A pre-manufactured system with the same processor starts at $599, without the
increase in ram, DVD RW, larger hard drive (160 gig hard drive, a little more than the
80 gig but will not have to upgrade for a long time), and 256meg of ram for the
video. Upgrading the system to my specifications (I have the wireless keyboard
and mouse already) with shipping and no rebates comes to around $753.
For $200 more I have a system that is not proprietary and has the same or higher
quality components. You can add a three year warranty to the system and it will
cost another $149. For the most part the warranty is a gamble, the manufacturer
is gambling on your system not failing for three years. If you look at the parts
price list the three year warranty will cover most items or part of the rest.
If you go with a lower speed or functionality processor you can lower the cost,
also the cost of the motherboard and the ram, I would say by 50% for the three
items, saving you about $400 overall.
I came in under budget, the wife will be pleased!!
I will not have to upgrade for three or four years, when I do if I can't find a
processor or memory for the motherboard I can upgrade those only, the case is
generic. If a part fails I can replace it, most of them for less than the
warranty that a manufacturer would charge me, the name of the game is
DIY and
SAVE!
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