Why are PC's so expensive?!

[DeadSilentTrent]

I wanted to share this question with you all after having a fun conversation about it with my friend.

After hours of looking up correct part sizes that could fit the case I wanted and going through multiple forums to see which part could give me the best performance for the lowest price non refurbished, The PC I window built has come to a total of $714.89...

I just gotta ask why? It's bad enough I'm wrongfully in debt to Sony for being hack for the exact same price minus $400, but the PC master got me feeling even more in debt. Somebody wanna drop a couple hundreds my way? lol jkjk but seriously PC's can get outrageous with pricing sometimes. How do you PC users approach those kinds of price tags every time something new and more powerful for your PC comes out if like upgrading a lot?

Some question for those who would like to upgrade or build a PC like I do: What is the highest total cost for a PC rig you have ever made? Did it fit your wants and needs or did you want to try to build the most power PC you could think of at the time? Have started purchasing and building the PC you wanted or is it still a dream on hold like mine?

 

[Jonathan]

Well consoles prices are reduced because of the games sales for them, so yea they are cheaper. Mine PC only came to around £600 when complete, it still runs games fairly well, See my specs here. If you do your research well and look for the best prices you can get a good system for a lot less. Obviously if your wanting to max out every game then its going to be pricey. I'm yet to have to upgrade anything in my system yet since I finished it, while there are some minor upgrades hat can be done, I don't really need them yet. I'm expecting by the end of uni in 2020 or so that I may need a full upgrade / new system but until then I only plan to change parts if they fail. as for building the most powerful PC well, until I got what I have now I had been on dual core CPU's or worse, even going to a quad was enough to feel a lot faster so I didn't really care if it wasn't the best. As and when I get to building my next PC I'm likely to have a bigger budget and a much better understanding of what I want so I should be able to get the system I want with a good balance of hardware.​

 

[LifelessDane]

Well I always build my PC myself.
I buy components over time, so it does not hurt my budget that much.
I never buy the newest hardware, currently I have a GTX 960 graphic card, because it is relatively cheap and can run pretty much everything on High Quality settings (just not Ultra HD) which my monotor can't handle anyway. Currently I also use a FX 6300 Hexa core processor from AMD, it is also cheap and the preformance of it is acceptable (Since I am also overclocking it due to my watercooling system).

But in generel I never buy the newest equipment, and I mostly build a computer over a time of 2 to 4 months before I have all components.
I buy them when I see the price dropping, which mostly happens right before new hardware is released. So that works for me

 

[DeadSilentTrent]

Well consoles prices are reduced because of the games sales for them, so yea they are cheaper. Mine PC only came to around £600 when complete, it still runs games fairly well, See my specs here. If you do your research well and look for the best prices you can get a good system for a lot less. Obviously if your wanting to max out every game then its going to be pricey. I'm yet to have to upgrade anything in my system yet since I finished it, while there are some minor upgrades hat can be done, I don't really need them yet. I'm expecting by the end of uni in 2020 or so that I may need a full upgrade / new system but until then I only plan to change parts if they fail. as for building the most powerful PC well, until I got what I have now I had been on dual core CPU's or worse, even going to a quad was enough to feel a lot faster so I didn't really care if it wasn't the best. As and when I get to building my next PC I'm likely to have a bigger budget and a much better understanding of what I want so I should be able to get the system I want with a good balance of hardware.​

Thanks for for sharing your specs and the pricing. I was thinking of going a similar route with the specs for the most part but with 16GB ram instead. I wasn't trying rag on PC's or anything and I know you weren't saying. I was trying to get a bit of incite on how people approach buying parts for there PC's and what was the total racked up. I thought it would be cool to try to see how different people who may have different rigs and setup go there like if that purchased each part over time like reasonable adult, if they mass ordered everything like someone who the lottery, or if they had someone else build it for them. And also to see why good PC's cost an arm and a leg lol[DOUBLEPOST=1491731535][/DOUBLEPOST]

Well I always build my PC myself.
I buy components over time, so it does not hurt my budget that much.
I never buy the newest hardware, currently I have a GTX 960 graphic card, because it is relatively cheap and can run pretty much everything on High Quality settings (just not Ultra HD) which my monotor can't handle anyway. Currently I also use a FX 6300 Hexa core processor from AMD, it is also cheap and the preformance of it is acceptable (Since I am also overclocking it due to my watercooling system).

