Dell vs. DIY

Posted at: Monday 30th July 2007

You've got a grand for a new PC - do you buy it new? Or do you spend £1,000 on hardware and build it yourself?

Winner: The Dell


RESULT

Dell: 5
1K Wonder: 8

Winner: 1K Wonder!

Yes, the 1K Wonder wins the match, but it's a fairly close points victory rather than a total knockout. There's no denying that the Dell brought an excellent and varied hardware spec to the fight, and was quiet in operation too. Dell's support options are also good - we found the answer to several queries relating to installing Windows XP using its forums and download pages fairly quickly. It suffered from not having the right components though; we were frustrated at our inability to select a decent, cost-effective graphics card, and this weakness meant that the 1K Wonder was able to pound the Dell in gaming. The Dell's BTX layout also let it down, although, as previously mentioned, Dell's new desktop PCs will be ATX-based. The Dell was a better opponent than we initially thought it would be, and what's more, it pushed us to improve the configuration and tweaking of our own PC. While we're still advocates of the DIY approach - nothing beats it in terms of flexibility, choice and satisfaction - it's clearly worth keeping an eye on what Dell can do, if only to set yourself a target for your own contender to beat.