Gradual build - Or wait?

blasphemyweb

blasphemyweb

blasphemyweb

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31 May 2011
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329
Location
Central Scotland
I can't really afford to buy all my components at once for my first build so I'll be buying them gradually over the next 2 months.

I have my case, PSU, Opticals & HD's just now. At the end of the month I'll have my Mobo, CPU & RAM, then at the end of next month I'll have my GPU. Has anyone ever been in a similar position and built it as you purchased, or is it best to wait until everything's here before putting it together?

My thinking was that if I'm doing it gradually when I can take my time and try to avoid mistakes...... Any dire consequences of doing this that I'm not aware of?
 
Buy everything at once.

• Less delivery charges.
• Get the latest gear, if you bought a CPU/Board and RAM now, by the time you have purchased your last part to complete your build, there will be something newer out and then you will be kicking yourself.
 
When I did my last build, I built gradually as I got the parts.....I find it the best way as you can take your time and adjust things as you go and change your mind, that way you arent rushing it to get it started and you're less likley to make mistakes....well thats my opinion :)
 
Gradual build as it keeps your interest ! i have been gradually building for 15 years and i can say it never stops lol
 
I'm with Stulid, set your budget, save the cash and get the best stuff you can afford all at once. You can still take your time building the components and you'll get plenty of help checking your spec on here just before you click the buy button. I enjoy upgrading and building the computer, I enjoy using it more.
 
It isn't economical to buy everything gradually as you have to pay shipping repeatedly. Even if you have free shipping you are not helping OCUK by driving up their costs. Apart from this, as Stulid said by the time you finish building the thing half the parts may be obsolete.
 
AshenShugar1873 said:
I'm with Stulid, set your budget, save the cash and get the best stuff you can afford all at once. You can still take your time building the components and you'll get plenty of help checking your spec on here just before you click the buy button. I enjoy upgrading and building the computer, I enjoy using it more.
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I'm also from Kilwinning. Small world!

I'm on the fence with this one personally. I wouldn't recommend buying a motherboard, waiting two months and buying the processor etc. However I don't see the issue with buying a Mobo, CPU, RAM bundle then getting a PSU, Case and HDD down the line.

Advancements in cases, hard drives and PSU's aren't that great compared with new processors, sockets and ram price fluctuations.

Buying a GPU last is always good as these tend to be updated quite regularly with new series, coolers, designs etc coming out a lot and prices of older models going down.
 
To me it really depends on whether you are talking about a rolling upgrade process (every few months you replace a few parts) or a super slow build (buy parts, install them, leave it in cupboard until it is complete).

If it is the former then I can totally get behind that - you maintain a usable system, buy the parts when you are ready (and there are good deals/new releases) and gradually boost the performance of your system in stages instead of waiting to do one big push.

However, if you are just buying kit for the sake of it and the system can't be used in the mean time - this is a bit of a waste of time in my eyes. Not only are you paying a premium to see your unused parts slowly become obsolete, but you also can't check to see if they are DOA or faulty. It is usually a lot easier to sort these things out immediately after you buy them instead of months down the line.

Also, if you are planning a system and you see a good deal for a case, PSU, optical drive, peripherals, CPU cooler or mechanical HDD then there isn't much harm buying this months before your build - since the tech doesn't change much and you can save a bit of cash in the long-run (so long as you have free delivery).
 
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I've already specced it, with help from on here, so nothing is going to change about my build even if something new does come out in the next 2 months. So think I'll stick the PSU in tonight and do it gradually as when I try to save it just burns a hole in my pocket :(. Throughly looking forward to it.

P.S VERY small world given I'm from Dalry (Next town over from Kilwinning for non locals).
 
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blasphemyweb said:
I've already specced it, with help from on here, so nothing is going to change about my build even if something new does come out in the next 2 months. So think I'll stick the PSU in tonight and do it gradually as when I try to save it just burns a hole in my pocket :(. Throughly looking forward to it.

P.S VERY small world given I'm from Dalry (Next town over from Kilwinning for non locals).
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I'm the same, money burns right through my pockets. Worst saver ever!

Very small... Jeezo, what's the chances.
 
the other disadvantage of buying gradually is the warrenties will all be different (i like to have all warrenties start around the same time so i can easily find the purchase dates) and its hard to argue something was DOA if its been sitting in a box for 3 months before you had all the other parts to test it.
 
Buchanan0204 said:
Haha. Water isn't my niche unfortunately. Only ever installed one. Anything else, then I'm sure I could have been some assistance.
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Keep an eye out for my thread in a few weeks begging for help for the simplest of things.

Got my NZXT Phantom the other day and I love it, cant wait to fill it.
 
Personally, i prefer buying all at once mainly because if something isn't working on arrival, it's quite nice to get it sorted sooner rather than later then having to deal with the manufacturers directly.
 
I'm going the gradual build route and making savings in the process:

To date:

Zalman Z9 £39.99
i5 2500K £134.99
XMS3 4GB £30
3 x 120mm fans £2.95
Corsair H50 £40
MSI 6950 £179.99
GD65 £125 (need to sell Hyper 212 for £15 though)
 
paradisiac said:
the other disadvantage of buying gradually is the warrenties will all be different (i like to have all warrenties start around the same time so i can easily find the purchase dates) and its hard to argue something was DOA if its been sitting in a box for 3 months before you had all the other parts to test it.
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Very good point. I've got another system sitting there so have already tried the opticals and HDD'S in it. Will try the PSU later. So the MOBO, CPU & RAM can be tested in that as well I guess.
 
Well my impatience got the better of me and I've ordered all parts for my build. I'm off work next Tuesday so I've got til then to spend biting my finger nails :D

Can't wait :D Final spec is as follows:

NZXT Phantom in black
MSI P67A-GD65 (B3) iP67 Socket 1155 8 Channel Audio ATX Motherboard
Intel Core i5 2500K 3.3GHz Socket 1155 6MB Cache
Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz/PC3-12800 XMS3 i5 Memory Kit CL9
MSI ATI Radeon HD 6950 OC Twin FrozR III Power Edition 2048MB GDDR5
Corsair Hydro Series H60 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler
LiteOn IHAS324 24x DVD±RW DL & RAM SATA Optical Drive
Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache
 
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