CUSTOM SYSTEMS Manufacturer vs. Custom Built: Which is Better? The debate has gone on for years as to whether it is better to buy a prebuilt system from a major computer vendor, or have a system custom built, whether by a local computer shop or building it yourself. Both sides have their Pro's and Con's, depending on your needs. We'll take a look at a few. Major Vendor PC's Pro's Good warranties, they will send you out parts or a new system promptly if needed. Warranty usually includes telephone tech support for at least one year. Mostly well built machines, that reliably deliver as promised. Technology is usually pretty recent. Most come with a good assortment of "free" software. Most have great websites of information, upgrades and downloadable drivers. Con's Often use proprietary hardware, meaning only their own brand of hardware will fit into it. Often use a customized version of Windows, that may not include drivers for non-original parts that you add. Almost always use a "recovery disk", designed just for that model, rather than a full version of Windows. This can make it difficult or impossible to reinstall Windows to fix a problem, without completely wiping your hard drive. Some vendors use hidden areas of the hard drive for System Recovery. If the hard drive itself is the culprit, you will have to wait for actual CD's to be sent out. If you have passed the warranty period, telephone support is expensive, and their proprietary hardware is more costly than open market parts. Often difficult to upgrade. EG: Many HP machines come with low wattage power supplies, so adding high-end video cards, multiple hard drives, DVD burners, etc, can overload them, yet no other power supply can be used, as they are not standard sizes. With some makers, you will void your warranty by simply opening the case, breaking a seal. MDG does this to name one. That "free" software usually includes a lot of crap that you don't need, that clogs up your hard drive, and you really are paying for it in the package price. "Extended Warranty" is usually just from the store it came from, and is limited to hardware only, no telephone support. Conclusion: PC's from the major vendors are good machines if you want a computer that will work well right out of the box, with a lot of software pre-installed, and you do not plan on making a lot of upgrades or modifications to. And if having telephone tech support available is an issue to you, then they can be just what you need. But, if you are a bit of a "hot rodder", you will have trouble with the lack of easy upgradeability, the proprietary hardware and drivers, the lack of compatability with open market hardware, and the "all or nothing" approach to drive recovery. Custom Built PC's Pro's Usually cheaper than major vendors, or at least you can get better performance for the same money. You only buy what you want, not what a package contains. EG: Average quality video, but high-end sound if you want, or vice-versa. Much easier to upgrade, as parts are more generic, so just about any brand of add-on parts will work in them. When you build it, or even have someone build it, you are more familiar and more comfortable working on it if you want to. Often higher quality chassis, less plastic parts. Easier accessability on the inside than many vendor machines. Con's Warranty is usually limited to manufacturers parts warranties, which can vary considerably. No telephone tech support, unless your store offers it. Conclusion: With a custom built PC you are buying a better PC, but getting less to go along with it. If you will want to do hardware upgrades, or ever rebuild your hard drive contentsthen custom is by far the best. You'll have a computer that is going to be more "headache free". You won't get parts by courier the next day, but it will probably break a lot less anyway, and you'll know how to fix it yourself. Recommendation We highly recommend going with a custom built system. Despite the poorer warranty coverage, you will get a trouble free system that you will be able to upgrade much easier as faster hardware comes available, even the system motherboard and processor if you want. Major vendor machines you use for 2 or 3 years, then throw them away. Custom machines you can extend the life of for twice that long, at half the cost of buying new. TechMate Systems Techmate Systems Today's "value" system was a high performance mindblower 18 months ago, so there is really no such thing as an underpowered starter system. Prices start at $499.95 for a well equipped PC, contact us for details and an exact quote.