Do you build your own computer?

I am currently taking an A+ course, and as I am learning, I think to myself, I should build my own computer. I am in the market for a new one, but if I learn all this A+ stuff, shouldn't I be able to build my own?

Do you all build your own?

or is it like changing your own oil? Like I know how to change my own oil, but I would much rather just drive through a quick change and pay someoen to do it

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NetworkingStudent

Mike-Mike wrote: »

I am currently taking an A+ course, and as I am learning, I think to myself, I should build my own computer. I am in the market for a new one, but if I learn all this A+ stuff, shouldn't I be able to build my own?

Do you all build your own?

or is it like changing your own oil? Like I know how to change my own oil, but I would much rather just drive through a quick change and pay someoen to do it

I built mine own and the benefit of building your own is that you pick out all the parts.
The drawback is that it does cost a lot of money.
It all depends on the parts you want and specs motherboard, video card, ect,ect
I liked building my own because it made me do a lot of research.
Some questions I had to ask myself:
• What mother board takes what socket.. ?
• DDR2 vs DDR3
• SATA vs PATA
• Benefits of USB 3.0
• Solid State drives vs Hard drives… the speed and cost
Building my own PC helped me passed my A+

Mojo_666

I used to build my own until in 2003 when I came to the realisation that laptops and servers were way cooler than desktop PC's and games consoles were actually less hassle for gaming.

I think everyone in IT builds their own machines for some period, I just comes down to how long that period might last, the last thing i did that could be considred a build was a base unit I got from a pc store which I modified into a media center it was so cheap I couldn't not buy it but iwas hardly a "real" build.

I build domains now, which tbh is way cooler.

phantasm

I've been building my own for about 10yrs, at least. I find I get a better deal that way. When it comes to laptops though, I just buy them.

TheShadow

I used to build new kit every 12 to 18 months, two or three at a time and stayed in the forums on Tom's and Anands. Eventually the systems got fast enough that the wow wasn't there anymore. I still have parts for a system that has been sitting around for almost 3 years. Q6600, Nvidia 8800 video, Asus motherboard, 4 gig of RAM, 5x 500 gig Seagate drives, LTO2 tape, 750W power supply, and a mystique case.

I think I was going to run exploits against it but other pressing things came up. I guess I should spend a Saturday morning, put it together, and do something interesting to keep the fire in the belly stoked.

mikedisd2

I used to build my own, but for the past 5+ years I've been getting the throw-outs from work. They're not the latest toys but I don't really need anything greater that dual-core PCs and laptops that run XP.

azjag

Pash wrote: »

I will continue to build my own systems for at least a few more years. Then I will just buy a system and get support for it, I will get tired of doing my own IT

I am already in this position. My last 2 pc's were dells that I upgraded after the fact. I find it relaxing to come home and not need to fix mine. It is nice to be able to call tech support and tell them what part to ship though.

This was after 8 home built machines and 2 dozen custom machines for friends and businesses over the last 12 years.

ssampier

I built my last one. It's pretty dang simple, really. The hardest part was getting the motherboard in. My case had cable runners that were getting in the way.

It was great for the experience. Laptops are great, too, but my desktop blows it out of the water (and the desktop was cheaper than the laptop, $1000 versus $1300).

I find it interesting that many of you build/buy servers. What do you use your server for besides testing? I do that already with virtualization software on my Linux multi-boot.

earweed

A lot of people are building/buying servers mainly for the durability and also they want to have the expandability that it offer. How many PC boxes do you see with bays for 4 or 5 HDDs? I built a PC but got lucky and found a box that had 4 HDD bays. It's actually an old server box but I just built a juiced up PC with it.
A lot of people need a little more than just have VirtualBox to run what they want to do. My PC I just built has Server 2008 R2 OS with Hyper-V and after my MS certs are done I'm going to put ESXi on it to get some VMWare experience.

wd40

earweed wrote: »

How many PC boxes do you see with bays for 4 or 5 HDDs?

Actually, many 50$ + cases come with 5 or 6 HDD bays these days

I would love to buy a server, but I dont have space for it + it is hot in here, it would probably die within few months

Asif Dasl

I have a 19" rack case at home, and to be honest I want to get rid of it, it takes up sooo much space. I would rather a regular Antec Three Hundred case.

As for drive bays, I think with NAS's becoming more popular it's less of an issue than it used to be. You do kinda need a Gigabit network to get the best from one though.

