Is pc building a dying trend?

[slow9300]

[rant] Maybe this has been discussed here before but I can't seem to find a thread. Just ordered some components for my first build since a Pentium 2 - 200mhz, needless to say, things have changed...

From what I've seen, most of the big kids (Dell, HP, etc...) are selling systems that are almost comparable in price to something you could build yourself, especially for the basic user. While I managed to get a slightly better build for a slightly cheaper price, I'm not sure it's worth the hassle.

It seems like there are fewer component choices these days (maybe I'm nuts) and your options are very limited from the days of the past... [/end rant]

 

[TwiceOver]

Yes, it is.

 

[lxskllr]

You don't build for price anymore. You build for customization, and fun.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Yes, it is.

So Neweeg etc are going down for the count?

 

[WaTaGuMp]

You don't build for price anymore. You build for bragging rights and fun.

Fixed.

 

[SKORPI0]

You don't build for price anymore. You build for customization, and fun.

This.
Custom build for myself/family and retail PC for friends.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I think you need to look around more. There are many more choices now than when Pentium 2 - 200mhz were current. It's also pretty hard to define "basic users" as that means different things to different people. In all but the cheapest systems, you can easily build yourself a better higher quality rig than anything offered by Dell, HP and the rest. Further, diy systems offer upgradeability which many "big kids" actively discourage through proprietary systems.

 

[TwiceOver]

So Neweeg etc are going down for the count?

Dying, not DEAD.

Jesus, the reading comprehension around here is at the kindergarten level.

And yes, Newegg probably has 10 years AT BEST left in them. And that's being pretty generous.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Dying, not DEAD.

Jesus, the reading comprehension around here is at the kindergarten level.

And yes, Newegg probably has 10 years AT BEST left in them. And that's being pretty generous.

I didn't say they were dead, so much for the reading comprehension thing.

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

People have been saying this for at least 10 years. If it's dying, and it probably is, it's been a slow death march.

Besides, Newegg started selling consumer electronics years ago. I wouldn't be surprised if a significant percent of their revenue is from TV's, smartphones, and even pre-built systems, and not computer hardware like boxed CPU's.

 

[Blitzvogel]

I'd say the number of people building desktop computers is actually on the rise. Now that consoles don't command the kind of performance lead they used to from the starting gate, it seems many console gamers are jumping ship, or at least have a competent desktop for gaming on the side. The pre-built consumer desktop business is going to hell though. People tend to buy laptops when they need a work oriented Windows machine. The performance/price ratio of building your own machine for games, media, work, etc is just so much better.

Love 'em or hate 'em, guys like PewDiePie and TotalBiscuit are only good advertising for the kind of experiences you can have on PC, which encourages people to give PC gaming a chance over consoles and tablets.

 

[Ronstang]

You don't build for price anymore. You build for customization, and fun.

Exactly. I just built a new HTPC New Year's Eve before I left for the party. I am installing Windows 8 Pro on it now. The PC I am building is custom to my needs and wants. Price is not the issue, getting exactly what I want is what is important to me. I wanted a specific case since I will use this PC as a server at the same time and house a 6 tuner TV card.....where am I going to get this other than building it myself??

Plus, if you want expansion possibilities down the road I've never found PCs from the big manufacturers acceptable because while I don't know how they do it now but in the past their motherboards were proprietary and had too many integrated things with limited expansion slots.....I could be wrong on this....but I'm still building my one. My first PC was the only one I bought ready to turn on.

 

[rsbennett00]

Dying, not DEAD.

Jesus, the reading comprehension around here is at the kindergarten level.

And yes, Newegg probably has 10 years AT BEST left in them. And that's being pretty generous.

I hear you regarding reading comprehension on these forums.

Regarding newegg specifically, most of us are surprised they are still around.

Regarding the PC parts market, it has declined in the last few years. Part of that has to do with poor support from some manufacturers and difficulty with troubleshooting among the variety of parts.

As is, with a custom built machine, if you have a weird problem (random crashing for instance), you need to swap parts to ID the culprit. Generally that means you need to have another pretty close machine at hand and with intel for instance, and all the crazy socket variations and even if the board supports such and such socket, maybe not that specific i5 and so on... It's just not as easy as it used to be.

Put that into comparison with something like an evenly priced HP with NBD on-site support and it's hard to choose the build it yourself option.

 

[Imp]

I barely game anymore. My system just turned five, the video card turned four.

Think I might ride this one until something dies. Money's on the CPU fan or lithium battery for the BIOS -- really hope that thing doesn't leak before running out of juice because this thing isn't off enough to drain it.

Oh, and I just bought a new battery for my 4 year old laptop rather than upgrade for an extra $300.

 

[Naer]

Nobody wants these big behemoths of pcs. We want nice tiddy laptops tablets and phones

 

[slow9300]

I hear you regarding reading comprehension on these forums.

Regarding newegg specifically, most of us are surprised they are still around.

Regarding the PC parts market, it has declined in the last few years. Part of that has to do with poor support from some manufacturers and difficulty with troubleshooting among the variety of parts.

