Compare price and performance and save money while building a faster computer!
The computers below are examples of computers you can find fully built in the stores or online, with examples of home built computers. Along with the cost savings you get by building the same computer at home. In the far right column, we show the upgrades you can do to the features and specifications of the computers while still saving a lot of money.
- Basic Computer
- Basic Gaming Computer
- Mid-range Gaming Computer
- Audio Video Production Computer
- High-end Gaming Computer
- Extreme Gaming Computer
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Dell Inspiron 620 MT
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Home Built system with same features and specs as the Dell
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Home Built Basic Computer with upgrades (upgrades in Bold)
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| CPU | Intel®Core i3-2120 |
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Intel®Core i3-2120 |
| Video Card | Integrated Intel HD Graphics 2000 |
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Radeon HD 6670 1GB |
| Memory | 6GB DDR3 1333MHz |
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8GB DDR3 1600MHz |
| Hard drive | 1TB 7200RPM 32MB cache |
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2TB 7200RPM 32MB cache |
| Disc drive | 16x CD/DVD Burner |
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24x DL CD/DVD Burner |
| Monitor | 20 inch Widescreen |
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23 inch Widescreen |
| OS | Windows 7 Home Premium |
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Windows 7 Home Premium |
| Price |
$653
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$578
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Price with Upgrades $689
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On the Basic Computer we were able to increase the speed of the RAM, upgraded the video card, put in a faster burner and a larger monitor all for an increase in cost of only $36. A home built system with the same specs would save $75 off the Dell computer. To get started building your computer Click here to Buy Now!
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Dell XPS 8500
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Home Built system with same features and specs as the Dell
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Home Built Basic Gaming Computer with upgrades (upgrades in Bold)
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| CPU | Intel Core i7-3770 |
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Intel Core i7-3770 |
| Video Card | ATI Radeon HD 7570 1GB |
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Radeon HD 7850 1GB |
| Memory | 8GB DDR3 1600MHz |
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16GB DDR3 1600MHz |
| Hard drive | 1TB 7200RPM 32MB cache |
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2TB 7200RPM 32MB cache |
| Disc drive | 16x CD/DVD Burner |
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24x CD/DVD Burner |
| Monitor | 20 inch Widescreen |
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23 inch Widescreen |
| OS | Windows 7 Home Premium |
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Windows 7 Home Premium |
| Price |
$1059
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$830
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Price with Upgrades $983
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For the Basic Gaming Computer we put in a much faster video card, doubled the memory, put in a faster Dual Layer DVD burner, a larger monitor and doubled the storage and still saved $76 by building the PC our selves. To get started building your computer Click here to Buy Now!
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Dell XPS 730
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Home Built system with same features and specs as the Dell
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Home Built Mid-range Gaming Computer with upgrades (upgrades in Bold)
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| CPU | Intel Core i7 920 2.6GHz |
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Intel Core i7 930 2.8GHz |
| Video Card | Geforce 9800GT 512MB |
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Radeon HD 5870 1GB |
| Memory | 3GB DDR3 1066MHz |
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6GB DDR3 1600MHz |
| Hard drive | 500 GB 7200RPM 16MB cache |
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1.5TB 7200RPM 32MB cache |
| Sound | Sound Blaster X-Fi |
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Sound Blaster X-Fi |
| Disc drive | 16x CD/DVD Dual Layer Burner |
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24x CD/DVD Dual Layer Burner |
| Monitor | 22 inch SP2208WFP Wide Flat Panel |
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22" Wide Flat Panel |
| OS | Windows 7 Home Premium |
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Windows 7 Home Premium |
| Price |
$2009
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$1384
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Price with Upgrades $1638
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When you go over $1000 you start seeing more savings in building a PC yourself. On the Mid-range Gaming Computer we again increased the CPU speed, put in a much faster video card with more memory, added 3GB to the system memory and doubled the storage. We saved $371 even after all the upgrades. To get started building your computer Click here to Buy Now!
