Why building your own gaming PC is a really bad idea these days

You’ll save hundreds of dollars buying prebuilt now. That’s how bad DIY component prices have become.

It crushes my soul to say this, but if you need a new gaming PC, don’t build your own. Buy a prebuilt computer instead.

That’s not permanent advice. I’m a diehard DIYer. Few things in life are more satisfying than seeing your handmade rig POST the first time you boot it up. The deck is stacked against homebrew PC builders in today’s market though, as hardware shortages and the cryptocurrency boom have sent the cost of crucial components sky-high.

Current graphics card prices are ludicrous unless you’re targeting entry-level GPUs, with most models selling for at least twice their suggested price. The Radeon RX 570 is supposed to start at $170, for example, but the cheapest I can find on Newegg right now costs $470, and the vast majority go for closer to $600. It’s no better at other retailers, or even with used graphics cards. We’ve even taken the drastic step of suggesting that gamers in a bind snag an Xbox One S with Forza Horizon 3 for $240 or an Xbox One X for $500 until the GPU pricing pain stops. Ugh.

Read full post here:
https://www.pcworld.com/article/3251504/dont-build-a-gaming-pc.html