Prebuilt gaming PC makers have had a bit of a bad reputation over the years. They’re mostly known for pairing very high-end parts (i.e. top-of-the-line CPU and graphics card) with low-quality components, leading to a weak-performing, unbalanced system. All because they wanted to increase their profit margins in any way they could.
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This is why building your own gaming computer instead of buying a prebuilt gaming PC has always been recommended by a lot of experts. By going custom, you can select the parts that you actually want and need. You can also make sure that you don’t overpay for substandard components (the dreaded corner-cutting that third-party builders are known for) that may harm your computer in the long run.
But of course, we’re in a very different world right now. With how things are going in the computer hardware space, a prebuilt gaming PC seems like the only sensible way to play the latest games (short of getting hard-to-find next-gen consoles similarly).
In this article, you’ll understand why prebuilts are making even more sense to buy right now than they’ve ever been.
Read also: ASUS’ TUF Gaming F17 Is A Monster With A Hefty Price Tag
Prebuilt Gaming PC: An Unlikely Savior?
As much as a lot of computer experts and tech YouTubers would want to advise you to build your own system (for the reasons mentioned in the opening paragraph), they can’t. Prices for major computer components are rising to ridiculous levels, resulting from several factors.
Major chip manufacturers, especially in Taiwan, are not having great business days as of late. First, there’s a drought that is severely hampering silicon production. And recently, rising COVID cases in several parts of Asia (where big chip makers like TSMC are based) are further exacerbating the semiconductor supply problem, according to The Verge.
There’s also a cryptocurrency mining boom right now. Crypto miners are snagging what little stocks of computer components there are (graphics cards, specifically), which is consuming so much power that some countries are cracking down on operations, like what China is doing right now, according to Bloomberg.
All of this culminates into astronomically high prices for gaming PC components, with most graphics cards being affected. For instance, the recently released NVIDIA RTX 3080 Ti is selling for double, triple, and sometimes even quadruple the original MSRP.
This is where a prebuilt gaming PC comes in: a product that wouldn’t get a second look from avid PC gamers before. In the past, a prebuilt system usually cost thousands of dollars more than a custom-built system with more or less similar specifications. But right now, even a relatively high-end prebuilt system from big-name companies like Razer are cheaper to buy outright due to sky-high prices for individual components.
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However, there’s probably one great thing that separates a prebuilt gaming PC from a custom-built one: plug-and-play. System ships to your doorstep fully configured and operational (most of the time). You don’t need to spend hours building the computer itself, which can be quite stressful, especially for beginners who have no idea how to build a PC.
Low-key Advantages
The most obvious perks of getting a prebuilt gaming PC have been stated. But what about the not-so-obvious ones?
Here’s something that can save you almost a lifetime’s worth of hassle: single, unified warranties. Since the entire system gets delivered ready-to-use, companies tend to offer a single warranty for the entire computer, as stated by WePC. If something breaks down, you can just call their always-online customer service lines for any concerns you might have.
Another great thing to have with a prebuilt gaming computer is the pre-installed operating system and the included peripherals (if the package you picked does offer them). The pre-installed OS is something a lot of folks take for granted, but it’s in fact, one of the most expensive parts of a custom build. People always tend to expect that an operating system such as Windows is free, but did you know how much that actually costs? A single license can cost as much as $300.
With a prebuilt, you don’t have to worry about buying a separate OS license.
Lastly, some builders actually sell systems that are pre-configured for certain games. Say, for example, you want to play popular titles such as “Overwatch” or “Red Dead Redemption 2.” On the websites of system makers such as NZXT, you have the option to pick a certain game you want to play, and they’ll recommend a prebuilt system that can run that game. There are also specific categories based on a system’s level of performance, like “Beginner,” “Mid-range,” or “Professional.”
Prebuilts Are Totally Fine!
If you really, really, really want a gaming computer, 2021 dictates that you get prebuilt. Bar none. The end of the component crisis will come, but until then, you have to make sure that every dollar you spend on a gaming computer is worth it.
Related: NVIDIA LHR GPUs Put to the Test: Are They Actually Effective at Limiting Mining Performance?
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Written by RJ Pierce
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