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Pentium
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| I agree that it is very difficult if not impossible to undercut the big boys on price etc. However a good local computer builder can beat them hands down on service and aftercare which many people look for. I tell my business clients that if it goes wrong at 3am and YOU HAVE to use it - give me a call and I WILL turn out - try that from one of the big retailers. Am I daft in saying that - NO - to date I have had very few breakdowns and my clients prefer support that is local & immediate - to saving a few ££s in big shops. Support to local businesses means more than a few quid in savings - PCs are claimable against Tax - lost time isn't. But I do agree that it is very difficult to compete in any way with the High Streert retailers - buy now pay next year, free offers, free upgrade etc. etc. Really it's a case of "you gets what yer pay fer!"
Dave H
What is the difference between genius and stupidity? Genius has limits. - Albert Einstein
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Pentium, but nobbut a lad !!
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| I would argue the exact opposite to BigRon. Low spec machines (and I don't mean simply refurbishing old bangers) are the hardest market to compete in. £350 - £400 will buy a system that even 2 years ago we would have killed for, including all the peripherals, a TFT monitor, operating system, 12 months warranty and "easy" credit terms.
That is damn near impossible to match, and a saving of 10% on components only amounts to £40. It is at the other end of the spectrum where it is possible to compete on price. A high-end gaming rig will cost (prebuilt) upwards of £1,000 all in, and in this market it is still possible to put together the same level of system for up to 30% less. Unfortunately those sorts of system only come up once a year or so (at least, they do for me) (Oh, and thanks for the paragraphs Ron  )
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186
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I agree Jason. And half of pre-build computers offer cheap trashy components. (I.E. Go out of date quicker...) 
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Pentium
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I think the point being missed here is, "overclockability", so to speak. Overclocking is what provides a massive price advantage for the self-build system. Meaning you can get a far more powerful machine for your money than if you were buying a complete, off the shelf, system.
Overclocking these days is (a) Safe when using Core 2 Duo's due to their Thermal Throttling - and - (b) As easy as setting up a modern car radio.
To ensure overclockability you need to select the right (i.e. overclockable) components. In other words self-build.
When all of the above is taken into account, self-building (assumming mild to moderate overclocking) can still save one hundreds of pounds.
Cheers,
vfm
The VFM (Value For Money) Addict
Signatures are old hat. Everyone should be using PIN's by now.
Mine's - 4300315266779005801580
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386
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after reading this it reminded me of a conversation with my gf, she asked me what building a computer meant i had to do. after asking her what she meant she said " i thought you had to solder all the components on to the motherboard yourself and 'literally build' the computer from scratch", after much laughing i told her you just slot it all together even she can do it so long as she got the 'right' parts that work with each other.
ask for advice on these forums and im sure youll get friendly informative replies to answer all your questions, with a bit of careful planing anybody can build a computer. maybe you could end up showing your sons a thing or two
retro
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pentium dual core e2140 @ 2.66ghz 
xfx n650i-ul9
3GB @ 667mhz; 5-5-5-15 2T
250GB sata2 hdd + 40GB ide hdd
sapphire x800GTO2 256mb ddr3
Xp sp3
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