Is It Still Cheaper To Build Your Own PC? - MakeUseOf

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By Jowi Morales Updated Oct 14, 2024 John William Morales, better known as Jowi, is a writer, a career coach, a professional photographer, and a leisure pilot. He's been using, discovering, and exploring PCs since Windows 3.1 and has been on board the Android bandwagon since Froyo. In 2023, he also invested in an iPhone and a Mac, allowing him to cover a wide spectrum of consumer technology. Jowi started writing part-time in 2015 and transitioned to it full-time in 2020. He also finished a university degree with related units in journalism in 2012. Currently, Jowi writes for MakeUseOf.com, SlashGear, Tom's Hardware, and some private tech brands. But even before he received higher education, he's been known by his friends and family as the go-to person when anything computer-related requires explanation. Sign in to your MUO account Add Us On Jump links

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Basic Gaming PC

Entry-Level Gaming PC

Mid-Range Gaming PC

High-End Gaming PC

No-Holds-Barred Gaming PC

Is It Cheaper to Buy a Pre-built or Build Your Own?

follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread 1 Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

Summary

The cost of pre-built and custom Basic Gaming PCs is practically the same, but the pre-built PCs are cheaper on labor costs.
Custom entry-level to high-end gaming PCs are cheaper than pre-built options, with cost savings ranging from $100 to over $500.
Pre-built top-end gaming PCs are significantly cheaper than custom-built options. However, you might not be able to choose the particular components that you want.

Conventional wisdom says that buying computer parts and building your machine is cheaper than buying one pre-built by someone else. But is that still true today?

I selected five pre-built desktop PCs from different manufacturers and compared their prices with the price of similar parts gathered from Newegg to see if a pre-built computer really saves money.

Basic Gaming PC

First, let’s start with the basic gaming PC. With a budget of less than $800, I found the NZXT Player: One desktop from NZXT. It features a nice, clean case with no RGB lights, but at least it offers decent performance. Its original price is a smidge over our budget ($829), but it’s a steal at the time of writing, priced at $699.

Here’s a comparison of the PC’s specifications versus what I could find on Newegg. Note that I only picked brand-new items sold directly by Newegg to ensure quality. Also, the price in parentheses is the item’s original price if it’s on sale.

NZXT Player: One	Newegg	Price
Processor	Intel Core i5-13400F	Intel Core i5-14400F	$176.79 ($209.99)
Graphics Card	Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050	MSI Ventus RTX 3050 6GB	$169.99
Memory	16GB (2x8GB) DDR5-5200	Kingston Fury Beast 16GB (2x8GB) DDR5-5200	$55.99
Storage	1TB NVMe M.2 SSD	Seagate Barracuda Q5 1TB NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen3x4	$49.99 ($62.99)
Motherboard	B760 Motherboard	Gigabyte B760M Gaming Plus WiFi	$139.99 ($149.99)
Power Supply	650W Gold	MSI MAG A650BN 650W ATX 80+ Bronze	$69.02 ($69.99)
Cooler	Air Cooler	Stock Air Cooler	-
PC Case	H5 Flow Case	Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L (White)	$37.99 ($39.99)
Total Price	$699 ($829)	$699.76 ($758.93)

As you can see in our table, similar specifications cost around the same price on Newegg based on their sale prices. Since NZXT already builds the PC for you, the pre-built computer actually wins this round. Of course, that’s if I base the comparison on the sale prices. If you rely solely on original pricing, the NZXT Player: One will cost $829, while the Newegg parts cost $758.93, saving you around $70 if you build the PC.

Note that I went with the RTX 3050 6GB on this build to match the price of the NZXT build. If you have an extra $30, I highly recommend going for the MSI Ventus RTX 3050 8GB for better performance. You could pick other GPUs if you have a bigger budget, but I suggest that you stay away from these five GPUs no matter what.

Entry-Level Gaming PC

If you can spend a little more, you can move up to the entry-level gaming PC. I chose a system from iBuyPower for this tier, which features a nice case with RGB lights and a gaming performance that should be able to handle a few AAA games, albeit not at the highest graphics settings.

