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Should you buy or build a gaming PC?
There was a time when you should build your rig from scratch or just buy the best gaming PC as a pre-built option, it was all a matter of personal preference. It used to be a choice, whether you wanted to pick out all the components yourself, build your rig for fun, and maybe save a little cash in the process, or whether you wanted to know when your new system would work out of the box in the first place.
Sadly, as the chip supply crisis heats up, the days of free and easy system building are over. For DIY champs like us, the choice gets tougher, and you’re more likely to save money if you go to a specific PC maker for your new gaming rig. However, there are pros and cons to building and buying a new PC, and we can still help you make an informed decision.
build your computer
One of the biggest advantages of building your own PC is the ability to essentially hand-pick every component in your system. This allows you to really fine-tune your build and customize it to fit your exact budget and performance requirements. You can also completely personalize it to your liking.
Many system manufacturers will contract with certain companies, so you won’t see the breadth of the different components on offer compared to finding a different parts retailer yourself.
Going it alone means you can measure the build in the way that works best for your PC. Possibly a lot of streaming and video editing and gaming? Then you’ll need a lot of RAM and a high-end CPU, and maybe some fast PCIe 4.0 storage. Pure bread player? Then spend your entire budget on a GPU, and a processor big enough to power it.
In the past, buying components individually meant you could find a bargain and save some money on the final build. It’s a lot harder these days, especially when we’re talking about graphics cards and the painful price hikes that come with the chip supply crisis and the second coming of cryptocurrency mining. Even used GPUs are much more expensive than what they are entitled to.
PC Building Guide
Looking for more PC build advice? Check out our build guide:
Budget Gaming PC
(~$750/£750) – A good entry-level system.
Mid-range gaming PC
(~$1,250/£1,250) – The version we recommend for most gamers.
High-end gaming PC
(~$2,000/£2,000) – Everything a gamer wants.
Extreme Gaming PC
(>$3,000/£3,000) – You win the lotto and go all-in.
In short, DIY PCs are no longer a guaranteed way to save some cash on a new system. But while pre-built PC makers and system builders have certainly evolved over the years, none of them can offer the same flexibility and freedom as do-it-yourselfers.
Building your own PC opens the door to creating beautifully unique systems that you will proudly display on your battlefield. Building your own gaming PC definitely brings a certain satisfaction that you really won’t find anywhere else. That being said, personalization is great, but the DIY route is certainly not for the faint of heart.
Building a PC can be exhilarating and rewarding, but it can also be stressful, exhausting, and time-consuming. This is especially true for first-time builders. Fortunately, there are tons of resources available for building your first PC. Here’s our beginner’s guide to building a gaming PC. It may be several generations old now, but the principles remain the same.
However, even for seasoned builders, the whole process can take some time and can cause quite a headache if something goes wrong. That’s where pre-built gaming PCs really shine.
buy your computer
When you pay to configure or buy a pre-built PC, you’re paying for more than just the sum of its parts. You’re getting the peace of mind that warranty service, support and systems are assembled and tested by professionals. And it works the moment you pull it out of the box. These are some of the things we take very seriously when we pre-build gaming PCs.
And, right now, buying a pre-built PC is your surest way to get into the latest generation of graphics cards. GPUs today are so rare and cost so high to buy as individual components that you’re better off relying on the bulk buying power of the big system builders. This way, if you can find them, you can avoid the brutal marks added to a single card.
It also gives you a better chance of buying a new GPU without having to wait six months in a retailer’s queue.Pre-built PCs still have significant lead times in some places, but things like iBuyPower’s RDY System Can be shipped within a few days.
Modern manufacturers can also offer features that you might not be able to buy on your own. Examples: Warranty-safe overclocks, pre-installed software, and exclusive components.
Some might think it’s futile, but another great reason to buy prefab is actually the design.prefabs like this Aurora by Alienware Design, or the beautiful Corsair One, uses a completely unique interior chassis that you can’t buy when it’s built. You can rest assured knowing that these systems are specifically designed and built to accommodate your configuration.
Best of all, you don’t have to worry about cable management for these options. Some companies will even offer competitive prices, in some cases actually comparable to building it yourself. However, you do tend to lose quite a bit of customization.
If the thought of building your own PC makes you anxious, a pre-built warranty and customer service can give you peace of mind while you do it yourself.
So, should you build or buy your PC in 2022?
We love building PCs and would recommend doing as much as possible in an ideal world. It may sound silly, but the connection you make with a system you built from scratch with your own two hands belies its inanimate nature.
However we are far from an ideal world and the simple fact is that if you want a new gaming PC today and can’t get a graphics card from some ebay resellers at an excruciating premium, then a prebuilt system is for you the best choice. This will be the cheapest and easiest option to get and still give you peace of mind with your warranty.
That will change someday, but for now, unless price really isn’t an option, buying a pre-built gaming PC is a no-brainer.