Very nice!
PC Part Picker for the win. It is the best site out there really. Then Newegg to order stuff from. They tend to have some sweet deals. Also, if you have a Microcenter nearby, you can get good deals from them plus they price match.
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I find that custom-built PCs are best because you can get more for less and as others have said you can get exactly what you want as opposed to getting what someone else thinks you want.
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Well, that’s one potentially contentious, many opinion generating ‘can of worms’ to which
you have just opened the lid!
To which my unequivocal answer is very much, YES. Self build, every time!
But, that said, I won’t get into the specific do’s and don’t’s of building PC’s here.
There are, after all, many excellent utube videos that can serve to guide even the
most absolute of beginners [Not it would seem, your good self].
I will, though, offer you some more …general remarks that I hope you find useful in deciding
which way is the best way for you to go.
i.
The ability to choose your own components [assuming you have the wherewithal to make the ‘right’ choices] will invariably result in a machine of superior performance.
ii.
When self building, the ‘holy’ computer ‘Pentateuch’ of Mobo, CPU, GPU, Memory and storage is directly yours to manipulate. This allows you to achieve an excellent overall system synergy, thus reducing the bottle necking that is often the bane of the off the shelf purchase.
iii.
And finally and perhaps most importantly [for the likes of myself, anyway], the whole process of
doing all the necessary research and using it to build your own computer is, in and of itself,
an extremely rewarding, enjoyable and fun thing to do!
Whatever way you go good luck.
Addendum:
A subsequent ‘conversation’ [further down this very thread] has reminded me that I am remiss in
that I didn’t include a warning to you here.
Thus: exercise caution! Building one’s own machine can be very, very addictive!
Haha. Regards.
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Build all the way. I’m on my like 4th generation build, currently on upgrade cycle 3 of this build.
The beauty is you know what your build is, so you know what you can upgrade to.
Bloatware is terrible. All the major companies do it. You build it, you get windows nekkid. Keeping background resources under control is hard when someone else puts them on there.
You can make 3k stretch, a pc build store will get you the gfx you want with less ram and because its a package thats what you get. They try to give the impression of choice where there isn’t. Use your money to get EXACTLY what you want. And if you can go all out on the big stuff.(don’t every get the latest top end graphics card, its a money grab scam they been doing for years) It’ll last a while but expect upgrades every 3-5 years if you want to stay in the 30+ fps range of bleeding edge games. A good processor will only need upgrading every 5-10.
Keep in mind newegg: it doesn’t matter if you buy 1 thing or 10, at least one they will screw up shipping. Everytime. They seriously drop the ball on shipping, for the last 2-3 decades I’ve been using them. 2 day shipping means 4. Overnight could be 2-3 days, but you can’t beat their prices.
Do the build, you’ll be happy you did.
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Self building is going to give you the most bang for your buck.
If you get a “off the rack” pre-built you are most likely going to sacrifice quality and potentially performance as they are going to go for less quality components for a better bottom line.
Now say you have a custom built PC done with all high quality parts. A good chunk of that $3000 budget will rightfully go to someone who will properly build, test, and ship the PC to you vs higher performance parts.
Building a PC has become more and more accessible over the years that I believe anyone with a determination to learn could do it.
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And you get to pick the case for it too! I did a really compact PC build that I bring to work to work with video production, and then bring home to be lazy productive. I love having a PC powerful enough to work and game with!
You could even go as far as buy a cheapish office PC, slap a GPU in it, slap an SSD in it, and you could have a really powerful gaming machine for relatively cheap. Simply put: Gaming Prebuilts are marked up a lot.
This is why I’ve always recommended anyone to build a PC, you can be really budget conscious with it, or it can make you a smarter shopper. Pre-built is fine if you need something quick and easy, but custom-built are made to give you what you want!
Probably the only thing you don’t get with your custom PC is a Dell coffee mug 
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This is a true statement: building a PC is much easier now than ever before. It is so much fun to build one, and it gives you a true feeling of satisfaction knowing you’ve built something that is custom to your specifications.
If it was just a bit less expensive, I’d build one every year just for the fun of it!
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Couldn’t agree more here.
I spent around $5k on my system so far and I can’t stop. The act of building the system was, in my opinion, more fun than flying on it. About once a month I find something else I need/want to add to the system and it’s become an addiction. Just when I think I can call it complete… someone comes up with a new Case and I just want to start all over again. Could be the 14 years I spent as a System Integrator back in the 80’s. 
Go for it. Build one for yourself, and take pride in the result.
Jim-Sim
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Haha. Know what you mean.
I remember my first visit to PC builder’s anonymous!
It was a cold, rainy evening in a local community building. Where, after a number of attendances,
I stood up, turned to face a roomful of solemn, fellow sufferers, and had the courage to utter those immortal words:
Hi, my name is Phil and I’m a PC builder.
Haha and regards.
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I wanted to build… really, I did… but I could not buy the parts I wanted for under $1900, but I could buy this, and it runs Ultra perfectly. Maybe I’ll build my next one.
[Omen by HP Obelisk Gaming Desktop Computer, 9th Generation Intel Core i9-9900K Processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER 8 GB, HyperX 32 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD, VR Ready, Windows 10 Home (875-1023, Black)]
Just a quick update. It’s been a year and I have not had a single CTD. Graphics are awesome. I’ve only added two airplanes, the Just Flight Piper Arrow and the Aerolite 103. Both fly perfectly. The realism is astounding. I flew the Aerolite around my hometown this evening. It was so realistic, I almost teared up! 