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I also buy from TigerDirect and feel like I am getting it cheaper...however, by the time I add it all up, it comes out about the same. The real benefits for me are a totally clean system (no crapware) configured just like I want it. After 14 years, I still get a warm tingly feeling when a bunch of parts and a new OS come to life for the first boot! 
"Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse
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I believe this depends on if you want the base system (from Dell, HP ...) or need upgrades from that. System builders generally sell the base system with a thin margin but charge a large markup (I have seen 10X markups in the past) on RAM, video cards and storage.
John
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I agree with the comment on bloat ware pre-installed by manufacturers. I owned a couple of Sony laptops that ran like one legged donkeys. When I did a clean install of the OS they perked up. My two desktops are both home brew and they have options that are not available in pre-built boxes. For instance they both have multiple boot options in the BIOS so I can run any number of different OSs without complicated boot records or going to VMs. They both have dual quad core processors and tons of RAM so I rarely encounter performances issues (shame the drives are so slow). They also have my choice of anti-virus and my choice of document editor. Don't care about the cost. I would rather have something that does the job properly.
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Isn't this only true if you don't cut the same corners as Dell might? I mean, Dell is gonna give you a cheap, slow hard drive for almost nothing, but you would never buy that thing as a component, it's crap. Some of the stuff they throw in a Dell or Gateway is so cheap you can't even buy it by itself.
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R. Erasmus wrote: To buy the parts yourself to build your own pc is much more expensive.
Not universally true, and especially not here where I am.
R. Erasmus wrote: You can't get the specials which they get.
Like what? Pre-loaded crapware - trial versions of Norton and stuff?
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I know it's been said already, but I don't agree with you. I can build a much better PC for the same money. I may not get the hardware at the same prices they do, but they aren't selling it to you at cost. I'm betting most of that ends up in their pockets, not yours.
Of course, when you realize you can basically do whatever you want with it, it can become more expensive, but you're getting more for it. For example, I spent $150 on 16GB of "gaming" RAM, complete with cooling fans, but I could have spent a lot less, I just had a large gift card and nothing else to buy with it. My base computer was < $700, I doubt any pre-built PC in the same price range could have matched it. (I've put in considerably more since, but it was for upgrades I wanted just because I could, not because I needed them, like a liquid cooling system and a $500 graphics card).
There are other benefits as well, for example since you have a complete list of the hardware, finding drivers is easier. That might not sound like much, but it's not easy to buy a laptop with Windows 8, upgrade it to Windows 7, then find all the drivers if the laptop manufacturer doesn't already supply them on their site. With a computer you built yourself, you can go to the hardware manufacturer's site, and find everything you need, for any OS they support.
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Are you taking everything into account. ?
They're putting it into your pc. They taking the responsibility for it if they brake it. They're taking the responsibility for it if it brakes within the warrentee period, they're taking the responsibility if it gets lots in the post which happens quite often from here where I am. They're saving money at shipping large quantities. I bet you, if select all the components you want (by the name) find out all the prices of each of those components (what you can get it for) and tell them that that is what you can build it (the price of your components put together) they will better it.
"Program testing can be used to show the presence of bugs, but never to show their absence."
<< please vote!! >>
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R. Erasmus wrote: They're putting it into your pc.
I enjoy that part, so paying them to do it is a loss to me.
R. Erasmus wrote: They taking the responsibility for it if they brake it.
I haven't broken anything yet, so I'm not worried about that part.
R. Erasmus wrote: <layer>They're taking the responsibility for it if it brakes within the warrentee period, they're taking the responsibility if it gets lots in the post which happens quite often from here where I am. They're saving money at shipping large quantities.
So do the individual component sellers, nothing lost there.
R. Erasmus wrote: I bet you, if select all the components you want (by the name) find out all the prices of each of those components (what you can get it for) and tell them that that is what you can build it (the price of your components put together) they will better it.
I doubt it. There are certain parts I want that no PC seller I know of would have bulk deals on (e.g. customizable liquid cooling systems, high air flow cases) because they aren't parts aimed at bulk consumption. What I want is a high performance PC, I want to be able to do anything and everything on it. It wouldn't make any sense from a business perspective for these companies to get bulk deals on these parts, because most of their market doesn't care. If we're talking a basic, cut down PC, that only needs to consume media, browse the web, and view and edit documents, that will never need to be upgraded, then sure, they will be a better deal, but I'm not in that market.
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It's not about money.
Building your own also allows you to reuse parts of the old system.
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When it comes to hardware I'm pretty clueless... All kinds of RAM, CPU's, motherboards, HD's etc.
I like to work ON the computer, not 'ON' the computer, if you know what I mean.
People are trained and specialized to get the best hardware that works well together into one computer, let them sort it out.
I'll worry about the software! That's one thing I hate, the pre-installed software that comes on new computers... Ah well, nothing a re-install can't fix.
It's an OO world.
public class Naerling : Lazy<Person>{
public void DoWork(){ throw new NotImplementedException(); }
}
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I'm not too demanding with my machines.
As long as they have at least 8gb of RAM and a nice hard disk it's good enough.
CPU is not an issue if the two requirements above are met.
Although I'm much more demanding with the keyboard and the chair 
As for the personal machines, I left towers a long time ago.
Now I only have laptops being my current one a Toshiba Portege Z830, really light and powerful enough.
Love it!
Cheers!
Alex
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I typically buy a brand name machine (new or used) and add options to it (disk, memory, graphics card). This is really a different choice from "upgrading parts" since nothing is replaced.
--
Harvey
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I think that sounds like "No, I get someone else to build a machine to my specificiations."
[Oh, what do you know, it looks like there is a typo in that option]
Soren Madsen
"When you don't know what you're doing it's best to do it quickly" - Jase #DuckDynasty
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"Yes - I build my machines from the ground up except for laptops in which I upgrade parts"
All my desktops are custom made. But there is simply no way of building laptops in that way. The closest you can get is the customize laptop wizards on vendor sites and later upgrade RAM or HDD.
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Never had a chance to build it from scratch. But still happy to upgrading the parts.
I wish, I could have written for my mind:
Mind.AsEnumerable().Where(m => m["EmptyCorner"] == "").ToList().ForEach(s => s.SetField("EmptyCorner", "C#, Asp.net, Linq, Java, .....Everyting"));
Mind.AcceptChanges();___________________________________________________
A little help through the tips and Articles
1. Table Valued Parameters
--Amit Kumar
modified 15-Apr-13 0:38am.
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