The Answer to Life the Universe and Everything

well you can get more or less exactly what you want for cheaper than an oem computer,and its not hard either if you do good research first.

It's really not all that hard to build one, and it's unique once you're done. Not only can it be cheaper, but it's totally and wholly yours, just like you like it.

It even gives you a sense of accomplishment and a story to tell. I mean, is it cooler hearing about the Dell I could've bought or the PC with extra fans and vents, interchangeable hard drives, and other unusual parts that I built? It'd be the same for you.

I've never built my own desktop, but I took a class with a few guys that did. Custom desktops are really popular for gaming because you can use the best parts available and upgrade when new things come out. As stated above, it's usually cheaper because you're buying individual parts. Sticking to a budget may be easier as well (ex. buying an okay part and then upgrading to a better one when you have more money).

People build their own because they can customise it to their needs. Some people think it works out cheaper than buying one that's already built. I've looked into it and I have to disagree. I've never built one from scratch but i've replaced and added enough parts to mine to know how it works. It's quite overwhelming if you don't know what you're doing. Some bits are easier to fit than others but the main problem is finding parts that are compatible with eachother. If you do opt to build your own, and you're planning on a decent size HD, graphics card and CPU, remember to fit appropriate cooling fans and a large enough power supply to handle the demand of them. 500watts should be large enough. 300 might do but you could struggle if you put the latest parts in there. That's the problem most people face. They get carried away buying all the exciting parts, and overlook the small parts that are crucial.

'Corsair' do high quality power supplies. Of course that's reflected in the price. They're more than twice the price of most power supplies but they're twice as good. Since I got my computer, i've added a 400watt power supply, 2gb Kingston RAM and a modest Nvidia graphics card.

If you don't have a clue what you're doing, I'd adivse you not to do it. Get the cheapest store built one you can find and you can always add your own GPU and install extra RAM yourself. Two things which are incredibly easy to fit. Make sure to ground yourself before touching the parts, the tiniest bit of static electricity can destroy them instantly. I've never had any problems but the thought of that is scary.