Buying A Customized Computer

[PondsMiracle]

Hi all,

Im planning to purchase a computer to use for graphic work. Ive looked around at the pre-made computers from HP, Acer and various other brands and found all of them either lacking the the specs I need, or overpriced, so Im going to go customize. Can anyone recommend a shop in bangkok that builds custom machines? How much do they charge for this service on top of the cost for parts? Im not much of a techie, but I have a general idea of the specs and parts that I need. Should I just hand them a list of specs and let them go to work? Its stressful enough trying not to get swindled with all this techie stuff as it is, but on top of that I dont speak much Thai and Im very worried of burned. Im thinking of going to Fortune IT Mall on Ratchada instead of Pan-Tip as there seems to be less hassle and hustle there. Good idea?

[ballbreaker]

I would not just give them a list of specs and let them work. Its better if you decide before hand which parts go into the PC. You don't want some no name motherboard or graphics card installed so research first. If your not up to the task then be a little bit more specific about the specs, what software you will be running and how much you have to spend I'm sure a few people will recommend specific components. You can then take that list down and check prices before giving to anyone to assemble for you.

I always assemble my own so have no idea about assemble cost but I would think if you buy all the parts from one shop they should assemble for free unless you want lots of software installed.

Pantip is okay on a week day with little hassle except for the movie guys.

You can take a look at this site for prices: www.busitek.com They are on the fourth floor of Pantip and I have bought most of my parts from them.

Edited June 3, 2008 by ballbreaker

[dave_boo]

I think you're thinking wrong. Larger suppliers buy their stuff in bulk. That makes them the cheapest place to buy from. Getting it custom built usually cost the same if you're lucky or quite a bit more if you're not. Also an OEM offers a total system warranty; try and get that from a custom builder.

[bkk_mike]

If you're picky about what goes in your system, then you're better off with a one-off system builder.

But specify your parts exactly...

What I tend to do is walk around Pantip checking prices, make my own choice on what's the best price/performance at the time, then specify the hardware, with the advantage that I've seen the prices. (I also check the specs from the big box suppliers, and if someone has a PC for sale with a reasonable spec at a good price, I would definitely consider it).

You do get a cheaper PC from one of the bigger manufacturers, but you usually find there's a restriction you'll run into. - Like few SATA ports, or a power supply that needs replacing if you add a big graphics card, and a few hard drives.

[Khun Jack]

I think you're thinking wrong. Larger suppliers buy their stuff in bulk. That makes them the cheapest place to buy from. Getting it custom built usually cost the same if you're lucky or quite a bit more if you're not. Also an OEM offers a total system warranty; try and get that from a custom builder.

I am a PC custom builder (Phuket) , all the parts except PSU and DVD writer comes with 3 year warranty main dealers as Dcom or Synnex.

The price is not much different what is offered at the shops. Suppliers like HP use custom made mainboards and other parts (makes it impossible to upgrade) and the vga card with shared memory is crap, but will do in a office environment. HP offered only one year warranty.