I budgeted between $1,000 and $1,500 for this build, so this is what I was able to get.

iBuyPower RDY Slate 6M 003	Newegg	Price
Processor	AMD Ryzen 5 7600	AMD Ryzen 5 7600X	$229 ($299)
Graphics Card	Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8GB	Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Gaming OC 8GB	$393.92 ($409.99)
Memory	16GB (2x8GB) DDR5-5200	Corsair Vengeance RGB 16GB (2x8GB) DDR5-5200	$69.99 ($72.99)
Storage	1TB NVMe M.2 SSD	Team Group T-Force G50 NVMe M.2 PCIe 4.0x4	$57.99 ($69.99)
Motherboard	Asus Prime B650M-A AX6	Gigabyte B650M Gaming Plus WiFi	$129.99 ($159.99)
Power Supply	750W PSU	Corsair RM750x 80+ Gold Fully Modular ATX	$79.99 ($129.99)
Cooler	RGB CPU Tower Air Cooler	be quiet! Pure Rock 2 FX	$47.99 ($52.90)
PC Case	iBuyPower Slate 6 Mesh	Thermaltake H570 TG Snow Edition	$79.99
Total Price	$1,199 ($1,399)	$1,088.86 ($1,274.84)

At the entry-level tier, you save over $110 if you build your own PC. This even includes a better processor (AMD Ryzen 5 7600 vs. 7600X), so you’ll get even more bang for your buck if you choose exactly the same chip.

Mid-Range Gaming PC

Our budget for the mid-range gaming PC hovers between $2,000 and $2,500. At this money, I also wanted to go with a major PC brand, so I picked the Acer Predator Orion 5000 for this comparison. At this level, you should be able to play most games you want comfortably.

When you’re within this budget, you have the flexibility to choose components without worrying about going over budget. However, you still need to do this judiciously to make the most of your hard-earned money. That’s why I recommend you review our well-rounded PC buying guide before picking parts to add to your build.

Acer Predator Orion 5000	Newegg	Price
Processor	Intel Core i7-14700F	Intel Core i7-14700F	$318.75 ($368.99)
Graphics Card	Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti	MSI Shadow RTX 4070 Ti Super 16GB	$769.99 ($799.99)
Memory	16GB (2x8GB)	G.Skill Ripjaws M5 RGB 32GB (2x16GB)	$91.99
Storage	1TB SSD	Crucial P3 Plus 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD	$68.53 ($74.99)
Motherboard	Not indicated	ASRock Z790 Pro RS WiFi	$158.99
Power Supply	800W PSU	EVGA SuperNova 850 P5 80+ Platinum	$109.99 ($199.99)
Cooler	RGB Air Cooler	MSI MAG CoreLiquid E360 Black AIO ARGB	$139.99
PC Case	ATX Case	Fractal Design North ATX	$139.97 ($139.99)
Total Price	$2,299.99	$1,798.20 ($1,974.92)

As you can see, you’ll save a lot of money if you build your own computer at the mid-range level. You’re saving over $500 with the on-sale parts, and even if you none of the components were at a discount, you will still save $324.08. You could then use this money to get yourself a nice display, like this 39-inch InnoCN curved gaming monitor that goes for less than $500.

High-End Gaming PC

You will get amazing gaming performance at this tier. However, you should also be prepared to spend over $3,000, which is what we’re paying for with the Alienware Aurora R16. I chose the most expensive pre-configured desktop model that Dell offered to gamers, and then we’ll compare the cost of similar parts from Newegg.

