Build your own PC: a buyer’s guide

Manek Dubash ZDNet.co.uk

Published: 23 Jan 2004

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	Your next PC needs to last two or three years (preferably longer), and be a workhorse capable of running applications ranging from email and browsing (easy), to ripping MP3s and burning CDs (harder), through to editing videos and images, creating music and playing games (maxed out). But to buy off the shelf, or build your own? That is the question.

When buying off the shelf, you normally start with an affordable base model but, as you option it up -- adding a fast CD/DVD burner, plenty of memory, hard drives, a fast (even if not the latest) CPU and motherboard combination, a good-looking case and a quietening kit -- the price starts to rocket.

At this point, building your own PC can start to look attractive. However, experience suggests that it isn't. By self-building, you can rarely beat PC vendors' prices because the latter get bulk discounts. But you can gain from the ability to shop around for high-quality hardware and, since noise pollution is now one of the biggest issues for desktop PCs, by emphasising quietness.

With a little care, the result can be a machine that costs the same or little more than an off-the-peg model, but which has exactly the specification you need, uses top-quality components and is quieter than anything you can buy off the shelf. What’s more, because you know exactly what’s in it, you should be in a better position to diagnose any problems that arise.

So we decided to evaluate the benefits of paying the same for a self-build as for a top-flight machine from a big PC vendor. For a maximum of £1,500 (ex. VAT), the idea is to create a machine that looks good, is close to silent, and is fast enough to be productive for the next two or three years. To discover how we fared, read on.

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