If you’ve been sitting on the fence about whether you should build your own computer or buy a pre-built computer, we highly recommend considering a custom-built computer.
Building your own computer isn’t a difficult task, it’s so simple that the only tool you will need is a screwdriver. If you can use a screwdriver and follow instructions, congratulations, you have everything you need to build your own custom computer!
There are dozens of reasons why getting a custom-built computer over a prebuild is a good idea. In this article, we will go over the benefits of building your own custom computer so you will have a much better time working and gaming than you would on any pre-built computer.
Building Your Own Custom Computer Means You Can Upgrade
By opting to build your own computer, you will know exactly what parts are in your system, which parts are the most impactful for your computer’s performance, and which parts to upgrade down the line.
If you find that your computer’s performance isn’t meeting your expectations, you can easily and quickly swap out 1 part instead of returning a whole prebuild. If you aren’t getting a high enough frame rate in your video games or videos take too long to render, then returning a graphics card and getting a higher-end GPU is a quick and simple task. Even if you swap out parts in a prebuilt computer, you will have to go through the hassle of getting rid of its old hardware. Those looking to build their own systems likely will be skeptical about purchasing hardware from a prebuilt computer.
Upgrading is easy and cheap on custom-built computers, out with the old, and in with the new!
Your Thermals Will Thank You
One of the most notorious problems with prebuilt computers is that manufacturers cut corners where they can to save a few dollars. The most common part they cut corners on is your computer’s cooling system.
Prebuilds are put together quickly and their parts are crammed inside, usually hidden by the side panel, or under the power supply shroud. This severely limits airflow inside your computer case, which can cause your CPU temperature to be much higher than it should be. Most pc manufacturers will only put 1 or 2 case fans into your system. This can heavily affect your temperatures, decreasing performance, and accelerating hard drive failure.
Building your own computer allows you to properly cable manage to allow as much airflow inside your computer case as possible. Ideally, when building your own custom computer, you will be able to place 3 or more case fans inside or you can opt for AIO water cooling, or even custom water cooling if you’re feeling adventurous and have the money to spend.
Good quality cooling inside your computer will extend the life of your PC’s components, saving you money in the long run.
Higher Quality Computer Parts
It is a common misconception that certain brands that offer prebuilt computers include high-quality components, in reality, the parts inside prebuilds are low quality and binned specifically for prebuilds.
RAM, random access memory, is the best example of manufacturers including low-quality parts in their builds. Consumers will often get excited seeing how much RAM they are getting and don’t understand that the amount isn’t everything when it comes to RAM – frequency also matters.
Some prebuilds will offer you 16GB of RAM but its frequency will be 1200Mhz, for the less PC inclined, this is very slow for today’s standards.
When building your own computer you get to choose the exact specifications of your computer parts to guarantee they will last longer and operate at its maximum potential. Building your own computer means you fully understand what you are putting into your system, so you can choose the highest quality computer parts.
Say Goodbye To Bloatware
Building your own computer and installing your operating system comes with the advantage of not coming with any preloaded bloatware. What is bloatware? The garbage that comes with every prebuild that takes up your storage space and slows down your computer.
Bloatware over time will take up too much space on your computer if it isn’t removed. By building your own computer, you will never have any manufacturer bloatware to begin with, saving you time and storage space.
The reason that manufacturers include so much bloatware into their prebuilds is that they hope you will use their 3rd-party applications and give them another source of income. The most annoying kind of bloatware is trialware, where manufacturers include time-sensitive software that requires a subscription after a trial period.
By building your own computer, you don’t have to worry about bloatware slowing you down, and any software on your computer, you put there yourself.
Computer Part Manufacturer Warranties
Most pre-built computer manufacturers will charge you extra for an extended warranty or only offer you a short warranty of a year or 2. The problem with these warranties is that if something in your computer fails, you have to ship them your whole computer along with the files you have stored on it.
This can be a scary time without your computer and computers can be unpredictable. You might encounter issues after a year, once your warranty expires and prebuild manufacturers might not want to help you.
Building your own computer gives you warranties on each of your individual parts instead of the computer as a whole. You will find that some of your parts will warranties up to 10 years long, and offer companies even provide you with free upgrades. Higher-end computer parts often have warranties that are 5 years long or even lifetime warranties.
If something goes wrong with an individual component, you can send it back and have a new piece to replace it very quickly.
While it may be more difficult to deduce some computer hardware problems, most can be easily diagnosed with a little research and testing.
Future-Proofing
A term tossed around a lot when it comes to building your own custom computer is “future-proofing,” but what exactly does this mean?
The term “future-proofing your computer” comes from the idea that once you build it, it will be years before you will need to upgrade or replace it. Unlike laptops, desktop computers can be completely customized and upgraded. By putting in high-end computer hardware into your system you can rest assured that your computer’s specs will meet the requirements for any game or task you plan to do for the next 2-5 years and in some cases even 10 years down the road.
Because prebuilt computers are built with low-quality hardware, and limited upgradeability, they typically won’t last more than 3 years, even with good care.
Building your own computer gives you plenty of room to go overboard with your computer’s hardware. Get that 32GB’s of RAM at 4400Mhz speed now, and you’ll likely be set for the next 5 years.
Customization For Your Style
For go-hard PC gamers, customization is a big factor to consider when building your own computer. Gaming computers over the last 5 years have gone the route of RGB lighting for users to show off their own personality and style.
When building your own custom computer, you can choose your case’s color, if you want RGB lighting, the color of your fans, if you want to wrap your pc case, any customization you can think of doing to your computer, you can do.
Customization isn’t just limited to visual aesthetics either. Building your own computer gives you the luxury of choosing which peripherals will match your system and the quality of your individual computer parts, making future upgrades a breeze.
So Should You Build Your Own Custom Computer
If it is your first time building a computer, you may find yourself a new hobby. In the same way that some people enjoy fixing cars, building Gundam models, you might find yourself enjoying pc building. It is a great way to create something functional for both work and play, and building your own computer comes with so many benefits you wouldn’t get from purchasing a prebuilt system.