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Custom PCs are great, but here are 4 compelling reasons why they're not right for you
- Building a custom PC takes time, research, and technical know-how, which may not be everyone's cup of tea.
- For those who don't plan to make any hardware upgrades, a no-nonsense prebuild could be the better option.
- Convenience, one-stop warranty, and customer support are huge pros in favor of prebuilt PCs.
- Even experienced custom builders might switch to prebuilds when short on time due to added responsibilities.
Pretty much every PC user has daydreamed about building themselves a custom PC, at least once. Some of them even took the plunge - and have never looked back since. Once you get the hang of researching components, and gather the courage to assemble the PC yourself, it can be hard to even think of switching back to buying a prebuilt PC.
But, despite the numerous benefits of going the custom route, it's not the best choice for every single user. And in certain cases, it could be more trouble than it's worth. Prebuilt PCs have come a long way in the past few years and a lot of the conventional notions surrounding them no longer hold true. Here are some of the reasons why a custom PC might not be the best choice for you right now.
You have no desire to build your own
It's just not your thing
Building a custom PC is a time-consuming endeavor. From the moment you decide to start exploring the latest components, to the point at which you build the PC and power it on, it's an exercise in patience. You also need a fair bit of technical know-how to put everything together while avoiding the most common mistakes during the PC-building process. It's completely understandable if you don't have the willingness to embark on this journey.
You just need to do the research to identify a reputable PC builder and ensure you're not getting outdated components or terrible value compared to building one yourself.
I can understand you might feel unwilling to learn about pairing a CPU and GPU, about RAM frequency versus latency, or selecting the right PSU for your PC. If I wasn't introduced to computers at the age of eight, I probably would have felt the same when it was time to buy a gaming PC. I love throwing myself into the thick of it, spending countless hours on YouTube and Reddit about every minute aspect of a potential build. But not everyone enjoys it to the same extent.
This is where prebuilt PCs come in — you just need to do the research to identify a reputable PC builder and ensure you're not getting outdated components or terrible value compared to building one yourself.
You don't upgrade your PC regularly
Done once, done right, done forever
Custom PCs are known for being very easy to upgrade, especially since you can usually choose the components with your future upgrade path in mind. For instance, any custom build with an AMD AM5 motherboard can easily accommodate a CPU swap once new Ryzen CPUs are launched. Similarly, replacing or adding RAM or storage is never a concern when you build your own PC.
If you don't have the inclination to open your PC and mess around with the components at any point in the future, having the option to do so wouldn't matter to you.
Prebuilds, on the other hand, aren't so easy to upgrade. You might find that your PC case isn't large enough to accommodate bigger graphics cards or CPU coolers down the line. Or your power supply might not have enough wattage to allow for a seamless graphics card upgrade. Of course, these issues might not matter to you if you never plan to make any hardware changes to your system. You could happily use your PC for years and simply buy a new prebuild when it becomes obsolete.
If you don't have the inclination to open your PC and mess around with the components at any point in the future, having the option to do so wouldn't matter to you. You'd much rather opt for a no-nonsense machine that works as advertised, out of the box.
You value convenience over price and flexibility
Convenience is often underrated
For many people, one-stop warranty and reliable customer support are major considerations when buying a PC.
If you're like me, you'd happily pick the convenience of a prebuilt gaming PC over the superior customization and control offered by a custom PC. In fact, despite building PCs for over 20 years, I don't actually rule out a prebuild being my next gaming PC. For many people, one-stop warranty and reliable customer support are major considerations when buying a PC. Don't forget - by going the custom route, you would need to contact the respective component manufacturer yourself if anything goes wrong. And even before that, you'll have to diagnose the underlying problem, and work out which component has gone wrong, for yourself.
Even if you could build a custom PC with the same configuration for around $100-$200 less, it's reasonable to pay the premium for a hassle-free lifetime experience. And in many cases, prebuilt machines could even cost less than similarly-specked custom-builds, taking price out of the equation.
You don't have the time anymore
There's just too much other stuff to do and never enough time
This one's for all the custom PC builders out there. A few years back, you might not have given a second thought to commencing on a painstaking build with a unique theme or a custom watercooling loop. But, nowadays at least some of you would consider a powerful, well-configured prebuilt PC over a custom build. It happens — life gets busy, your job gets in the way, or you're simply over your PC-building hobby. A prebuilt PC can be the best choice in such cases.
You can sit back and enjoy your machine in the limited free time you get
That's no bad thing. And due to your experience building PCs, you'll be much better placed when spotting bad prebuilt deals and shady companies trying to cut corners on components. With some attention to detail, you could easily land yourself a great value-for-money gaming PC from a good prebuild PC brand. Once you've taken care of the basics, you can sit back and enjoy your machine in the limited free time you get, and focus on playing your favorite games instead of banging your head over endless optimization.
Custom PCs are great but prebuilds can be great too
Many of the common problems associated with prebuilt PCs — poor value for money, terrible looks, proprietary components — have all but ceased to exist. Prebuilds from reliable companies now offer competitive value, decent customization options, and premium components. If you're not able to devote the time to build your own PC or prefer convenience to everything else, a prebuilt gaming PC may well be the better choice for you.