Debate branded vs assembled PC

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Has there been a debate here on branded vs assembled PC ?

I have bought two computers earlier and took branded (Compaq presario) both times. Reasons were:

1. I found that for like to like configuration, branded PC and assembled PC prices were nearly the same.

2. Branded PC does get you better service. At least my experience with Compaq has been very good.

3. You get goodies with branded computers (PC games / encyclopaedia). You don't with assembled PCs

Now my sister is going to buy a PC and I was wondering if we should try other options this time.

What do the cognoscenti on this forum think of assembled and branded PCs ?

If somebody without any computer knowledge wants to buy a PC, I blindly recommend DELL. Their sub-35k desktop computers are have real VFM.

I Personally build my own PC, So I'd don't call it 'assembled' its more like 'custom built'.

T

Assembled computers are recommended for people with advanced knowledge of computers or those having any such friend. If you are not one of any of these two, go for a branded one as you would be sure that you haven't been duped by the person from which you got the PC assembled

^^+1.

its very true what asnwin said

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asnvin said:
Assembled computers are recommended for people with advanced knowledge of computers or those having any such friend. If you are not one of any of these two, go for a branded one as you would be sure that you haven't been duped by the person from which you got the PC assembled

+++1

Debate or Vs. are always in chit-chat or fight club..

Branded Pc = support
Assembled Pc = Best Hardware and performance

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i always buy assembled comps coz i can buy gud hardware for mt comp.
branded pc's mostly dont have an nvidia or ati Graphix card.
moreover they dont provide more than 1 GB ram.

The best thing about Branded PC is SUPPORT.But they charge for this.

But you dont have much options to configure your PC according to your needs. For newbie , branded computer is always recommended.

Those who knows basic troubleshooting must buy assembled computer. You get option to configure your system according to your need and budget.Also price is lower.

You even get guarantee on all products..but for that you have to visit service centers.

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The sort of reply I expected. Since most people here have a high level of expertise, I suppose you all have assembled PCs.

I hope I have enough confidence to put together one of my own when I buy the next one in about 2 years time. Sis will now be assembling one only

get a Branded PC if you dont know hardware installing/trouble shooting.

to assemble a PC, its a BIG pain in arse, coz you've to buy & then assemble(or pay 200buks to get it assembled) & most of the time you'll buy h/w from different shops.

When you get Branded PC like HP Pavilion, you get peace of mind (ie, if the Piece has no defects

).

OS installation is automated & you get ORIGINAL OS & bundled s/w. no need to install drivers coz when OS gets installed, it'll install all the required drivers too.

you'll rarely see BSOD. i never saw BSOD on my HP Pavilion, but see it every now & then on my assembled PC (reason - pirated OS).

anyways go for Assembled ONLY if you have h/w knowledge (alongwith s/w know...) & the confidence

.

if you go for Assembled, get original OS (XP).

G

Buying a branded PC doesn't necessarily mean u get an original OS. Low cost PCs from most of the branded companies now come with some stupid OS like FreeDOS installed which is almost a guarantee that it will be removed and a pirated copy of XP or Vista will be installed, most probably by the dealer himself.

And..there is essentially no difference between a branded or assembled PC as far as the components are concerned. Coz you can always use the same (or better) components to assemble your own PC at a lower cost.

And what's more, most components if you purchase them separately have pretty long warranty periods (eg: Mobos and monitors have 3 year warranty. hard disks have 5 year warranty), while most branded PCs give only a 1 year warranty.

So in the end, I would say, if you know what you're doing, it's always better to get an assembled PC (from a reliable person). You can assemble a better PC, exactly the way you want, at a lower cost.

Ull get excellent support for only 1yr for branded PC. Then ull have to pay extra for every 1yr of extended warranty nd the amount goes on increasing as the PC grows older. COnsider if the HDD gone bad just after 1yr nd u didn't apply for extended warranty.

But in case of assembled PC, each components has its own warranty. Most products has min of 3yr warranty nd some has 5yrs like HDD etc.
Only optical drives has 1yr limited warranty.

Another main problem with branded PCs is dat, itll be limited in upgradibility. Most of my friend's branded[Zenith nd Compaq] PCs dun haf AGP slots or more than 2 mem slots.

ravi_9793 said:
The best thing about Branded PC is SUPPORT.

Dont you think this forum provides a lot of it? Then why pay extra for it?

