Should I build my own or buy a pre-built from OCUK?

Cromulent

Cromulent

Cromulent

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My current computer was built in early 2012 and was built by myself. I'll be upgrading my computer probably early next year but I'm not sure I want to build it myself. It takes me about 2 - 3 days to do a full build and when you have any problems you have to solve them yourself which is a real pain. I especially don't like the idea of having to RMA parts if they are not working it is such a PITA.

So I was looking at OCUK pre-built systems and they look quite good for what I want. Yes they are more expensive but they come with a warranty so if anything breaks I can just send it back and they'll fix it for me which is a huge plus and I can customise the parts as well to what I want.

So what would you do in my situation? Build it yourself or buy a pre-built from OCUK?
 
Is there a reason it takes you 2-3 days? With kids and work etc... I usually build mine in the evening as it should only take a few hours tops inc installs as you have experience.

Each individual part has a warranty so you're covered there and maybe I've just been lucky as I've never had a problem with any parts needing to RMA. I also find the build itself quite relaxing.

I can see why pre-built is tempting though but I guess it all depends on your personal circumstances and if you have the time.
 
Bickaxe said:
Is there a reason it takes you 2-3 days? With kids and work etc... I usually build mine in the evening as it should only take a few hours tops inc installs as you have experience.

Each individual part has a warranty so you're covered there and maybe I've just been lucky as I've never had a problem with any parts needing to RMA. I also find the build itself quite relaxing.

I can see why pre-built is tempting though but I guess it all depends on your personal circumstances and if you have the time.
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Well maybe 2 - 3 days is a bit of an exaggeration but it definitely takes me longer than average just because I get nervous so I always triple check everything before I do it just to make sure I'm not making any mistakes.

I do like the fact that I can build what I want and select the pieces that I really want for my build but getting one pre-built feels so much easier to me. Maybe I'm just lazy :).

I'll be building a pretty beasty machine when I do so it'll need to last for 5 years before I upgrade it (apart from maybe the graphics card which I might upgrade after 2 - 3 years).

Maybe I'll just bite the bullet and build it myself and just hope for the best. I just get so frustrated troubleshooting problems when it comes to self builds.
 
i got OCUK to my build my last 2, saves me time £70 charge for buildinbg is way worth it.

personally though i don't pick pre-builts
i pick my parts & send a order via webnote/forum then ask them to contact me when they want payment.

a generally charge £70 for building + £30 for medium OC from memory.

£70 for 2-3 hours saving of my time is worth imho

these are not cheap PC either. I7 5930K 64GB ram 4TB SSD 2x980s 1300w Superflower in my last one.
 
smogsy said:
i got OCUK to my build my last 2, saves me time £70 charge for buildinbg is way worth it.

personally though i don't pick pre-builts
i pick my parts & send a order via webnote/forum then ask them to contact me when they want payment.

a generally charge £70 for building + £30 for medium OC from memory.

£70 for 2-3 hours saving of my time is worth imho

these are not cheap PC either. I7 5930K 64GB ram 4TB SSD 2x980s 1300w Superflower in my last one.
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Oh I didn't know I could do that. If I can specify exactly what parts I want in a build it sounds like a no brainer. Might as well get OCUK to build it for me and pay the extra charge so I don't have to do it myself. Thanks for the info :).

For the record I don't mind doing simple things like installing a new hard drive or installing a new GPU its things like putting the motherboard and CPU in that I don't like. I'd hate to break a £500 CPU because I bent some pins.
 
I've probably built a dozen or more systems over the years and always find it fairly stressful due to my having sausage fingers and generally large hands on par with wreck-it ralph.

I find cable management an absolute ball ache especially when working with cheaper components and cases, on the last cheap build I did for my cousin the I/O plate that came with the motherboard wouldn't line up with the cut out and the board once installed.

Had I known for a moddest fee that OCuk would build systems for me, with my list of components etc then I'd have gotten them to do it for me.
 
depends if you want to save money and have an adventure, with the potential for things to go wrong and have to trouble shoot them

Or you can be lazy, spend a bit (lot) more but be safe with the knowledge it was done by professionals and will be fully working

ocuk rule, i got my first system prebuilt by them like 5 years ago.

then built mine last winter
 
You could meet somewhere in the middle and buy one of the Defcon bundles with the CPU, ram and OC applied and then just assemble the cooling, GPU, case, psu and hard drives etc.

I guess though if the stress level makes the process one that isn't pleasurable, then going all in with OCUK building may be better for your situation.
 
Ok so if you get OCUK to build your machine with the parts you pick and a few months latter the DVD writer packs up for example, do you have to send the whole thing back or just the DVD writer ? Also you'd have no boxes for any of the items.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone. I'm still a bit undecided.

It was a good point someone made about having to send the whole computer back if something breaks. I wouldn't want to do that. On the other hand I'm terrified that I'll get a dud motherboard or CPU and find out that after I've spent ages getting them into the case I'll have to take everything out again just to send an item back via RMA.

I guess I can cope with the hassle though. I'll just have to set aside some time to do the actual build and hope for the best. I have built a couple of computers in the past so it shouldn't be that difficult.
 
You can do a sanity check build on the motherboard box before installing to the case. Makes access to everything easier and better light to see what you are doing.
 
I've done both and to be honest, I prefer it to be built for me.

Yes it costs money to have it built but I know that it's been built perfectly and has been put through its paces before it comes to me.
 
For my own computer I'll build myself, but for any relatives or anything else I'd avoid this now, it's way too much like hard work as if/when anything happens they seem to expect you to be on-call even if you made it clear at the time it was a one-off favour not a service agreement!

Honestly, if the building process isn't fun then I'd not do it. £70 isn't much on a high-end machine - I guess if going strict/low budget then maybe more debatable as you'll probably be sacrificing noticeable performance etc to hit the budget and that extra £70 could make a pretty big difference.
 
David Bisset said:
For my own computer I'll build myself, but for any relatives or anything else I'd avoid this now, it's way too much like hard work as if/when anything happens they seem to expect you to be on-call even if you made it clear at the time it was a one-off favour not a service agreement!

Honestly, if the building process isn't fun then I'd not do it. £70 isn't much on a high-end machine - I guess if going strict/low budget then maybe more debatable as you'll probably be sacrificing noticeable performance etc to hit the budget and that extra £70 could make a pretty big difference.
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That is what I was thinking. This will be a really high end machine and £70 extra isn't really all that much extra money when you are talking that kind of money.

When I'm ready to do it I'll have a word with OCUK and see what they say about building a machine for me with the specs that I want.
 
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