BYO or manufactured?

Tue, 23 Apr 2002 17:57:33 +0000

Quoting Matt <punkmmiv@cox.net>:

> This isn't really directly about Linux, but what are your opinions on
> building your own computer, or buying a Sony/Dell/whatever? I ask because
> for the past few years I've been building my own, and it doesn't seem to be
> working out too well for me. SuSE Linux 7.3 is supposed to have an
> amazingly
> easy install, but it took me a week to install it, even though my computer
> is very powerful. It always freezes somewhere, usually when it has to
> reboot
> or on its way back to the installation from rebooting. But anyway, I
> shouldn't go into all of that. I think a manufactured PC might work better
> because I know the manufacturers test all the parts together to make sure
> they don't "fight" with eachother, and because I let my friend borrow my
> SuSE CD's and he installed it flawlessly on his emachine, with windows, and
> that computer is about a third as powerful as mine.
> 

Having built dozens of boxes I'm surprised you've had so much trouble. My 
first thought is that you must have a resource (IRQ) conflict somewhere, that 
would explain the erratic behavior (HINT: try removing all the unnecessary 
cards, reboot and see if it runs better).

There really isn't anything in a commercial box that is better than what you 
can buy yourself and manufacturers don't always spend as much time selecting 
the right parts as you would think. Also, an extra $1 spent on a component is a 
big deal with them - $1x100,000 units=$$$! Most components are very standard 
today. True you have to learn some things (see www.pcguide.com) and be willing 
to troubleshoot and ask for help when you are stumped.

Recently a friend asked for my help shopping for a new computer at Best Buy and 
CompUSA. I felt a little useless since I couldn't open the boxes to see what 
was inside nor find a sales person that could do more than read the specs. In 
the end my friend made a decision based on price and the fact the the HP he 
choose had a nice button on the keyboard to check his e-mail!

I'd bet that the manufactureers know this is what the average consumer looks 
for and build accordingly.

Dennis Kibbe

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