Build it Myself or Buy a DS

While patiently waiting for DS to complete all phases of my ordered build, I decided to put together a cost comparison between:

1. Purchasing my Hailstorm configuration through DS; versus
2. Attempting a build by sourcing all comparable parts myself and having a 3^rd party assemble it.

Caveats:

1. This analysis is purely for fun and should not be viewed and or treated for any other purpose.
2. I am completely incompetent when it comes to building and fine-tuning a PC.

The configuration I submitted and ordered through DS was #459009.

Based on the parts associated with the build, I came up with the following cost breakdown:

NOTE:

1.       These prices were noted as of Monday, November 22

2.       I am an Amazon Prime member, which allows me to receive two-day free shipping on eligible products.

Bear in mind that the $632.49 total is currently based upon the difference in hardware and software. If I were to factor in the use of a 3^rd party provider in assembling the components and fine-turning the system, I came up with the following:

Personal Assumptions:

1.       The aforementioned services are only my best guesses as to what steps take place in assembling and fine-tuning a PC build.

2.       Chose BestBuy’s GeekSquad services ONLY because I was too lazy to conduct further searches on other service providers

3.       Selected CyberpowerPC’s price ONLY because I remembered seeing it as a separate service

Factoring in the cost of using a 3^rd party provider to assemble and fine-tune the PC, the total now puts the price advantage back into Digital Storm’s court by approximately $18.00.

But, we can’t forget the price and piece of mind of a warranty.

Personal Assumptions:

4. Chose Dell because I’ve actually used their warranty service before for my Inspiron 1545 laptop
5. I did not factor in the current promotional price in effect at Dell (as of Wednesday, November 24).

The $0.00 figure for DIGITAL STORM’S warranty is a bit misleading because submitting a warranty claim during the warranty period may not truly be a $0.00 cost. In addition, when compared to Dell’s warranty, DS does not provide true in-home service for part replacements during their warranty period. And, the part replacement policy in their 4-year warranty is actually only good for 2 years.

Assuming the following during the DIGITAL STORM’S 4-year warranty period:

6.       Part-replacements by DS will be required at least once during the term of the 4-year warranty;

7.       Shipping is required and is $65 one-way

8.       Future price for replacement parts are the same as current day prices (Monday, November 22)

Thus, my interpretation of DIGITAL STORM’S 4-year warranty is that there is a cost associated with submitting a claim. If I had to draw a conclusion just based upon warranty, I would say that the Dell 3-Year premium plan warranty is actually better based on the benefits highlighted here:

http://content.dell.com/us/en/home/d/help-me-choose/hmc-warranty-options-consumer.aspx?ref=CFG

Once again, please note that the above interpretation is based upon my own understanding of DIGITAL STORM’S warranty terms and conditions and I may be completely wrong.

Regardless, given:

·         The build quality and testing that DS performs on their builds;

·         The hundreds of positive reviews from current and past DS members found on the web and in the forum; and

·         Their superb ratings through BBB and - Outside Link Removed -

I highly doubt that any significant issues will arise during the 4 year warranty period. And if they did, I doubt Dell would be able to match the technical expertise and overall customer oriented service that DS is able to provide.

With all that said, I am extremely happy with my decision to purchase my build through DS. Basing everything on a cost breakdown between hardware, installation, and fine-tuning services, I still personally see a definitive advantage with purchasing with DS. On the issue of warranties, I would say that if it’s built and tested right, then you wouldn’t need to worry about warranties. And in this case, I’m pretty sure DS has gotten the art of “PC-building” down pat.

Once again, I’d like to state that this analysis is completely based upon my own faulty logic. Others will likely and have applied things differently in the analysis. This was only meant to satisfy and justify my own decision to purchase a PC from Digital Storm.

Clueless Dad

P.S. Thanks for putting up with my long-winded commentary and analysis.

First Edit: Edited for inclusion of the PSU in the comparison and overall punctuation issues.

Dragoonseal,

Thanks for pointing that out. The difference of $632.40 in my hardware comparison does include the price of the PSU which I, in my haste, left out as a line item. The price quote that I got from Amazon for a Corsair HX 1000w PSU is $219.99 and shipping is free as a Prime member.

To both !ender and Tigdxor,

Thank you both for chiming in on the warranty service offered by Dell. To keep it short, my own personal experiences are similar and reflective of Tigdxor’s positive experiences with Dell. Hence, I personally concluded that Dell’s warranty was more beneficial than that offered by DS.

Ablahblah,

You’re absolutely correct on the free overclocking that DS offers in their current builds. This is just one more benefit in favor of DS that is currently a cost of an additional $50 from another provider. I appreciate you highlighting that fact.

Thanks again to everyone for offering their thoughts and opinions against my silly analysis.

Also, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the DS Forum Community

Clueless Dad