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Rain Recording Nimbus
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Home Built system with same features and specs as the Nimbus
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Home Built High-end Gaming Computer with upgrades (upgrades in Bold)
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| CPU | Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 |
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Intel Core i7 930 |
| Video Card | ATI FireGL V5600 512MB PCIe Dual-DVI Video Card |
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ATI FireGL V5600 512MB PCIe Dual-DVI Video Card |
| Memory | 4GB DDR2 800MHz |
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12GB DDR3 1600MHz |
| Hard drives | 500 GB 7200RPM 16MB cache |
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1.5TB 7200RPM 32MB cache |
| RAID 0 | 1TB |
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2TB |
| Disc drive | 18x CD/DVD Dual Layer Burners |
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22x CD/DVD Dual Layer Burner |
| Monitor | none |
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22" LCD |
| OS | Windows 7 Home Ultimate |
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Windows 7 Home Ultimate |
| Price |
$3499
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$1734
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Price with Upgrades $2304
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With the Audio Video Production Computer we sped up the CPU and memory, tripled the memory and main hard drive capacity, doubled the RAID space and added 22" monitor. We STILL saved $1195 off the slower, over priced Nimbus system. To get started building your computer Click here to Buy Now!!
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Alienware Area-51 7500
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Home Built system with same features and specs as the Alienware
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Home Built High-end Gaming Computer with upgrades (upgrades in Bold)
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| CPU | Intel Core i7 920 2.6GHz |
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Intel Core i7 930 |
| Video Card | NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 2801GB |
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Two, Radeon HD 5870 1GB |
| Memory | 6GB DDR3 1066MHz |
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12GB DDR3 1600MHz |
| Hard drive | 1 TB 7200RPM 16MB cache |
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1.5TB 7200RPM 32MB cache |
| Sound | On-board 7.1 |
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Sound Blaster X-Fi 7.1 |
| Disc drive | 20x CD/DVD Dual Layer Burners |
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Two, 24x CD/DVD Dual Layer Burners |
| Monitor | 22" Widescreen LCD |
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22" Widescreen LCD |
| OS | Vista Home Premium |
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Vista Home Premium |
| Price |
$2787
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$1606
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Price with Upgrades $2042
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With the High-end Gaming Computer we increased the speed of the cpu, put in a 2nd video card, doubled the system memory, added a 2nd DVD burner and tripled the storage space. We saved $745 off the slower, over priced Alienware system. To get started building your computer Click here to Buy Now!!
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Alienware Area-51 ALX
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Home Built system with same features and specs as the Alienware
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Home Built Extreme Gaming Computer
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| CPU | Intel® Core i7 965 3.2GHz |
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Intel® Core i7 980X 3.33GHz |
| Video Card | Dual 1GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 280 |
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Dual 1538MB NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 480 |
| Memory | 12GB DDR3 1600MHz Low Letency |
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12GB DDR3 1600MHz Low Letency |
| Hard drive | Two, 2 TB 7200RPM 32MB cache |
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Two, 2 TB 7200RPM 32MB cache |
| Sound | Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme |
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Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme |
| Disc drive | 4X Dual Layer Blu-Ray/DVD±RW/CD-RW Writer |
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4X Dual Layer Blu-Ray/DVD±RW/CD-RW Writer |
| Monitor | 30'' Samsung Widescreen |
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30'' Samsung Widescreen |
| OS | Windows 7 Ultimate |
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Windows 7 Ultimate |
| Price |
$8951
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$5524
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On the Extreme Gaming Computer we upgraded the video cards to the latest Nvidia 480's. These are 2 GPU cards. Basically it's SLI on a card. Putting 2 of these cards in your system gives you quad SLI. We still saved $3,427. To get started building your computer Click here to Buy Now!
When Dell and other computer makers build a pc they have to make a profit, so they jack up the sale price when building a computer.
When you build your own computer, you'll use the same quality parts that Dell and the other manufacturers use to build a pc and you'll get them for the same low price as when the manufacturers build computers. This saves you money and gives you the option to build a computer better, faster and for less cash.
When you build a pc you get a sense of pride and confidence. You can build your own computer to be exactly what you need. If you want a DVD burner, put it in. If you want to play high end games with the latest 3D graphics, install the latest video card. It's all in your hands when you build computers.
Our video lessons take you through choosing the parts to build your own computer, where to buy and how much to pay for the parts to build a pc.
Then configuring and installing them into a computer case of your choice and installing Windows.
In the end, you will have a fully functional computer, custom built for your needs.
Buy Home PC Builder 2011 for as low as $19.95
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