The Budget Computer Vol 3

This is a continuation of the series.

The Budget Computer Vol 1
The Budget Computer Vol 2

Brick and Mortar vs Online purchases.

So you have figured out the purpose of the machine you are about to build and set your budget. Now you have to determine where to buy your parts and for that you are left with two basic options. You can buy your parts online at a site such as http://www.newegg.com or you can go to your local computer hobby store and buy the parts.

Typically with buying online you can get the parts cheaper then if you buy online however this only holds true if you get shipping and handeling covered. If you don't then the savings in a lot of cases can be virtually washed out.

I prefer to go brick and mortar when building an entirely new system and buy online any upgrades for that system. The reason for this comes down to a few factors.

1) Buy going to the store I can talk to someone who may be more up to date then I am on the latest hardware and performance specs. They can also help you identify some great deals that you might overlook otherwise.

2) If one of the parts I buy needs to be returned because of a defect I only have to go down to the store to get it swapped out. This can save me valuable time in getting my new system up and running when typically you only have a 30 day warranty on computer parts. If you buy online it can take a week to get your replacement part all the while the warranty on your other parts is ticking down. With a brick and mortar you can have the replaced parts the same day if needed.

3) By buying my parts at a local retailer as opposed to online I help out my local economy as opposed to simply sending my money overseas.