by Lon Elliott

Created on: February 16, 2009

In the not so distant past purchasing a computer was a major investment. The price of a new computer used to be thousands of dollars depending on which brand and options you chose. Such is not the case any longer. Now, anyone can purchase a computer, desktop or laptop, for under four hundred dollars.

The advantages of buying a home computer versus building one are no longer monetary. The advantages now are ease and piece of mind. To buy the parts to build your own computer would surely cost you more than four hundred dollars. This author has built numerous computers of the years and truth be told, they end up costing much more than something you could buy from Dell or Walmart.

So what are the actual advantages of buying a computer these days rather than building your own? The biggest advantage is the warranty. Picture this. You build your own computer and are proud of your work and cannot wait to turn it on the first time and hear the familiar buzz of the fans. When you press the power button, nothing happens. Now you have to disassemble it all to find where the issue is. Heaven forbid something got ruined or was hooked up wrong. Money lost from your own pocket. This would not be the case if you had purchased it from a reputable computer retailer. If you turn it on and it does not work, you simply call the toll free phone number and the technician will walk you through some quick steps. If this does not work, you send it back and a brand new one will be at your door shortly. To put it simply, what value do you put on piece of mind?

Another great advantage of purchasing a computer is the operating system comes with it. If you were to build your own computer you would also have to purchase the operating system. Depending on which one you choose, this can be almost as much as simply purchasing a computer in itself. To get the higher tiers of the Microsoft Vista operating system you would easily pay over two hundred dollars. Then you would have to go through the trouble of installing all the drivers and the operating system. This would take hours of time. When you purchase a computer. It will show up at your home ready to turn on and enjoy. How much is your time worth?

The days of ultra expensive computers are gone. No longer will you save for several years to purchase one. With the amazingly low prices, ease of setup, and warranties involved, it would take not much thought to come the conclusion that purchasing a computer is a much better choice across the board for the average consumer.

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