For those of you thinking, “I don’t need a new computer yet”… take this into account: – the average lifespan of a computer is only 3-5 years, according to this article. However, in terms of compatibility with software and new hardware it’s more like 2 – 3 years, depending on what it’s being used for. That’s not to say you can’t continue to use 10 year old PCs; however, it probably will not support newer programs and hardware.

There is a decent majority of people today in this technology driven world who have little-to-some knowledge of computing hardware. But even if you don’t, the chances are high that you probably know someone close to you who does.

Computers today are a necessity. They have become an integral part of everything we do and it’s because of this we can spend countless hours deciding on what to get next in our attempt to support our ever-changing needs.

So… do you build or do you buy?

Buy Pre-Built: Let’s start with the “easy” way out. For some, this method is quick, easy, and painless. Either walk over to your nearest Best Buy, log onto HP’s homepage, or break into your friend’s apartment and steal his $2,000 dollar machine. Of course when he tells you the story you will suggest that the government came and took it because of all the movies he downloaded.

Either way, many of you have more than enough knowledge and common sense to know what you want out of a machine will opt to talk to a Sales “Expert” and have them pick the right pre built pc out for you. The problem? Most times you’ll end up paying $100 – 500 more than the actual hardware in the machine is worth. Not to mention the useless software it comes riddled with that only makes the computer slower and less effective. The benefit? Saves time, effort, and most computers come with a decent guarantee. Many people who opt for this method are either lazy like my fellow blog writer Will Kievit, or are intimidated by testing the waters of building their own machine.

Build: I am probably the worst person to describe the cost benefits of building your own rig. This is mainly because if I had the money I could easily drop $4 – 5k on a gaming computer without flinching. The main reason for the high prices though, is that I would build a computer with extremely high specs to prolong the short “lifespan” of a gaming rig.

Just to give you some numbers too look at, a fast pre-built gaming rig with the following specs: 2.93 GHz Core i7, 8GB DDR3 1333 Ram, 1TB HDD, Blu-ray drive, GTX 295 with 1792MB of ram 800 watt PSU, Keyboard and mouse, will run you about $1839.99 before taxes. These numbers will change based on the type of computer your building. I chose a gaming rig because they are the most difficult to save money on. Lower end computer will have a larger gap in price for pre-built vs. personally built, especially with companies like Apple, Dell or HP.

Laptops can fall into either of these categories. Although the freedom of designing a custom laptop isn’t as high as designing desktop computer, you still get a lot more options. However, in the case of custom laptops, you will end up paying more because it’s the manufacturer who builds them, not you. Of course there is Apple, who makes very good computers, but will cost you way more than the equivalent powered PC.

It all comes down to you and your wallet:

Lazy and rich: Buy pre-built.
Broke and constructive: Build your own.
Constructive and rich: build a $4,000+ rig and then give it to me.

Oh and there’s one other category I forgot to mention: Those who are afraid that they will have wasted their money on pieces of hardware that might not work once they get it all together. To you I say: READ MY NEXT POST, you may just get over your fear.