could I build one cheaper?
hi
I am a mac user but I am thinking of adding a PC to compliment my 3d speed needs. Can I build a machine cheaper than the link below? or a equally priced machine but with better components? This is a new area for me.
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=7_1203_124&item_id=062315
thanks
scott
Comments
Whatever the hardware, it’s always cheaper to build yourself. The question then becomes whether you’re capable of building one.
Although I am a mac user..I am pretty tech savvy...and the internet is our friend:) I also have a very tech savvy PC friend 1 hour away if shite hits the fan. I will price out some components.
thanks
Lenovo's gross margins are under 15% so a $999 machine likely cost them $850 to build. They only use a GTX 650 there, which is half the speed of a 680 and a 680 would be over $400. The i7-4770K would be over $300. Motherboard (assume it has wifi/bluetooth) + RAM + box + power supply + hard drive, say $100 each for $500 = $1200. Then monitor and keyboard/mouse, say $250 = $1450. If you got a 27" Dell 1440p display for $585, that would be about $1850 total. Apple has about 30% gross margins so say all retail margins were 15% on the components, wholesale would be $1573, which is $2246 with 30% gross and Apple's top iMac with the i7-4770 and 780M is $2349.
The thing with Apple is they want to bundle a display on the mid-range, which is a smart thing to do because they know that people will just go for a display from someone else instead of pay $1000 for their Thunderbolt display. If Apple took the top iMac at $2350, took off the margins to get a $1645 build cost, deducted $500 for the panel and put the markup back on, it would be $1636, which is competitive with the $1200 build above but like I say, people would probably go for some cheap $200 display. People won't voluntarily pay $1000 for a monitor so Apple would just lose those sales.
The sales they lose without headless mid-range boxes to PCs are negligible. In the $1-2.5k price range, they have a majority share of the market. They lose in the sub-$1000 market because their margins don't let them go that low. They'd just have to ship an insane amount of machines to make up for the lower price. They ship about 1/3 HP and Dell but their revenue is half and their gross margins are about double so they make the same profit from doing 1/3 of the shipments.
Part of the reason they get away with it is, besides the nicer hardware design is because OS X is a much more pleasant working environment, especially for creative work. Even simple things like hitting space-bar to see a file preview or having robust video support with Quicktime, proper buffering of 2D graphics. It's like going back to OS 9 when you have to use Windows.
Yes, you should build your own PC.
If you can, wait until the end of year sales (Boxing day/week) and keep an eye on these four for deals:
A benefit of building your own computer that tends to be forgotten is the hardware warranty. Most of the parts you select will come with a 3 year, 5 year, 7 year, or lifetime warranty.
Lenovo's gross margins are under 15% so a $999 machine likely cost them $850 to build. They only use a GTX 650 there, which is half the speed of a 680 and a 680 would be over $400. The i7-4770K would be over $300. Motherboard (assume it has wifi/bluetooth) + RAM + box + power supply + hard drive, say $100 each for $500 = $1200. Then monitor and keyboard/mouse, say $250 = $1450. If you got a 27" Dell 1440p display for $585, that would be about $1850 total. Apple has about 30% gross margins so say all retail margins were 15% on the components, wholesale would be $1573, which is $2246 with 30% gross and Apple's top iMac with the i7-4770 and 780M is $2349.
The thing with Apple is they want to bundle a display on the mid-range, which is a smart thing to do because they know that people will just go for a display from someone else instead of pay $1000 for their Thunderbolt display. If Apple took the top iMac at $2350, took off the margins to get a $1645 build cost, deducted $500 for the panel and put the markup back on, it would be $1636, which is competitive with the $1200 build above but like I say, people would probably go for some cheap $200 display. People won't voluntarily pay $1000 for a monitor so Apple would just lose those sales.
The sales they lose without headless mid-range boxes to PCs are negligible. In the $1-2.5k price range, they have a majority share of the market. They lose in the sub-$1000 market because their margins don't let them go that low. They'd just have to ship an insane amount of machines to make up for the lower price. They ship about 1/3 HP and Dell but their revenue is half and their gross margins are about double so they make the same profit from doing 1/3 of the shipments.
Part of the reason they get away with it is, besides the nicer hardware design is because OS X is a much more pleasant working environment, especially for creative work. Even simple things like hitting space-bar to see a file preview or having robust video support with Quicktime, proper buffering of 2D graphics. It's like going back to OS 9 when you have to use Windows.
Your hardware pricing and analysis seems to be quite out of touch. The R9 280x is $300 and offers performance similar to the GTX 680. At $400 for a GPU, the R9 290 is comparable to a GTX780/GTX TITAN. If the TC doesn't require anything too demanding, the $200 R9 270x might be a reasonable option (and is more powerful than the GTX 650).
The pricing in Canada might be higher, but the i7 4770k is $250 at Micro Center in the US.
Did you just say the iMac's hardware (minus the display) was competitive with a $1200 desktop? Not even close. For $1200 you're looking at a computer with an i7-4770k, 8GB LPDDR3-2133, and an AMD R9 290. The i7 4770, 8GB DDR3-1600 and GTX 780M inside the iMac will be a ways behind (don't forget the fact the k model i7 can overclock considerably).
thanks everyone...I am not in a rush so I can wait until after Xmas...better deals hopefully. There are soooo many flavors of Windows...what to pick? This system would be for 3d design and renders only..64bit required..and not hooked to the internet.
thanks