As is, with a custom built machine, if you have a weird problem (random crashing for instance), you need to swap parts to ID the culprit. Generally that means you need to have another pretty close machine at hand and with intel for instance, and all the crazy socket variations and even if the board supports such and such socket, maybe not that specific i5 and so on... It's just not as easy as it used to be.

Put that into comparison with something like an evenly priced HP with NBD on-site support and it's hard to choose the build it yourself option.

All valid points, I guess I'm just reminiscing of the mid 90's when there was a computer shop on what seemed like every corner and white boxes were the norm. Like I said it's been a long time since I've built a computer and it appears this might be the last one I build. There's only one local shop here now and they skimp by fixing out of warranty repairs or selling a severely up-charged component because some walk in needs it asap

 

[JMapleton]

On paper those look like great systems, but I build my own systems because I want quality parts.

I doubt the major brands are using quality power supplies or motherboards. I also build because I find it enjoyable.

 

[IronWing]

Nobody wants these big behemoths of pcs. We want nice tiddy laptops tablets and phones

Full tower cases were the perfect height upon which to set your soda pop next to your desk. I like a case that offers more room than I'll ever have money to fill.

<typed on this tiny tablet I'm learning to use.>

 

[slow9300]

On paper those look like great systems, but I build my own systems because I want quality parts.

I doubt the major brands are using quality power supplies or motherboards. I also build because I find it enjoyable.

Having been out of the game for years, I spent a lot of time trying to pick quality parts. However it really seems like it's a crap shoot being that it appears most of the industry re-badges the same or similar products. Not to mention, customer reviews either help or hinder the process.

The rig I'm posting from is about five years old and cost ~$300 new, it has an Asus board with a generic supply, the generic supply still works. The Antec I bought a week ago is already dead.... seems like I'm rolling the dice with the whole industry and it never used to be that way. In the past I wouldn't have doubted Antec in the least.

 

[rsbennett00]

Having been out of the game for years, I spent a lot of time trying to pick quality parts. However it really seems like it's a crap shoot being that it appears most of the industry re-badges the same or similar products. Not to mention, customer reviews either help or hinder the process.

The rig I'm posting from is about five years old and cost ~$300 new, it has an Asus board with a generic supply, the generic supply still works. The Antec I bought a week ago is already dead.... seems like I'm rolling the dice with the whole industry and it never used to be that way. In the past I wouldn't have doubted Antec in the least.

Antec lost me as a customer when they fell so far behind the curve during the cpu switchover from 5v to 12v.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

I wonder if the fact that hardware is so far out in front of the average users power needs has anything to do with it. Used to be that the enthusiast needed control over each component to tweak machines to their particular usage pattern. Now, other than gamers, almost anybody could buy a low end machine off the rack, not swap any components and still not worry about stressing it. I still build mine, but the last one was mostly just out of habit and enjoyment. The financial benefit wasn't much of a factor and neither was the opportunity to hand select each piece for maximum value/power.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I wonder if the fact that hardware is so far out in front of the average users power needs has anything to do with it. Used to be that the enthusiast needed control over each component to tweak machines to their particular usage pattern. Now, other than gamers, almost anybody could buy a low end machine off the rack, not swap any components and still not worry about stressing it. I still build mine, but the last one was mostly just out of habit and enjoyment. The financial benefit wasn't much of a factor and neither was the opportunity to hand select each piece for maximum value/power.

Careful, you might get burned at the stake for talking about "good enough" computing around here.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

I wonder if the fact that hardware is so far out in front of the average users power needs has anything to do with it. Used to be that the enthusiast needed control over each component to tweak machines to their particular usage pattern. Now, other than gamers, almost anybody could buy a low end machine off the rack, not swap any components and still not worry about stressing it. I still build mine, but the last one was mostly just out of habit and enjoyment. The financial benefit wasn't much of a factor and neither was the opportunity to hand select each piece for maximum value/power.

I dunno, me having SLI makes these forums runs pretty smooth. :hmm:

 

[Zstream]

I wonder if the fact that hardware is so far out in front of the average users power needs has anything to do with it. Used to be that the enthusiast needed control over each component to tweak machines to their particular usage pattern. Now, other than gamers, almost anybody could buy a low end machine off the rack, not swap any components and still not worry about stressing it. I still build mine, but the last one was mostly just out of habit and enjoyment. The financial benefit wasn't much of a factor and neither was the opportunity to hand select each piece for maximum value/power.

Yeah, you're probably right. The average user doesn't require "much" in terms of raw power anymore. Now that SSD's and web games dominate, there isn't much in the way to entice anyone to upgrade.

I wish there was a case company that sold sleek looking cases that didn't cost $200.

 

[zerocool84]

I stopped building three years ago after doing it since I was a teenager. I play games on consoles now. It's nice to be able to play with your friends right next to you or just sit back on the couch and play. Also it's expensive keeping up with a decent rig, none of us want to have outdated gear.