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Goal: Bulletproof (figuratively) - Build or Buy?

Warhog53
By Warhog53
in New Builds and Planning
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Hey guys,

 

TL;DR - I have had a HORRIBLE experience with a (way overpriced) alienware laptop, looking for something that I don't have to mess with AT ALL that will perform well.

 

So, I'm currently running an Alienware M18 laptop with an I7 4710 and crossfire HD 8750 graphics. This thing has been a brick, to say the least. First off no games I play support crossfire, so that was a waste of money. A few months into ownership the motherboard and power supply failed. Still under warranty, Dell handled it admirably and expedited shipping both ways to get it back in a reasonable amount of time. It ran well for a few months, and after about the year mark, it started to have issues figuring out that it actually is plugged in, losing drivers (how?), and general mayhem. I typically have to reinstall the graphics drivers at least once a month to keep the thing running halfway decent. I'm now at over 3 years of struggling with these issues. Maybe there is something I'm doing wrong?? Anyway, that is for another thread...

 

So the goal is to build or buy a bulletproof system that I don't have to mess with ever.

1- Budget is around $1000 USD, but I also need peripherals such as monitor and keyboard so I may go as high as $1500.

2- Aim is gaming with maybe some streaming. Currently I play Elite Dangerous, prior to that addiction was Ark: Survival Evolved, and who knows what will be next.

3- Monitors: I would love to run triple monitor eventually, but for now a single will do. 120hz+ refresh seems to be the go to these days.

4- Peripherals: Need a monitor and keyboard, think I have the rest covered. Will need a fresh copy of Windows 10 I'm sure.

5- Why? See above paragraph...

 

So my question is, are there any actual reputable companies to purchase a system from these days? Or are they all going to throw in some garbage power supply or motherboard to increase profit margin? Ideally a company with a good warranty and support.

 

-or- should I just bite the bullet, throw caution to the wind, and build my own?

 

Also, any tips to absolutely bulletproof any system would be more than welcome, all too often it seems like "Run antivirus, anti malware, and a cleaner program (I use CCleaner) regularly" just doesn't do enough. Or maybe it's just my bad luck.

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I have an Alienware laptop for sale ;) J/k. I personally think building would be better as far as making it "bulletproof" as you put it. You can pick the parts you want and since you put it together IF you need to get something fixed at least you can pull it out yourself and RMA it. Nobody makes the best of everything so being able to mix and match is in your favour. For example EVGA makes some good stuff but I wouldn't want their power supply. Id go to www.pcpartpicker.com and start trying to piece together  a system you are comfortable with and then put it up here, lots of people will be happy to help you taylor it

 

 

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11 minutes ago, Warhog53 said:

should I just bite the bullet, throw caution to the wind, and build my own?

 

Just use The Verge as a guide for what not to do and you're set

I WILL find your ITX build thread, and I WILL recommend the SIlverstone Sugo SG13B

 

Primary PC:

i7 8086k - EVGA Z370 Classified K - G.Skill Trident Z RGB - WD SN750 - Jedi Order Titan Xp - Hyper 212 Black (with RGB Riing flair) - EVGA G3 650W - dual booting Windows 10 and Linux - Black and green theme, Razer brainwashed me.

Draws 400 watts under max load, for reference.

 

How many watts do I need? ATX 3.0 & PCIe 5.0 spec, PSU misconceptions, protections explained, group reg is bad

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Building your own will almost always be cheaper than buying a pre-built unless you're searching the used market. Companies that specialize in building these pc's will always cut corners to save costs on their end which might create problems for you a couple months down the line. 

print "Hello World!" ("Hello World!")

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As I'm sure you've read, you get more for your money by building your own. Also, you kinda posted in the "New builds and planning" section, so take a random guess at what we'll recommend.

My Build, v2.1 --- CPU: i7-8700K @ 5.2GHz/1.288v || MoBo: Asus ROG STRIX Z390-E Gaming || RAM: 4x4GB G.SKILL Ripjaws 4 2666 14-14-14-33 || Cooler: Custom Loop || GPU: EVGA GTX 1080 Ti SC Black, on water || PSU: EVGA G2 850W || Case: Corsair 450D || SSD: 850 Evo 250GB, Intel 660p 2TB || Storage: WD Blue 2TB || G502 & Glorious PCGR Fully Custom 80% Keyboard || MX34VQ, PG278Q, PB278Q

Audio --- Headphones: Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 6XX || Amp: Schiit Audio Magni 3 || DAC: Schiit Audio Modi 3 || Mic: Blue Yeti

 

[Under Construction]

 

My Truck --- 2002 F-350 7.3 Powerstroke || 6-speed

My Car --- 2006 Mustang GT || 5-speed || BBK LTs, O/R X, MBRP Cat-back || BBK Lowering Springs, LCAs || 2007 GT500 wheels w/ 245s/285s

 

The Experiment --- CPU: i5-3570K @ 4.0 GHz || MoBo: Asus P8Z77-V LK || RAM: 16GB Corsair 1600 4x4 || Cooler: CM Hyper 212 Evo || GPUs: Asus GTX 750 Ti, || PSU: Corsair TX750M Gold || Case: Thermaltake Core G21 TG || SSD: 840 Pro 128GB || HDD: Seagate Barracuda 2TB

 

R.I.P. Asus X99-A motherboard, April 2016 - October 2018, may you rest in peace. 5820K, if I ever buy you a new board, it'll be a good one.

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I would absolutely never buy a prebuilt for myself again. They sacrifice the quality of parts. A 1080 isn't a good 1080, the motherboards usually suck, same with power supplies. The only way to have it done right is to just do it yourself and know what you're putting into it..It's a premium system with quality parts rather than just a good spec computer with the cheapest parts. Even high end systems do this. They make you think it's a good computer and use all proprietary shit so you can't actually do research on it which most of the time just complicate things.

Ryzen 3800X + MEG ACE w/ Radeon VII + 3733 c14 Trident Z RGB in a Custom Loop powered by Seasonic Prime Ultra Titanium
PSU Tier List | Motherboard Tier List | My Build

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Good stuff guys thanks for the insight. I'll start looking down the rabbit hole when I get off work

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