I'm building a 'server' i.e. a server using a desktop case and motherboard! mainly for labbing and not much else besides. Both will run ESXi and Exchange 2010 when I get around to it. But from what I've seen you can build a 'server' much cheaper than buying a real server and on the plus side components are cheaper to upgrade and can be sold on much more readily. I can run two monitors off each 'server' and they are quite too!

rwmidl

Asif Dasl wrote: »

I have a 19" rack case at home, and to be honest I want to get rid of it, it takes up sooo much space. I would rather a regular Antec Three Hundred case.

As for drive bays, I think with NAS's becoming more popular it's less of an issue than it used to be. You do kinda need a Gigabit network to get the best from one though.

I'm building a 'server' i.e. a server using a desktop case and motherboard! mainly for labbing and not much else besides. Both will run ESXi and Exchange 2010 when I get around to it. But from what I've seen you can build a 'server' much cheaper than buying a real server and on the plus side components are cheaper to upgrade and can be sold on much more readily. I can run two monitors off each 'server' and they are quite too!

I don't know. For $399 you can get a Dell PE T110 with Xeon processor (quad core I believe) 2gb of ram and a 250gb hdd for $399 (no OS).

Asif Dasl

rwmidl wrote: »

I don't know. For $399 you can get a Dell PE T110 with Xeon processor (quad core I believe) 2gb of ram and a 250gb hdd for $399 (no OS).

I definitely cannot order something that cheap from Dell Ireland! Not even close! I don't know what the upgrade costs are with that server but I'd probably still go with a self-build, at least I definetly know what I'm getting.

DevilWAH

brad- wrote: »

Build. Your. Own.

You get exactly what you want. The other side of it that no one mentioned yet, is the OS - you load only what you want, clean install. Plus, you'll have the actual windows disc (or whatever OS you choose).

When it come to OS, if I build or buy the system the first thing I do is wipe the installed OS and start fresh. I would nevver lead the OS that comes with a pre-build, full of bloat ware and screens popping up ever 30 seconds, suggesting you buy this, or need to back up that. Plus the crazy amount of security software they stick on.

Has to go and put back on only what you need.

Asif Dasl

DevilWAH wrote: »

When it come to OS, if I build or buy the system the first thing I do is wipe the installed OS and start fresh. I would nevver lead the OS that comes with a pre-build, full of bloat ware and screens popping up ever 30 seconds, suggesting you buy this, or need to back up that. Plus the crazy amount of security software they stick on.

Has to go and put back on only what you need.

I have seen a number of people, who I thought knew better, think this is a perfectly normal system to join to a domain

For me, no way, I'd have to wipe it first.

MentholMoose

azjag wrote: »

I am already in this position. My last 2 pc's were dells that I upgraded after the fact. I find it relaxing to come home and not need to fix mine. It is nice to be able to call tech support and tell them what part to ship though.

It is indeed convenient to have just one number to call. However, any part you buy for a DIY build is going to have a warranty as long or longer than a Dell without paying extra... 3-5 years for hard drives, 3 for PSU, motherboard, and CPU, lifetime for RAM and video card. For me the superior warranty length outweighs the convenience of only dealing with one vendor. I rarely have to RMA my own stuff anyway.

Chris:/*

I have built many desktops in the past but my mobile lifestyle currently requires powerful laptops.

Paul Boz wrote: »

i haven't had a desktop computer since probably 2005. I just buy higher-end Dell laptops and use them until they crap out or my wife needs a new computer (upgrade time for me).

I do the same thing, but with HP laptops. When I need an upgrade my wife gets mine. I will eventually have to build a desktop for my lab but that is when I have space I can dedicate to it.

cablegod

I used to, but don't have the time to "tinker" as much as I used to. #Flamesuit on# I'm a Mac guy at home these days though (27" iMac, Dual Nehalem Mac Pro, and a Mac Mini with HDMI out for my HTPC). For me, it works great. No time building or tinkering = more billable hours for me (yes, I moonlight on the side). It just works great straight out of the box. My time is too valuable to spend trying to fix problems/application issues with my PC when I should be racking up those billable hours.

cablegod

brad- wrote: »

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exampasser

I would have built my latest desktop but when my old desktop started dying on me in the middle of the spring semester I didn't have the time to build, so I ended up buying a new one.

The two things that really annoy me about OEM machines in general are cheapo power supplies and very locked down BIOS.

I ended up replacing the PSU on my new desktop because it was making an annoying buzzing noise. I'm not into overclocking so it's not the inability to change CPU/Bus speeds that annoy me about OEM BIOS, it tends to be things like the inability to change to manual fan speed control, getting annoying BIOS messages at startup if you plug the case fan into a molex plug instead of the onboard plug.