Assembled anyday

If branded PC is a must dun go below Alienware, Falcon or Dell XPS.

In that case u won't be needing technical support, but medical support for not being heart attacked by its xtreme performance.

That is is u goin for killer machines with no money barrier, branded is da way to go. U can't get such h/w from ny shops[like vapour cooling from Alien].

ravi_9793 said:
But you dont have much options to configure your PC according to your needs. For newbie , branded computer is always recommended.

DELL gives u the option to select ur configuration online or over the phone & also gives support .. a good option ..
but the overall cost of the system is quite high if u select the same config & buy it at a local dealer ..

@desai_amogh
no yaar, u can easily get the exact config or better at cheaper rates from local market. Coz fro da branded PC, we actually has to pay the service charge, nd assembling charges along with the shipping charges nd its mostly hidden in the main price nd they say much less amount as the shipping etc.

S

dekho bhaiyon seedhi si baat hai.
if u want configuration according to u.
then go for assembled one.
or if u want gud support,u r noobie and want yes sir sure sir stuff then go for branded.
i personally prefer assembled.
after that it is up to u.

S

But in case of assembled PC, each components has its own warranty. Most products has min of 3yr warranty nd some has 5yrs like HDD etc.
Only optical drives has 1yr limited warranty.
.

This is the best point I have heard in this debate. Indeed branded PC servicing after one year is a real pain and with assembled, u actually get a longer effective warranty. I would also want to go for assembled next time round.

obs assembled computer perform far better then branded.....
branded don't even come close...
go for an assembled if u want performance..
if u want lots of problems then go for branded !

also u have lots of problems updating branded computers..

they put a crap mobo with only 2 DIMM slots !
and most of the time u won't have an PCI E slot !! !

my friend who got one from HP for 60k 1 yr back suffered from the above !

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WTF!
no PCI e slot?
it cant be.

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HP PC bought a year back having no PCI - E slot is kind of surprising ..

i bought HP PC (with intel 915g m/b) in 2005 November, guess what? it doesnt has PCI-e slot :))

a reason for which i had to get new m/b

my cousin's hav HP PC (2006), those PC hav PCI-e slots. the models starting with "15" come wit PCI-e slots. mine is "12" (a1210in)

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once again im saying,
branded pc tyag do.
they got nothing.

G

sanjay_111 said:
This is the best point I have heard in this debate. Indeed branded PC servicing after one year is a real pain and with assembled, u actually get a longer effective warranty. I would also want to go for assembled next time round.

But make sure you check with ur assembler. Coz I know assemblers who give a blanket 1 yr warranty to unsuspecting customers. The customers wouldnt know the individual warranty periods for each of the components.

@gulgulumaal
the warranty is not given by da assembler or da dealer, but the manufacturers through the mega dealers.
For eg if ur local dealer refuses to send a product for warranty, u can go directly to the mega dealer[like Rashi etc] who has dealership of da product nd claim da warranty nd if u like u can go against the small dealer legally[just waste of money].

Assembled PCs are best cos I am a half-geek & I know how to fix software & minor hardware problems myself.

If I wasn't then I would have preferred a Dell or HP.

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gx_saurav said:
Assembled PCs are best cos I am a half-geek & I know how to fix software & minor hardware problems myself.

If I wasn't then I would have preferred a Dell or HP.

If you are a half geek and feel confident, I have a problem for you. Would you like to look advise me. It is really troubling me and I am desperate for help.

This is not the thread to discuss it but if you can help me, leave a msg here or send me a PM

G

aravind_n20 said:
@gulgulumaal
the warranty is not given by da assembler or da dealer, but the manufacturers through the mega dealers.
For eg if ur local dealer refuses to send a product for warranty, u can go directly to the mega dealer[like Rashi etc] who has dealership of da product nd claim da warranty nd if u like u can go against the small dealer legally[just waste of money].

@aravind_n20
Yeah I know that warranty is given by the manufacturers, but one question here...if I'm buying from an assembler, I dont have a proper bill for the individual components with date of purchase, right. I just one bill for the whole PC from the assember (if I get a proper bill for the PC..that is). I would hopefully just have the month and year of purchase on the product as a sticker on the product. And that too is there only for some products (eg: I havent seen any such sticker on my LCD monitor)

Would this be enough to go for a warranty claim?. My friend who's an assembler once told me that for warranty claims for many of the components, I'll need to go through him!!

