming computer and you are not looking to build your own system, these nine custom PC builders will allow you to choose a custom PC that should meet your needs.
The best Custom Built PC makers that will fulfill all your needs are as follows:
Pre Built PC VS Custom Built PC – Pros and Cons:
It is a big decision to choose between a pre-built PC or a custom-built PC for gaming, and your choice depends on your personal gaming preferences.
To help you decide, look into the pros and cons of each option.
Pre Built PC Pros and Cons:
Custom Built PC Pros and Cons
Should You Buy or Build a Gaming PC?
The choice between buying a gaming pc or building your rig ultimately comes down to preference. With gaming becoming increasingly interactive through virtual gaming and online tournaments, having a computer that meets your gaming needs will allow you to be competitive in this ever-growing field.
In my opinion, purchasing a gaming PC is much easier and faster than building your own, and a manufactured PC is sometimes more reliable (since computer companies have trusted professionals building and assembling the computers). Pre-built PC also comes with warranties in case any malfunctions arise, and they often have unique components that you can’t buy yourself, like unique cases and chassis. Additionally, there are so many gaming PCs on the market that you can find a PC that meets your needs and preferences as a gamer.
But this option is often much more expensive, so if you are dealing with a tight budget, building your own may be the way to go.
To Sum Up:
Building your own custom gaming PC may be great from a variety of angles. But with the consistent increase of GPU and RAM prices, going with a prebuilt gaming PC is becoming more and more practical. This goes true today if you look at the cost per dollar.
If you plan on building your own custom PC today, you might want to think twice and look at the overpriced GPU and RAMs in the market. It’s practical to pay less for a prebuilt gaming PC as opposed to building a custom PC that will cost you at least $100 or more for the same performance.