But in generel I never buy the newest equipment, and I mostly build a computer over a time of 2 to 4 months before I have all components.
I buy them when I see the price dropping, which mostly happens right before new hardware is released. So that works for me

Thanks for the info. I wanted to have someone build mine for me once I go the parts but I have since changed my mind since it looks like a hassle worth going through. I know buying newer hardware is definitely going to break the bank in two but it can be very tempting especially for someone who doesn't know too much to make a very clear decision A.K.A me lol

 

[LifelessDane]

Thanks for for sharing your specs and the pricing. I was thinking of going a similar route with the specs for the most part but with 16GB ram instead. I wasn't trying rag on PC's or anything and I know you weren't saying. I was trying to get a bit of incite on how people approach buying parts for there PC's and what was the total racked up. I thought it would be cool to try to see how different people who may have different rigs and setup go there like if that purchased each part over time like reasonable adult, if they mass ordered everything like someone who the lottery, or if they had someone else build it for them. And also to see why good PC's cost an arm and a leg lol[DOUBLEPOST=1491731535][/DOUBLEPOST]
Thanks for the info. I wanted to have someone build mine for me once I go the parts but I have since changed my mind since it looks like a hassle worth going through. I know buying newer hardware is definitely going to break the bank in two but it can be very tempting especially for someone who doesn't know too much to make a very clear decision A.K.A me lol

I agree
Well I always enjoyed building a PC myself, But I also build my first PC when I was 7

 

[DeadSilentTrent]

I agree
Well I always enjoyed building a PC myself, But I also build my first PC when I was 7

the only thing I build at 7 was my pettiness toward the game Need fro Speed Most Wanted. Earl was a chearter.

 

[Jonathan]

Well I always build my PC myself.
I buy components over time, so it does not hurt my budget that much.
I never buy the newest hardware, currently I have a GTX 960 graphic card, because it is relatively cheap and can run pretty much everything on High Quality settings (just not Ultra HD) which my monotor can't handle anyway. Currently I also use a FX 6300 Hexa core processor from AMD, it is also cheap and the preformance of it is acceptable (Since I am also overclocking it due to my watercooling system).

But in generel I never buy the newest equipment, and I mostly build a computer over a time of 2 to 4 months before I have all components.
I buy them when I see the price dropping, which mostly happens right before new hardware is released. So that works for me

lol I went with the R9 380 over the GTX 960 as from watching about every review I could find the R9 was slightly better .
​

Thanks for for sharing your specs and the pricing. I was thinking of going a similar route with the specs for the most part but with 16GB ram instead. I wasn't trying rag on PC's or anything and I know you weren't saying. I was trying to get a bit of incite on how people approach buying parts for there PC's and what was the total racked up. I thought it would be cool to try to see how different people who may have different rigs and setup go there like if that purchased each part over time like reasonable adult, if they mass ordered everything like someone who the lottery, or if they had someone else build it for them. And also to see why good PC's cost an arm and a leg lol

Sounds cool, yea I get what you were saying, I got mine in stages, the CPU, mtherboard, RAM and case first with a 1TB HDD, Later I got the WifiCard (I have no Ethernet in my room, had just moved house when after getting the main PC), GPU, SSD & Extra Storage. Its good to split the price but its always best to avoid bying before new hardware is due t come out incase the newer stuff is like 2/3x better . Its really up to your budget and needs whether you need the new stuff, personally I don't need USB 3.0 everywhere or any of those new connections.​

 

[DeadSilentTrent]

lol I went with the R9 380 over the GTX 960 as from watching about every review I could find the R9 was slightly better .
​

Sounds cool, yea I get what you were saying, I got mine in stages, the CPU, mtherboard, RAM and case first with a 1TB HDD, Later I got the WifiCard (I have no Ethernet in my room, had just moved house when after getting the main PC), GPU, SSD & Extra Storage. Its good to split the price but its always best to avoid bying before new hardware is due t come out incase the newer stuff is like 2/3x better . Its really up to your budget and needs whether you need the new stuff, personally I don't need USB 3.0 everywhere or any of those new connections.​

Since I am a complete noob at all the PC stuff it's good to know that I really don't need to rush this process because the wait can be worth it and sometimes the best stuff isn't the most expensive.

