Having a custom built PC can be one of the most cost effective ways of purchasing a new PC. When comparing the prices of a preconfigured PC, like a Dell or HP, to a custom built one the upfront cost for the purchase is usually close to the same. If the custom built PC can be configured with components found on sale or if the preconfigured PC is on sale there is usually little difference in price. One thing that is definitely apparent is the quality.

One other concern for PC purchasers is the warranty. This is something that you should be concerned about. The trend now by most PC manufacturers is to limit the time of warranty coverage. Most manufacturer's are moving away from 5 year and life time warranties to 90 day and 1 year warranties. I just recently purchased a laptop and the warranty covered 90 days. This means that if the laptop breaks within the first 90 days the manufacturer will pay to ship the PC to their repair depot and back. After the 90 day period the cost is mine. Usually along with this is that after the 90 days I will have to pay somebody in the support department just to setup a service call for a part I have already tested and proven to not work. This is because alot of manufacturer's are moving away from free phone based support. This is a growing trend with manufacturers as extended warranties can be costly to them.

With custom built PC's you are dealing with individual component manufacturer's on a part by part basis. Most component manufacturer's are still offering 1 year part warranties and anybody who builds a PC should offer at least a 60 to 90 day warranty on labor. With the state of warranties now available they are fairly equal whichever way you go.