With the advent of computer sellers such as Dell, many people feel that it is no longer worth it to build your own, whether that is due to time or economic value. Most of the time you can build your own PC and still have enough money left over for petrol. In fact, not only is it cheaper to home build your computer but it also means that you choose everything that your new computer has and you can exclude pre-installed applications that have no relevance to you.

When you buy a pre-built computer, often you aren't given an operating system CD, this is because pre-built systems get special access to Original Equipment Manufacturer (or OEM) versions. Actually, so do you, but I wouldn't advise buying an OEM version. Most OEM operating systems have limited functionality when compared to the retail versions and, in some cases, that can include the limitation of being usable only with the hardware it came with. So upgrading your Dell computer when it becomes old and decrepit, really isn't as easy as you thought it would be.

Many people argue that with a pre-built computer, you get extra customer support and warranties that you don't normally get with a home build. However, most retailers will happily exchange a damaged item for a new one and, unless you are not familiar with computers already, there isn't really much need for the customer support.

My computer was homebuilt a few years back as a Christmas present, simply because it was cheaper to do so. Also, it is a lot easier to upgrade your homebuilt system because you know what went into it and how things work. This is a real plus point for me because I upgrade my system so often. Truthfully, the only part of my computer that is from the original system is the case, and I am even thinking of upgrading that soon.

Anyway, here is a midrange computer from Dell:

Dell Inspiron 530

  • £269 – Starting price for the Dell Inspiron 530.
  • £289 (+£20) – Upgrade to 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 processor.
  • £318 (+£30) – Upgrade to Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium.
  • £458 (+£140) – Add Dell 19" Wide Flat Panel monitor.
  • £519 (+£60) – Upgrade to 2048MB, 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 RAM.
  • £539 (+£20) – Upgrade to 320GB, 7200rpm hard drive.
  • £574 (+£35) – Upgrade to 128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8300GS graphics card.

So £574 for a midrange Dell machine with Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, NVIDIA GeForce 8300GS, a 2.2GHz dual core processor, a 320GB hard drive and 2GB of RAM.

Now let's look at how much it would cost to put together a comparable system on Novatech, an online components retailer. Keep in mind that this build will exclude any component comparison shopping, which would bring the price down further.

Homebuilt System

With Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium retail, the price is actually more than a Dell computer (at £210 from Novatech), so I went for an OEM version after all. The homebuilt system is £116 cheaper than the system built by Dell. If you go with Ubuntu, an Open Source operating system, then the homebuilt system would be £186 cheaper. Your choice.