Computers such as any other electronics are a tool. A tool in which you use to do many things from surf the internet, develop software, run a business, play video games, stream videos or movies, and many more other uses.
Prebuilt vs building a computer has been debated by many for years and overtimes the tides have swayed back and forth as key component parts change in price or change performance wise. From building a computer yourself to buying a prebuilt computer made and assembled from a company a battle of options to get the best bang for your buck continues.
So what does a prebuilt computer mean?
Often, most people will recognize a prebuilt computer to be from a manufacturer supplying parts and put together by well-known third party companies for general consumers such companies are Dell and HP.
There are other more specialized companies usually focusing on the gaming market to put together custom prebuilt computers for gaming consumers such companies are iBuyPower, CyberPowerPC, Digital Storm, Origin PC, and more.
Overall, understand these companies do not create/make the components or parts they simply put all parts together to create a functional computer which may sound simple, but can be challenging for those not technically inclined.
Also most prebuilts at an average consumer level will have cases with branding on them and are solid non-transparent which is done to prevent you from seeing inside of the computer, however, a custom gaming prebuilt computer usually have transparent cases often utilizing tempered glass.
What does building a computer yourself mean?
Simple, building a computer yourself is taking out the middleman of having a company or another individual assemble one for you. People building their own computers often use websites such as PCPartPicker to hand pick out every single component part for their computer purchasing from multiple suppliers and different manufacturers to then be shipped to themselves as most supplier or business will not have every single part available in their supply, so it requires branching out to multiple suppliers.
Often individuals will choose this route when looking for the best-of-the-best in computers since hand selecting each component part yields fine tuning a well made to specifications computer likely to stay within budget and be at the peak performance for the individual.
So which should you go for a prebuilt computer or building a computer yourself?
In the end, it is up to the individual and their needs possibly technical abilities to decide. Most individuals will go for a prebuilt or custom prebuilt where they are able to alter component parts to their liking and have the company assemble it for them. This comes some perks from year long to multi year warranties, technical IT support, and saving time from assembling all of which are valuable items to have when things go wrong.
Building a computer yourself yields saving money by selecting component parts often overtime as deals come through and being able to attempt maximizing performance plus learning a new skill in being able to self repair if anything was to happen down the road. Generally, people should choose either considering some factors such as their budget, performance needs, or technical abilities in which option is the best for them.
References
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/gaming/resources/prebuilt-pc-vs-custom-pc.html
https://www.pcgamer.com/should-you-buy-or-build-a-gaming-pc/
https://www.tomshardware.com/features/buy-or-build-gaming-pc
https://www.ibuypower.com/
https://www.cyberpowerpc.com/
https://www.digitalstorm.com/
https://www.originpc.com/