Your old gaming rig has served you well for years. But it’s struggling with some of the latest releases, and you’ve decided it’s time to upgrade.
While it’s become widespread these days for a gamer to build their computer at home from scratch, there’s a growing trend of ordering a custom rig built on-site before it’s shipped. Having your new rig put together by a company offers a surprising range of benefits.
Keep reading to find out why pre-built machines are quickly becoming the preferred way of getting your hands on a new gaming PC.
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Let’s Look At The Price
It’s easy to assume that it would be cheaper to buy all the parts individually, then put them together yourself, saving on labor costs. And most of us will do anything to cut back on the price as much as we can. Decent gaming computers are not cheap, especially considering the costs of hardware at the moment.
Graphics cards, in particular, have seen their prices shoot through the roof over the last year as supply has become constrained. Companies like NVIDIA are battling to meet the ever-increasing demand for their new line of cards, which are popular among gamers and crypto miners.
Price is a significant point to consider when choosing whether or not to build your PC. But trends have shown that building it for you is getting cheaper.
Part of the reason for the lower asking price is that a PC distributor will often be able to get a hold of their hardware in bulk. This means they can charge their customers less overall, even when including labor costs. They also have wholesale agreements with suppliers and tend to offer specials on rigs at certain times of the year or when new components hit the market.
Of course, this may not always be the case—some PC shops like to charge much more than they should. But if you can find one that you trust and crunch the numbers, you’ll likely find that it would end up being that much cheaper to buy pre-built.
The trick here is to do your homework. Don’t just go for the first deal that looks good on paper.
The Right Specs With No Stress
Just because you’re an avid gamer doesn’t automatically mean that you’re a computer guru. The components that make up a mid-range gaming PC need to complement one another and be the right power, speed, and spec. It would be best if you had more than basic tech skills to know what’s what and how it all works.
Opting for a pre-built machine lets the experts guide you toward what you’ll need without working out if your CPU is underpowered or your graphics card won’t cope. Pre-built gaming computers are paired with the correct CPU-GPU combination and will have plenty of RAM and storage space. By design, they’ll offer a premium experience as they’re purpose-built.
You won’t have to worry about if your components are compatible or whether or not they’ll perform well. Nor will you spend hours completing a rig build, only to find out it doesn’t deliver the way you expected it to.
You’ll also have plenty of choices available, as there are a variety of mid-range gaming PCs on the market that suit various price points. You can find one with the specs you want without wasting time and money researching components and potentially buying parts that don’t work the way you envision.
Access To Additional Features
Many PC manufacturers and distributors often include features in their computers that you cannot purchase individually. Warranty-safe overclocking, pre-installed game statistics software, and LCD panels are just a few features that may come standard with mid-range gaming rigs but are not necessarily available for individual purchase.
If aesthetics is a factor, you’ll find that many cases are exclusive to pre-built machines. Both Corsair and Alienware use in-house chassis you cannot purchase separately. These cases are specially modded to the computer’s components and are unavailable for home builds.
A pre-built gaming rig is your best option if you want a beautiful case. Plus, you won’t have to worry about ensuring it’s closed up correctly so that dust and dirt cannot get in quickly. The case will be sealed tightly, with no missing screws or misalignment.
With a prebuilt computer, cable management isn’t a factor either. All the cables are properly crimped and the correct length. This makes it easy to keep them tidy and avoid them getting damaged.
The Nightmare Of Warranties
If you’ve been playing games for several years, there’s a good chance that a part of your rig has failed at one point or another. When this happened, you entered the nightmarish world of warranties.
When dealing with the manufacturers as an individual, it’s easy to feel like nothing more than a number. Plus, it can be downright impossible to find someone willing to give you the time of day to help you fix your problem.
When you’re buying a computer built by a well-established company, the chances are they’ll offer you a warranty on the machine as a whole.
This means that if something were to go wrong, you don’t have to tear the machine apart looking for the problem. You can pick up the phone and report a problem or email them. Depending on the warranty agreement, they may even send a technician out. If they find that one of the components is faulty, they’ll be able to replace it there and then. And they’ll deal with the warranty issues without you having to lose any sleep.
Everything Just Works
If you ask anyone that’s built any number of computers in the past, they’ll inevitably tell you horror stories of their rig not starting after a build. If this happens, they’ve had to strip it down piece-by-piece until they eventually discovered which components failed. Then they had to send it back and wait weeks before getting a replacement. It’s a nightmare scenario for any gamer.
When buying pre-built, this is never the case. The machine gets assembled on-site, and they’ll test everything to ensure it’s working. When it arrives at your door, you need to unbox it, plug in a printer, mouse and keyboard, and any other accessories you use, and turn it on. This plug-and-play option eliminates hours of potential frustration, lost time, and money.
The Added Benefit Of Tech Support
Along with a warranty, most PC businesses will offer tech support that’s part of your package. You can contact them directly and explain the issue if something goes wrong. They will make a plan to have the issue sorted quickly and painlessly.
This removes the need to spend countless hours testing parts. Plus, you don’t have to trawl through endless threads and forums to find a solution that involves a spare testing rig to figure out what’s wrong. It also gives you peace of mind knowing that if your PC isn’t working, you have professionals on call.
Preloaded Software
For most gamers, the recommended operating system is Windows, but if you’ve ever looked at the price of Windows 10, you’ll know it’s fairly expensive. This OS can dramatically increase the price of your mid-range gaming PC.
However, when purchasing a pre-built system, software, like the OS, comes preloaded on the machine, often at a reduced price. The drivers for the keyboard and mouse will be pre-installed, too, so you won’t have to download any additional software or take the time to install them. This is why the current era of plug-and-play has never been more popular, convenient, and cost-effective. You’ll also have the option of having additional software installed, such as an antivirus suite and other platforms, including Steam.
Saving Time and Money
Building a computer at home takes a lot of time and patience. In today’s busy world, not everyone has the time to dedicate to a project like this, especially if the result may need tweaking and tinkering.
Buying pre-built is not only less demanding on your time, but it’s also kinder to your pocket. You can start gaming from the minute it arrives at your door. Keep an eye out for deals, and you’ll eventually find something that suits your needs and offers a package with a warranty and support.
Happy gaming!