 

[Jonathan]

Since I am a complete noob at all the PC stuff it's good to know that I really don't need to rush this process because the wait can be worth it and sometimes the best stuff isn't the most expensive.

Yea, I recommend looking up lots of reviews for the parts your looking at and comparing them e.t.c, some advice when it comes to GPU, make sure the games they are showing are not sponsored by nvidia (they do it with gameworks, their cards will always work better on those games)​

 

[Kratos Aurion]

I spent about $900 on a pre-built one 5.5 years ago and it still holds up pretty well to most PC's today.

CPU is in the 87th percentile and Graphics card is in the 82nd percentile.

 

[Hail Kira]

Yeah a high end PC can be really pricey... I just spent about $2400(cad) to put together a good VR rig...
Specs
Ryzen 1700
Gtx 1070
Msi b350 tomahawk mobo
32gb ddr4 2400 ram
SSDs

I didnt even go crazy...

 

[Jonathan]

I spent about $900 on a pre-built one 5.5 years ago and it still holds up pretty well to most PC's today.

CPU is in the 87th percentile and Graphics card is in the 82nd percentile.

any spec's? I'd be interested to see what your running
​

Yeah a high end PC can be really pricey... I just spent about $2400(cad) to put together a good VR rig...
Specs
Ryzen 1700
Gtx 1070
Msi b350 tomahawk mobo
32gb ddr4 2400 ram
SSDs

I didnt even go crazy...

Nice Ryzen!!!!! if I had to money to build a new system or needed one I would go with Ryzen, its cheaper for almost equal performance and there is lots of optimisation to come (which people keep overlooking). The rest is also great ​

 

[Kratos Aurion]

any spec's? I'd be interested to see what your running

​

​

Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2600K CPU @ 3.40GHz
AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series (I believe it is a 6850)
8 GB of RAM

I got it from Newegg. The page for it is still up if you want more details but at the time when I got it in November 2011 it was a pretty high end computer at a great price. I should also note I haven't upgraded it at all since getting it either.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229283

 

[MasterJPixel]

My current setup is really not that good and was about $1000

Intel i3 processor (3.3ghz)
6 GB RAM
0.9 TB SSD

I think the companies just like money lol

 

[MATTERSGAME]

I wanted to share this question with you all after having a fun conversation about it with my friend.

After hours of looking up correct part sizes that could fit the case I wanted and going through multiple forums to see which part could give me the best performance for the lowest price non refurbished, The PC I window built has come to a total of $714.89...

I just gotta ask why? It's bad enough I'm wrongfully in debt to Sony for being hack for the exact same price minus $400, but the PC master got me feeling even more in debt. Somebody wanna drop a couple hundreds my way? lol jkjk but seriously PC's can get outrageous with pricing sometimes. How do you PC users approach those kinds of price tags every time something new and more powerful for your PC comes out if like upgrading a lot?

Some question for those who would like to upgrade or build a PC like I do: What is the highest total cost for a PC rig you have ever made? Did it fit your wants and needs or did you want to try to build the most power PC you could think of at the time? Have started purchasing and building the PC you wanted or is it still a dream on hold like mine?

Lol you think pc can get expensive. Mac will put you in debt for life

 

[Jonathan]

Lol you think pc can get expensive. Mac will put you in debt for life

yea but that's apple tax for you, you can get the same hardware or better that is in a mac for cheaper. your paying extra for the look mainly.​

 

[DeadSilentTrent]

Lol you think pc can get expensive. Mac will put you in debt for life

That's why asked about PC's cost an arm and a leg not why Mac's make you sell your soul lol.

 

[MATTERSGAME]

yea but that's apple tax for you, you can get the same hardware or better that is in a mac for cheaper. your paying extra for the look mainly.​

You don't pay for the look. You pay for the experience that only apple can offer with their restrictions on applications and options for upgrading. It's simply beautiful

 

[LifelessDane]

Mac is the worst type of computer system I ever worked with

 

[Techno Creeper]

Please give me the part list. I will see if it's a good value or not.