Cost to build a new computer

What would it cost to build a top of the line desktop computer with the best parts possible?

I bought a Lenovo computer and the power supply was loud. Dell machine and the fan is loud. Time to do things myself.

Is there a store online that will do this?

 

Depends on what you want to do with it, budget and potentially how long you wish to keep it, if its somewhat mobile or not, how quiet or cool you desire it to be.

You could spend upwards of 20k easily, top of the line gaming? Top of the line production? Top of the line typewriter?

You could likely just skip all that and simply replace the PSU in the lenovo machine you bought unless your taking it back.

 

It is for the home. No gaming but streaming.

Lenovo replaced the power supply. Same issue. I thought about replacing the Power Supply myself with an aftermarket but doesn't that void the warranty? I paid $1,700 for the machine alone not including the monitor and didn't want to pay additional money.

 

Large OEM's tend to buy bulk items so something like a PSU is much like the lottery is for certain laptops and panels.

If its just streaming though that seems expensive for such tasks unless you are trying to stream 4K content.

 

I'd look for something small in a manufacturer outlet. Lenovo, Dell and HP all have them. If you have problem, they should be fairly easy to return. Because of the cost of Windows it's hard to build something for the same cost because the discounts large companies get, particularly on the low end.

 

Even a low-end Intel iGPU is capable of decoding 4K video in hardware.

If you're not gaming, an ultra-small form factor PC like an Intel NUC would do the job just fine.

 

Loads up my 4930mx quite a bit but the iGPU is disabled so never thought about it past that.

 

Building a computer yourself will involve research for the right parts. Stick to professional reviews from well-established sites. You can use Newegg to create a wish list of parts, then post it here and we'll review it.

To have someone build it for you, a few vendors come to mind, like Maingear, AVA Direct and Digital Storm. The latter is in your home state.

Charles

 

That's because your CPU is six years old. 4K was the bleeding edge of bleeding edge in 2013. Today, there are fanless mini PCs you can buy for less than $300 running what are effectively the ancestors of Intel Atom chips can decode 4K, 10-bit HEVC files with no trouble.

 

Sounds reasonable

 

Words like "top of the line" and "best parts possible" (if you really meant to use those words) totally rule out options like NUC and SFF pre-built boxes and mass-produced garbage from the big-box OEMs. Those are not fitting options if you are really looking for top of the line and best parts possible. The more expensive mass production machines can be OK for middle-of-the-road gaming, but they definitely do not fit the scenario of the words you have chosen to describe what you are looking for in the opening post.

If you want to build your own, visit EVGA and use their system configuration tool. I highly recommend EVGA. Their power supplies, motherboards and graphics cards are top notch and their warranty service is truly superior. You will still need to acquire some things like RAM and CPU. They can tell you want RAM they have validated on a particular platform. You can get really great quality components from ASUS, MSI and ASROCK, but they are kind of miserable to deal with if you need to use the warranty and none of them beat EVGA product quality, so it's kind of a no-brainer there. EVGA and Corsair have the best warranty service. EVGA edges out Corsair on quality. But, all of the brands mentioned in this paragraph offer good quality on enthusiast-grade high performance components.

If you do not want to build your own, then maybe consider a boutique system builder like ibuypower or cyberpower. The reason being is they use the same components you would buy to build you own. For the most part, none of their systems use proprietary garbage except for the external stuff with their branding on it (like the case, keyboard and mouse). They also offer a ton of configuration options. Expect to pay a little bit more than if you buy the parts and assemble it yourself. They have to make a living selling systems. They make a little off the parts buying in bulk, but they need to make a little off the labor as well to keep the lights on and pay their staff. If you buy a pre-built system, expect some degree of hassle and inconvenience if you have to use the warranty. Unless you live in the same town and can show up on their doorstep, that's a given and there is no way around it, even with the boutique companies that sell legitimate enthusiast-grade systems. If the idea of boxing up the computer, shipping it off for them to fix it and waiting to get it back, along with the possibility of having to pay for the outbound shipping turns you off, scratch this option off your list. If it sounds like that sucks, it does.

I would strongly advise against buying a pre-built desktop system from a large OEM like Dell, Alienware, HP or Lenovo. Their builds are filled with proprietary crap and do not include the best parts possible. You will regret buying one of those systems if you are an enthusiast. They do not sell enthusiast products. I would also recommend avoiding a pre-built desktop from MSI and ASUS. They have too many compromises even though they don't have as much proprietary crap as the other brands mentioned. I am not exaggerating here. Run away from this option as fast as you can. This stuff is garbage. No other way I can describe it. The only thing they might offer that is even remotely OK is a better warranty process, (speaking of Dell/Alienware here,) and it's still not going to be worth it if owning a high quality desktop is really important to you. They don't sell high quality, they only sell their name.

Trust me here, when you need to replace a simple desktop part that fails, like a motherboard or PSU, you want something that you can walk into a Best Buy, Fry's, Microcenter or grab something from Newegg or Amazon and slap in with no hassles. If you buy something from one of the big box OEMs, you'll be hog-tied because the better quality universal form factor enthusiast-grade components do not fit. They're either the wrong size, have the wrong connectors, or something. If you buy a Dell, Alienware, HP or Lenovo, you can count on nonsense when you need a simple part to replace what failed. And, in spite of what you might expect from a name brand, they DO NOT use the best parts possible. If you think that you're just kidding yourself. They use mediocre off-brand components and charge premium prices for just about everything they sell. Even simple things like their SSDs and hard drives are notorious for being screwed up with proprietary firmware. Even the OS is going to be tied to their mobo and won't work if you replace it with an aftermarket part. So, spare yourself all of the stupidity and just don't even look at those silly big-brand desktops as one of the options available... not even for a minute. You'll end up regretting it if you do.

When choosing a case, remember the same rules apply to desktops as laptops. Smaller almost always means hotter. Cute is a 4-letter word for compromise, and you're just kidding yourself if you think otherwise. It also means less room for upgrades and add-ons. If you don't have a severely limited amount of desk space to work with, and you're not planning to lug your desktop to work or vacation, just do yourself a huge favor go with at least a normal mid-tower case. If you're going to be putting it on the floor, elevate the PC on a stand or use some bricks to raise it up and keep it from doing double-duty as a vacuum cleaner and sucking all the dust up and lint off the floor. If you have carpet, this is an absolute must to avoid air circulation issues. If possible, put it on the desk or a something like a book case or shelf next to your desk.

If you are not concerned with the ability to get a lot of joy from overclocking the CPU, RAM and GPU and just want something that games great and performs well stock, AMD offers some very affordable components that will get the job done running at default settings.

Even better yet... since you live in San Diego, you should visit a Microcenter. They're awesome and they can hook you up on a custom-built rig or sell you all the parts to build you own. And, they sell in-store at internet prices, so you can actually see and touch what you're going to buy without having to pay more than what you are looking at in a web browser and hoping makes you happy after the box arrives. If it craps out on you or doesn't meet your expectations for some other reason, you simply walk in back into the store with that part and your receipt, and walk out with a replacement part that is better. No hassles with RMAs, shipping labels, waiting for delivery trucks and that sort of foolishness. Can't hate that. Microcenter rocks, and you're fortunate to live within driving distance of one of their stores. I think that Brother @Johnksss (and some others that shop there) will be more than happy to back me up on the recommendation of buying your computer components from Microcenter.

If you decide to build you own, you can buy Windows 7 Pro or Windows 10 Pro (or both for dual boot) from kinguin.net for the right price. Linux is free. Don't pay normal web or store prices for the OS. There is no reason to. If you buy a pre-built system and you have the option to buy it with no OS for less money, choose that option.