Ask any TRUE PC enthusiast (or any true Scotsman, for that matter), and they’ll tell you: the best computer is the one you build yourself. But is that always the case? Gordon grabbed YouTube hardware specialist Braethorn at CES 2023 to break it down. You might be surprised at some of the conclusions these two reach!
To put it bluntly, there are good pre-builts and bad pre-builts, and the good ones are a solid solution for beginners or those without the time to research and build their own machine. And the numbers don’t lie: Braethorn notes that about 90 percent of people are building their desktops pre-built, whether or not they take the next step and upgrade or replace some of their parts.
What about things you should look out for? According to Braethorn, little details can ruin a pre-built, and you should take a look under the hood when you get it. Things like packaging crammed into RAM slots and motherboards with failing XMP show that you want to give that new computer a thorough shake-down before the warranty expires.
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Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 10-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.