@gulgulumaal
I once gave a 4yr old Samsung HDD[which has only 3yr warranty] with a bill which says its only 2yr old. I did take dat risk for a friend[the force was immense]. The bill didn had ny product no. on it, so the vendor sent it to Samsung. It came back sayin the warranty had expired. How did da company knew dat?

So the company gives warranty on some of da following points:
The date ticked/marked on da product.
The expected sale period of da product[assumed by da company].
If there is no tampering.

Dell dun give ny bill or such things. Just send it to dem nd thell check da product no. nd see if its in warranty, then its granted.

If u seek warranty directly from Rashi, then no need for even da bill. They knew da date which they sent it to chotta dealers. They mark dat date as purchase date.

Hope its clear now.

when its branded PC, no worries about poduct failure.

my HP (nearly 2 years old) came with 80GB Hitachi HDD, i still hav not experienced any bad sector or data error.

above all i dont even have a UPS & my PC has gone thru zillions of power cuts.

G

aravind_n20 said:
@gulgulumaal
If u seek warranty directly from Rashi, then no need for even da bill. They knew da date which they sent it to chotta dealers. They mark dat date as purchase date. Hope its clear now.

That's interesting info...thanks!!

yeah same with my HP Pavilion. no probs since i purchased it more than 2yrs back.
although i got an 80GB Western Digital hdd and have a PCI express slot to add a gfx card with my HP Pavilion.

edit:
n yeah no UPS but that doesnt count i guess coz there are almost zero power cuts in bombay but still

WHat Asvin said is right. If you know your hardware go for assembled ;-)

Else stick to branded (tried-trusted-proven)

And also note that UPS may not come bundled with it, so add another Rs. 2000.

M

yeah man these branded pcs are nothing they donot have right configs. i am talking about hp and compact lik that compnies not alienware or mac i seen have seen an add with some config dunno properly but was some c2d and 256 mb of ram what u will do with that they price there pcs very high

iam Assembled to go
but local companies like Zenith provide good config's at low price
though quality is poooooooor

M

azzu said:
iam Assembled to go
but local companies like Zenith provide good config's at low price
though quality is poooooooor

and i you are to go local then why not assembelled one

i called it local but it aint local brand
iam not telling to go for the Branded but as all told for the noobs

well always assembled pc's wud be better... coz u can choose wat u want... and also smtimes at a cheaper cost!! coz we can bargainon on it and cant bargain on branded!!
so ASSEMBLED PC'S RULEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!

Both suck.
I recommend custom built PCs.

And yes, this is over an year old thread. Why did you have to bump it ?

He's been doing this to a couple of threads here. Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus... Never tickle a sleeping dragon...

MetalheadGautham said:
Both suck.
I recommend custom built PCs.

i thought assembled pc = custom built PC.

now, dell pc costs almost same as what a assembled pc of same config will cost. + you get high quality cabinet, monitor, keyboards...

quality here = compare a zebronics cabinet with any of the branded pc's cabby.

s18000rpm said:
i thought assembled pc = custom built PC.

now, dell pc costs almost same as what a assembled pc of same config will cost. + you get high quality cabinet, monitor, keyboards...

quality here = compare a zebronics cabinet with any of the branded pc's cabby.

Assembled PC is a PC which is built by the local PC vendor. Very less choice there.

Custom Built PC is one you build YOURSELF, choosing every single component wisely and ending up with a much better experience.

You must be delusioned about Dell. Their PCs cost the same(sometimes more), but quality is hardly the same. They ship intel motherboards, so no overclocking. Dell monitors are ALSO used in custom pcs. Keyboard and Mouse are standard. Besides, Logitech and Microsoft are the ones who manufacture the best budget keyboards. Dell cabinet have the lone advantage of being of a small form factor. And Zeberonics Bijli is much better than dell cabby.

Infact, the only times Branded PCs make more sense is for medium size offices. And if you want to buy something unique, like the new Zenith PC which comes with every part attached to the back of the monitor.

This is an extremely long arguement which me & my cousin usually get into.He is all for branded PC's no matter how high they cost as his saying is that "You buy it & forget about repair stuff as they directly get replaced without you leaving your house"

Let me tell you he has had a Compaq Presario for over 7 years now.Has replaced everything practically right from his motherboard,his ram,his PSU,his DVD rom(which was manully killed by us

),his processor,his cordless mouse 2 times & his speakers.He had been very loyal to this company by always renewing their AMC contracts for 6k each year & has caused more damage to the company in this time then the actual amount paid for AMC.

