I work in the high tech industry for my job so I know a bit about computers. I've built my own home computers in the past. I found that I could make the system I want with all the specific options that I wanted for cheaper than buying a computer from a major manufacturer. As time has gone by though, the new fully built systems get cheaper and cheaper. Does it still make sense to build your own computer or should you just buy one prebuilt?
Below I'll do comparisons of the costs to build your own system versus buying a system from Dell. I'm going to compare only buying parts at Newegg and buying from Dell. You could shop around for other bargains with other vendors but I want to keep things simple. Pus I know that both Newegg and Dell offer a good selection at reasonable prices. When shopping for parts at Newegg I will look for good brands with good reviews. You might save a few bucks going with other brands or items with lower reviews but cheaping out on computer parts is not a good idea.
Note that my choice of parts is being guided by what Dell offers for options. I'm building a system to compare apples to apples to the one you can buy at Dell.
Comparing a low end system
First lets look at a low end system. This is a cheap basic desktop system with all the basics but nothing special.
Buy a system at Dell
Inspiron 530S = $279
S/h = $35
Total = $314
Buy the parts at Newegg
At Newegg the parts to build a system comparable to the low end Dell would cost:
Chassis $32: Linkworld 3131G-C8815U
Motherboard $48: ASUS P5GC-MX
Processor $40 :Intel Celeron 430
OS $90 : Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic
Memory $23 : Crucial 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800
Harddrive $55 : Seagate Barracuda ST3320613AS 320GB
DVD RW $21 : LITE-ON 22X DVD±R DVD
$309 + $24.5 s/h = $333.50
As you can see for this low end configuration comparison it actually costs MORE to buy the parts and build the computer on your own than it would to just buy a full system from Dell.
Midrange system
Now lets look at a midrange system with a couple extra features. First we'll beef up the 
processor and memory. Rather than the basic CPU we'll go for a good midrange that has a nice pricepoint. We'll also double the memory. Second we'll go for a basic addin video card. The addin card is going to give you better performance then the onboard video but its not a high end card.
Building your own at Newegg
CPU $120 : Intel Core 2 Duo E7400
Video $37 :SAPPHIRE 100234HDMI Radeon HD 3450
Chassis $32: Linkworld 3131G-C8815U
Motherboard $48: ASUS P5GC-MX
OS $90 : Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic
Memory $46 : 2x Crucial 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800
Harddrive $55 : Seagate Barracuda ST3320613AS 320GB
DVD RW $21 : LITE-ON 22X DVD±R DVD
Total $449 + s/h $27 = $476
Buy a system at Dell
I took the Inspiron 530 and upgraded the processor, memory and video card.
Total $554 + s/h $35 = $589
For the mid range system you're saving $113 by buying the parts and building it on your own.
High end system
With the high end system we'll go with even better video and processor plus we'll update to the high end version of Windows.
Video $100 : HIS Hightech H260XTP512DDN-R Radeon HD 2600XT
OS $180 : Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate
CPU $230 :Intel Core2 Quad Q9400
Total = $712 + 28 s/h = $740
Dell system
Again I simply took the Inspiron 530 and upgraded the parts. I added the Q9400 cpu, HD 2600XT video and went with Vista Ultimate edition.
Total $964 + s/h $35 = $999
For the high end system your savings would be around $260 to build it yourself.
In summary here is a chart comparing the prices if you build your own versus buying a system from Dell:
| Dell | DIY | Savings | |
| Low | $314 | $333 | ($19) |
| Mid | $589 | $476 | $113 |
| High | $999 | $740 | $259 |
If you're just making low end system then its not going to save you money to build your own system. If you're making a mid or high end system then you can still save money by building your own.
Images from Dell and Newegg.
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