What’s the Difference Between a Prebuilt and a Custom PC?

Is it better to assemble your PC or buy one readymade? That question can only be answered with knowledge about your financial condition and the state of the market at the time. So, if you need some direction, this is it.

The ability to personalize your PC is one of its most appealing features. Building a gaming PC is like putting together a rewarding jigsaw, with various components to choose from and many methods to make your PC seem unique.

Prebuilt gaming PCs are incredibly popular, but not every PC player is computer competent. Here are the key benefits and drawbacks of both options if you’re on the fence and can’t decide between building your gaming machine and ordering one prebuilt.

Let’s get right down to business.

Flexibility

To avoid dealing with parts that aren’t ideal for your purposes, it’s preferable to construct a PC from scratch using the details you’ve determined to be the most excellent fit.

If you buy a prebuilt PC, you can almost always improve its performance and lower its price by tweaking it. For example, alterations can be made to the CPU and GPU, as well as to the quantity of RAM, the storage medium (HDD to SSD), and the ratio of the two.

Prebuilt computers usually have high-end components like an i7 processor, 32 GB of RAM, and a GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card. Now, if you want a gaming PC, you should get an i5 processor, 16 GB of RAM, and a more recent and powerful graphics processing unit (GPU), such as GTX 1660 Ti or even an RTX 2060.

Future-proofing is another consideration. Some prebuilt computers may include outdated central processing units and graphics chipsets, significantly limiting future upgrades.

For instance, an AMD FX or an Intel Core CPU from a prior generation might be suitable for a prebuilt cheap gaming PC. However, these CPUs feature outmoded chipsets and sockets; therefore, upgrading the CPU in the future would require replacing the motherboard.

However, there is often considerable potential for customization and modification with prebuilt gaming PCs. Therefore, if you’re set on purchasing one, you should check to see that its setup doesn’t rely on any parts that are too far out of date. Do this to obtain your money’s worth and avoid spending more than required on future improvements.

Pricing

You may save money by building your PC instead of buying expensive premade systems or overpowering parts that won’t negatively impact your gaming experience. The question then becomes, how do the costs of prebuilt PCs compare?

As it turns out, though, components already on the market might be rather pricey. Do you remember how PS3s were networked to create a supercomputer? Consider how the recent cryptocurrency mining mania has impacted GPU costs or how much a DDR4 RAM may cost. The good news is that prebuilt PCs sometimes provide more excellent value.

Companies specializing in PC construction must pay for the initial investment in parts, generate a profit, and meet the overhead costs associated with operating a firm.

Generally, purchasing a prebuilt computer will save you money compared to building an identical system from scratch. Therefore, the financial benefits of buying such a PC at a discount might be substantial.

Convenience

One more thing: prebuilt PCs are appealing because they are easy to use.

A prebuilt PC is the easiest option if you’re not very knowledgeable about PC components or don’t want to deal with the headache of wire management.

Not only that, but some firms create bespoke PCs on request. This merges the best of both worlds, to a degree — you get a prebuilt PC, but one that you can configure, although to varied degrees. The problem is that this isn’t always the most cost-effective approach to creating a bespoke PC since these businesses typically charge for their services.

To Summarize: Prebuilt vs. Custom PCs: Which Is Best for You?

Everything depends on you in the end.

As was previously said, buying individual PC parts allows you to save money and create a system tailored to your specific demands.

On the other hand, a prebuilt PC might save you a little cash and a lot of time, and you’re unlikely to go wrong with them if you’re making an informed selection.

For the most part, we’d recommend a prebuilt PC as the first choice solely for individuals who are either utterly inexperienced with tech or are just unfamiliar with the process of PC construction and have nobody who can offer a hand in that respect. However, if you don’t want to be stuck with obsolete parts or shoddy construction, it’s in your best interest to do some research and consult an expert.

Other articles on our site cover the finest gaming PCs that can be built for different budgets, such as $600, $800, $1000, $1500, and $2000.

We also compiled a few lists of the best-prebuilt gaming PCs under $500, $800, and $1000, so you may want to check those out before making a final decision.