The point is when it comes to branded PC's the cost is on the higer side is A.)Because of the brand premium & B.)Because the service & instant support they provide.You place one call & the technician comes home & checks everything & if it's not repairable they instantly repalce it if the part is in stock without questions.My cousin had got a ATI 9600 card in place of his Nvidia Geforce 2 MX400 which went kaput & company didn't have it in stock.

This is something they benefit in.Assembled has this privilages but you'll manually need to move your butt off to the service centre & get it RMA'd.Except for some generous companies like Western Digital which provides home pick & home drop for RMA products & may be some others.Plus each part have different warranty in assembled products & hence this mounts to a lot of confusion.I'm screwed if my RAM goes dead after 1 year & is out of warranty & I have no choice but to buy a new one.In assembled it depends on AMC payment & no matter what part you blow off it gets replaced regardless of it's manufacturer's warranty terms.

But overall I would still prefer custom built rig as it's more cost effective,more customisation,very flexible,high end parts are easily available etc.One of the major reason what plagues the branded market is the customisation of high end products.I'm not sure if they even know if graphic cards like 9800GX2 & stuff like that exist leave along stocking it.Even if they do they would charge probably double the market price.Let's face it,Alienware is not everyone's cup of tea.You can probably get good custom built rigs for better prices than it.Plenty more reasons I can think off but will post later since the office has jacked my brain for now.keep going guys we need more feedback on this one & most importantly personal experiences.

Assembled PC is a PC which is built by the local PC vendor. Very less choice there.

then call it local pc

assembled = custom built,
you choose parts -> you bargain-> get them assembled.

eg.- my pc = assembled
i bought intel m/b, ram, cabinet & c2d & then assembled it myself. (good timepass :))

)
[using HP monitor, keyboard, mouse]

b4 this pc, i had HP Pavilion desktop.
the quality of paintjob, plastic , & most importantly fit & finish (of cabby) is 100% better than "zebronics antibiotic" (which i have now).
i never had any h/w problem with my HP.

i'd suggest you to FIRST use a branded pc (ur frnd's...) & then comment.

i mentioned dell, as its cheaper than HP & configurable. quality is same.

when it comes to customer care, there's no competition to HP & DELL, obviously.
when i had trouble creating partition, i jus called HP, they took the complaint/request, same evening a call came from HP & the guy at other end guided me thru the whole process of partitioning the HDD (30+ mins).
same, once printer stopped working (hp), i gave them a call, same noon a guy came & troubleshooted, some driver corruption (virus :))

), yeah i was a newbie back then

).

parts (hdd/ram/modem...) quality of HP/branded-
the parts that came with HP, are still in use in my new pc.
eg- dial up modem, Hitachi 80GB HDD (cant find 'em in market

) [still no errors], DVD writer.

your local vendor might give you a used goods (hdd, ram...) as replacement saying its brand new. he can never help you is OS ...Windows malfunctions, so forget if something goes wrong wen using linux.

always, his soln. = format the hdd.

[xubz];619606 said:
If somebody without any computer knowledge wants to buy a PC, I blindly recommend DELL. Their sub-35k desktop computers are have real VFM.

I Personally build my own PC, So I'd don't call it 'assembled' its more like 'custom built'.

Totally True . Dell is currently the best PC manufacturer right now . I love my XPS 1330

cusom built PCs all the way...if u know how to assemble a computer from scratch then do it...u get warranty on all individual component so service is quite good....Go for branded only if u have no real idea of how to put together a computer and troubleshoot it.I mean i can name a few classmates who are liable to put thermal compund on the wrong end of the pc if u know wat i mean

and who said you don't get home warranty for Custom Built PCs ?
Many vendors have contract service available with them.
Thats for in house warranty.
All parts have atleast 3 years of warranty.

As for the repair, Custom Built PCs DEMAND for brains to build.
So you wouldn't ever need a repair. The parts are always standard.
You get to choose every single component that goes into your PC.

The main thing is that the branded pc motherboards suck.
100% no overclock.

