Building a Gaming PC vs. Buying Pre-built

When you're thinking about getting a new PC, especially a desktop, the decision of whether to build or buy can be a tough one.

For this reason, it makes sense to compare the benefits of each.

Building Advantages

• All parts customizable
• Potentially more budget friendly
• Learn about PC components and computer building in the process
• Can be tailored exclusively to your computing/gaming needs

Disadvantages

• No warranty or support
• All parts come individually from various manufacturers
• Higher possibility of component failure

Buying a Prebuilt PC

Advantages

• Comes already built, so less setup time
• No hassles with installing an operating system
• Warranty and technical support

Disadvantages

• Not as customizable
• Probably have to pay tax and shipping, which can add $100 to the price tag - or at least $50
• May end up costing more overall

So what it really comes down to is how much time you are willing to put into the creation of this PC.  It's very simple to go to a computer manufacturer's website, choose a basic build, and then customize it from there, though you won't get to choose every single part.

It is also possible to find pre-built PCs from Ebay and Amazon.com which will give you free shipping - and Amazon doesn't charge tax.  So you can often get a decent PC for $600-1000 and avoid having to pay shipping/tax if you go through Amazon.

Again, the downside there is the lack of customizability.

So before you make your decision, think about your personal gaming and computing needs.  If you are a hardcore gamer who has very specific power requirements, and you have money and time to spend building a PC, that's going to be your best bet.  If you don't have as much to spend and would prefer to have your PC already put together, or just don't want to deal with the hassle of trying to compile individual parts, a pre-built PC is more than likely going to be a wiser choice.

Author's Pick for Custom Gaming PC: Velocity Micro

If budget is not a problem for you when you're building a custom gaming PC, Velocity Micro is a good option.  This company designs sleek, custom-built computers for high intensity gaming.  Their prices tend to be on the higher end, but if you plan a good, solid build, you can get a great deal from this company.

I've read a lot of mixed reviews about them, and I won't say I haven't had my share of problems with the laptop I got from them.  However, I didn't want to get another Dell laptop - my old one had overheating problems from the get go, and still does to this day.  Of course it's also about 4 years old and has seen a lot of use.

Velocity Micro offers custom gaming laptops and desktops; so far I can only comment on their laptops.  The typical experience of their desktop consumers seems to be a rocky start (bluescreens and random OS issues in the beginning), and then once they get up and running, they're great systems.  My own experience with the customer service of VM was good.  I had a fan issue and talked to someone who got me a replacement part within just a few days. 

The one problem is the lack of testing they do on these PCs after they're built.  Dell is pretty thorough about that from what I understand, and I've never had any bluescreen issues with Dell PCs after getting them.  VM PCs pretty much come freshly built, so the possibilities of having problems from the start are higher.  Prepare to do some testing and allow for testing and setup time if you order a desktop from them.  That said, the laptop I got had no issues from the start, though I'm now running into some overheating problems which seem to be common amongst laptops in general.

Bottom line for Velocity Micro systems? 4/5 stars.  I like their website and how easy it is to put together a good system.  Their prices are a little higher, but I can deal with that since it means getting a good system that will last several years.

Laptop or PC for Gaming?

This is often a tough decision for gamers and regular computer users alike.  Laptops offer portability and convenience, but are often more expensive and much less customizable than desktop PCs.  Desktops give you more power for the price, but can't be easily moved around, and are completely impractical for traveling.  So when it comes to the decision of whether to get a laptop or a desktop, there are a few things to take into account.

1. Portability. 

Laptops are portable - that's why they're called laptops.  If you're on the go a lot (a busy college student, for example), laptops are ideal.  You can pull up Microsoft Word to work on a paper and then fire up HL2 - all from Starbucks.  However, a PC powerful enough to handle higher end games is going to require a lot of power, and run you into the $1500+ range, most likely.  PC gaming companies offer customizable laptops, like the Alienware M15x laptops, that are made for gaming.  These are powerful enough to handle most games, but not necessarily on the highest settings.

2. Upgradability. 

Because of their size (or lack of), laptops can't fit the large amount of components that gaming desktops can.  This makes them much less upgradable.  It's easy to replace laptop parts, but getting a bigger, better processor or video card is nearly impossible.  And at the rate technology advances, you're going to need new components to keep up with games. 

Because laptops are so hard to upgrade, they don't last very long if you want to use them for gaming, so you'll probably have to look at replacing your gaming laptop in a couple years.

3. Price.

This is obviously the deciding factor.  If you are independently wealthy or just have plenty of cash to spare, get a decent gaming laptop - and then a desktop to go with it.  Many gaming PC retailers offer laptop/desktop packages so you get a better rate.

If you don't plan to be on the go much and want a high end gaming PC, get a desktop.

If you will be traveling a lot or need the portability of a laptop, get a good gaming laptop and plan on replacing it in a couple years.