Alienware Aurora R16	Newegg	Price
Processor	Intel Core i9-14900KF	Intel Core i9-14900KF	$442.99 ($540.99)
Graphics Card	Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super	Asus TUF Gaming RTX 4080 Super	$1,029.99
Memory	32GB (2x16GB) DDR5-5600	G.Skill Trident Z5 RGV 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5-6000	$112.99
Storage	2TB M.2 NVMe SSD	Samsung 990 EVO 2TB PCIe Gen4x4 NVMe M.2 SSD	$139.99 ($239.99)
Motherboard	Not Indicated	MSI MPG Z790 Carbon WiFi II	$429.99
Power Supply	1000W Platinum	Thermaltake Toughpower PF3 1050W 80+ Platinum ATX 3.0 Full Modular	$198.99 ($219.99)
Cooler	240mm AIO	NZXT Kraken Elite RGB 360	$299.99
PC Case	ATX Case	Corsair iCUE Link 6500X RGB Mid-Tower Dual Chamber	$269.99
Total Price	$3,199	$2,942.92 ($3,143.92)

Although the price difference at this tier between the pre-built and custom PC is no longer over $500, you still save more than $275 if you go the custom route, which is still a pretty significant sum. The savings mostly come from discounts and promos, though. So, if you remove all of those, the difference falls to a little over $56. At this point, I would rather go with the pre-built as the labor and incidental costs of building the PC myself would be higher than that.

No-Holds-Barred Gaming PC

This is the level where performance is your only consideration, no matter the cost. This is the type of PC that most gamers could only dream about, and we’re starting our budget at $4,000. I selected the Corsair Vengeance i8300 as the pre-built representative, especially because it’s one of the first pre-built computers to use Intel’s next-generation desktop processors (codenamed Arrow Lake) that use Intel's new CPU naming scheme.

Corsair Vengeance i8300	Newegg	Price
Processor	Intel Core Ultra 9 285K	Intel Core Ultra 9 285K	$629.99
Graphics Card	Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090	MSI Gaming X Trio RTX 4090	$1,999.99
Memory	64GB (2x32GB) DDR5-6400	Corsair Dominator Titanium 64GB (4x16GB) DDR5-6400	$329.99
Storage	6TB (4TB+2TB) M.2 NVMe SSD	Crucial T705 4TB + 2TB PCIe Gen5 NVMe M.2 SSD	$506.99 ($563.99) + $399.99
Motherboard	Intel Z890	MSI MPG Z890 Edge Wifi7	$369.99
Power Supply	1000W ATX 80+ Gold	Asus ROG Thor 1000W 80+ Platinum	$304.99 ($359.99)
Cooler	AIO	NZXT Kraken Elite RGB 360	$299.99
PC Case	ATX Case	MSI MEG Maestro 700L Project Zero	$369.99 ($399.99)
Total Price	$4,799.99	$5,211.82 ($5,353.91)

Pre-built PCs at the higher end of the spectrum are surprisingly more affordable than custom-built ones. This is likely because component prices at these performance levels are often out of control, especially as manufacturers know that people who buy these products can afford to pay for them.

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However, while you will save money with pre-built PCs, you cannot be sure what the manufacturer would put in your computer unless it specifically states so. This means that if you’re gunning for the best that money could buy, you might not get every drop of performance with a pre-built.

Is It Cheaper to Buy a Pre-built or Build Your Own?

According to our data, pre-built PCs will save you money at the extreme ends of the spectrum—when you’re on an absolute budget and when cost is no issue. But for everything else in between, custom-built PCs are actually cheaper.

However, you should note that the prices here do not include incidental costs like thermal paste and screwdrivers. Furthermore, you have to spend time building the PC yourself or find someone to do it for you. These are additional costs that you need to consider, especially as the cost of time varies from person to person.

One advantage you get with pre-built PCs, though, is customer service. If you run into a problem with your computer, you could call the manufacturer, and it could help you troubleshoot. Pre-built PCs are also important if you know nothing about specifications, as the manufacturer could simply ask for your budget and what you want to accomplish, and then you’ll get a recommended package.

Given that I know my way around computers, my only consideration would be the price difference. If it’s less than $100 and I’m confident of the quality of my pre-built supplier, then I’d go with that option. But otherwise, custom PCs are the way to go.