I recommend Dell if you ever decide to go for Branded PCs though.
Their warranty and service is good.
Again, branded PCs only for those clueless about computers.
And branded other than sub 25k range makes NO SENSE since they are rip offs.

metalheaded : your theory is wrong... custom built = assembled
assembed = custom built..

and thats called onsite warranty...

and ... any part can go kaput anytime.. you cannot gurantee a mechanical/computerized part

shantanu said:
metalheaded : your theory is wrong... custom built = assembled
assembed = custom built..

and thats called onsite warranty...

and ... any part can go kaput anytime.. you cannot gurantee a mechanical/computerized part

I used the word to draw a clear line between the "assembled" computers first time no idea what it is type buyers buy and the computers tech aware people build.

For the former, Branded Rocks, and for the later, Self Help is the best help.

I know thats called onsite warranty. Just don't get the words out at the right time.

Itz better the n00bs buy a branded. LOL !

And for business where you need 1000s of PCs its a customized branded FTW

H

my 1st pc was a Compaq SR1130IL.used it 4 bout a year.after that never went 4 branded.now i just buy the best parts that i can afford to buy and assemble them my self.also i get a lot of freebies from my vendor like thermal pastes,xtra cabby fans,cans of compressed air etc.

when i managed to kill some component its generally replaced within 2weeks.also i get a standby to use while my orginal product is repair/replaced.

i thin k if u know ur hardware well then its better to buy assembled/custom built pcs.u get the best that ur money can buy and u can divide how much u wanna spend over a particular component (like procy,mobo,gfx card).this gives a lot of flexibilty in deciding wat u wanna use ur pc 4 and getting parts reqd to build acc to ur needs.

also branded pcs will never cost the same as assembled ones once u cross the 35k bracket.

a_k_s_h_a_y said:
Itz better the n00bs buy a branded. LOL !

And for business where you need 1000s of PCs its a customized branded FTW

noobs or newbies?

i guess its the later.

for both. n00bs and newbies

later newbies can Upgradeto assembled

noobs = branded. thats why we brand them as noobs.
techies = assembled. they assemble more knowledge.
noobs with techie friends = assembled which wont be used properly to the full efficiency. half knowledge is always dangerous.

=>branded = no hassles [not talkin of zenith/hcl

]. u get everything in one package
=>assembled = if something goes wrong, you're on your own or ask help at maybe digit

,

if something goes kaput when you're not around & only soln. = to re-install OS/recover..., can your parents do it ?

if on branded, jus run the std. recovery (runs frm hdd), too easy

(or they can cal cc & they'l guide), when OS gets installed, its ready for use, no need to install drivers for gfx., lan....... dont say make a disk wit nlite.

i hate bargaining, no such prblm. with branded pc's.

& for a high quality cabinet, you have to shell out min. rs.4k (coolermaster, basic model).
dont bring local zebronics...

=>assembled is good ONLY when you have best parts. coz h/w incompatibilty is major prblm.

=>assembling = best = when building gaming system or high end work station. as you save a lot. + "overclocking". or building ultra cheap pc

do every other user (assembled pc) overclock his pc??? i dont think so.

bottom line.
Branded pc = Opera
Assembled = Firefox
:))

i've used both types (pc),

=>branded-
i liked branded one coz of quality, no hassle working & cc.
i hate it for very limited option for h/w add-on (my pc was '04-'05 model, no pci-e slot

)

so, this is why i recommend DELL over othrs.

=>assembled-
love it coz i configd & assembled one

, which works great.
hate it for separate driver installations (gfx., lan...), every time os's installed

& to get something replaced, i've to travel ~100Kms

to b'lore, as the c2d proc. & zeb. cabby was bought thr.

but, wen assembling, one has to buy best matched parts, otherwise the h/w incompatibilty crap might come up.

Assembled ftw
cuz now every part has warranty
you get the thing at reasonable price
you don't compromise on a balance of feature and performance
Higher upgradability
You are not bound to any silly EULA
No dumb customer care, they always start out with same set of questions, must be replaced by expert systems
You can have modding and all customization to make your PC look the way u want
Overclocking if ur dying to squeeze out, but not necessary

Though you need to be a good techie to own a pawnage assembled PC

Assembled. FTW

You get what you want. Everything comes with warranty now a days.

If you are a total newbie go for branded.

*files.myopera.com/Tamil/Smilies/Secret.gif Assembled *files.myopera.com/Tamil/Smilies/Boo.gif

U

Assembled