Zartanasaurus

I haven't bought an OEM PC since 1999/2000. All self-builds since then.

Zartanasaurus

Devilsbane wrote: »

I don't. The main reason is that you would have to be crazy to try and put your own laptop together, and I prefer a powerful laptop that can be used as my desktop, but also portable.

Building your own laptop is easier than your own PC since the hard part (motherboard) is already installed.

earweed

My last OEM purchase had all the bloatware which was annoying to take off (that was this computers original OS). My next build I'm just going to finally get a technet subscription. I used OSes from my MSDNAA account on 2 of my last 3 builds and the Server 2008 R2 from Dreamspark for my last. All out of free OSes..haha

nel

i have never built a pc from scratch, but then again i havent owned a desktop for about 8 years. i always buy laptops. recently bought a macbook pro and its the best laptop ive owned for sure, great piece of kit. after owning a laptop i just couldnt imagine moving back to a desktop for my main machine.

wd40

nel wrote: »

i have never built a pc from scratch, but then again i havent owned a desktop for about 8 years. i always buy laptops. recently bought a macbook pro and its the best laptop ive owned for sure, great piece of kit. after owning a laptop i just couldnt imagine moving back to a desktop for my main machine.

People always ask me, why do you still use a desktop

:

I answer, Big Monitors, more than one of them!

you can have an external monitor connected to your laptop of course, but it is not the same.

brad-

wd40 wrote: »

People always ask me, why do you still use a desktop :

I answer, Big Monitors, more than one of them!

you can have an external monitor connected to your laptop of course, but it is not the same.

Plus you cant beat it for gaming.

Thats a big reason I havent owned a desktop for years...I had to give up gaming when the family started arriving.

MentholMoose

wd40 wrote: »

you can have an external monitor connected to your laptop of course, but it is not the same.

Why not? My ThinkPad supports dual external monitors. It has VGA and DP output built in, and the dock I have has two DP and two DVI ports (only two outputs can be enabled at a time, though). I use a DP to HDMI adapter to connect to a 1080p HDTV, with audio over HDMI. Now if I wanted a triple monitor setup (well, I do want it, but don't need and cannot justify it) I would be out of luck, whereas with a desktop I could just add another video card, or get an Eyefinity card.

azjag

After reflecting on this topic a little I have found that I am not so much building my PC's from scratch anymore, I am building lab enviroments to mimic small to large scale situations in enterprise deployments. Instead of building a PC for use as my primary pc, I am piecing together servers or buying used servers to setup entire domain enviroments. Implementing DRS and HA scenerios to test and practice on (yes i am focused on VMware right now). Downloading app's to mimic iscsi connections and finding the cheapest way to deploy a SAN without spending an arm and leg to do it. So it's not something I've stopped doing, I'm just doing things differently. My primary PC is still a dell laptop or desktop with a warranty. I would liken the situation to the Cisco guys that build labs at home to hone their skills on. If you have viewed the cisco forums lately, they have some pretty impressive home lab setups.

cablegod

azjag wrote: »

After reflecting on this topic a little I have found that I am not so much building my PC's from scratch anymore, I am building lab enviroments to mimic small to large scale situations in enterprise deployments. Instead of building a PC for use as my primary pc, I am piecing together servers or buying used servers to setup entire domain enviroments. Implementing DRS and HA scenerios to test and practice on (yes i am focused on VMware right now). Downloading app's to mimic iscsi connections and finding the cheapest way to deploy a SAN without spending an arm and leg to do it. So it's not something I've stopped doing, I'm just doing things differently. My primary PC is still a dell laptop or desktop with a warranty. I would liken the situation to the Cisco guys that build labs at home to hone their skills on. If you have viewed the cisco forums lately, they have some pretty impressive home lab setups.

Check eBay for SAN's. Seriously. Checkout the EMC Clariions listed there. You can get some SWEET deals for lab gear. Just be sure you have the electrical capacity to run it

Devilsbane

cablegod wrote: »

Check eBay for SAN's. Seriously. Checkout the EMC Clariions listed there. You can get some SWEET deals for lab gear. Just be sure you have the electrical capacity to run it

Check it for Cisco too. I've seen some fairly decent kits on there for a couple hundred bucks.

za3bour

Well there is something about desktop, I'm not using it as often but when I do it's just a different experience kinda remind me of the past.

I can't imagine not having a desktop at my house.