Feasibility Analysis of Building a Home PC Versus Buying a Manufactured Home PC
...z Front-Side Bus 533MHz Memory 512MB DDR Hard Drive 80GB Ultra DMA 5400 RPM DVD Writer Drive DVD+RW, 2.4x CD-ROM Drive 48x CD-ROM Video Graphics Integrated Intel, 64MB shared memory. Network Card Integrated 10/100Base-T Sound Integrated AC-97 codec Fax/Modem ITU 56k Front Mounted Ports USB 2.0 (2), IEEE1394 (1) Total Drive Bays External: 3.5" (1), 5.25" (2); Internal: 3.5" (2) Available Drive Bays Internal 3.5" (1) Total Expansion Slots 3 PCI; 1 AGP Available Slots 2 PCI Total External Ports 6 USB 2.0; 1 serial; 1 parallel; 2 PS/2; 2 IEEE 1394 Total Memory Slots 2 Available Memory Slots 1 Memory Speed 2100 MB/sec (PC2100) Diskette Drive 3.5" (1.44 MB) Warranty and Support 1-year limited hardware warranty; 24/7 phone support Total Cost $999.99 Table 1 Parts list and total price of HP Pavilion 754n Assembled Computer Component Selection The first task to building a computer system is selecting components from the multitude of available manufacturers and models, and finding a vendor to supply those components. Newegg.com was chosen as the vendor for all components because it is a Web-only store that specializes in component sales and had the best overall pricing. For this report, the component selection process was simplified by the choice of a manufactured system. All components were selected to be as close as possible in specification to those contained in the Hewlett-Packard system, and are summarized in Table 2. Component System Item Details Microprocessor Intel Pentium 4 processor, 2.53 GHz Front-Side Bus 533MHz Memory 512MB DDR Hard Drive 80GB Ulta DMA 7200 RPM DVD Writer Drive DVD+RW, 2.4x CD-ROM Drive 52x CD-ROM Video Graphics Integrated, 64MB shared memory. Network Card Integrated 10/100Base-T Sound Integrated AC-97 codec Fax/Modem Encore 56k Front Mounted Ports USB 2.0 (2) Total Drive Bays External: 3.5" (2), 5.25" (4); Internal: 3.5" (2) Available Drive Bays External: 3.5" (1), 5.25" (2); Internal: 3.5" (1) Total Expansion Slots 3 PCI; 1 AGP Available Slots 2 PCI Total External Ports 6 USB 2.0; 1 serail; 1 parallel; 2 PS/2 Total Memory Slots 2 Available Memory Slots 1 Memory Speed 2100 MB/sec (PC2100) Diskette Drive 3.5" (1.44 MB) Warranty and Support Various depending on component Mfr. Total Cost $870.00 Table 2 Hardware Installation Installing hardware is a major concern of building a computer system from components. While it does not require a great deal of technical skill, proper precautions must be taken to ensure components are not damaged by static electricity. Since no documented research concerning assembly time could be found, a first-hand study was done. Full assembly of a system from components similar to those outlined in this report required approximately two hours from the time of opening the first box to initial power-up of the fully assembled system. With a retail computer system, components do not need to be assembled; however, connecting the cables to power and peripherals takes approximately one half hour. While requiring more time and technical knowledge, assembling a computer system from components does have several distinct advantages in terms of hardware. When each component is purchased individually, all necessary software and documentation is included for that component. What this means to the end user is that if there is ever a problem with an individual component, the original documentation will be available to aid in troubleshooting that component. In addition, since the user must install each part, he/she will be more knowledgeable about the installation and removal procedures necessary to upgrade components. Software Installation Software installation is where one can expect to spend the most time when assembling a computer system. A user can expect to spend at least two hours installing Windows XP, and an additional ten to thirty minutes for each additional package installed. This is not of any concern with a purchased system, as the manufacturer of the system will install all included software. Again as with hardware installation, purchasing and installing individual software packages does afford the user several advantages over pre-installed software. Installing each software component individually allows the user to select the options he/she wants to install, which could be more or fewer than a manufacturer decides to install. Having an individual copy of each software package also allows the user to repair or re-install any software component as necessary. Most purchased computer systems that have all software pre-installed do not include individual copies of each software package. Some include a few disks containing the main software and a master restore disk, while HP no longer includes software disks at all, but rather has a restore program installed on the hard disk which only allows for full restoration of the system to its original configuration. Another disadvantage to manufacturer-installed software is the inclusion of demonstration or trial versions of software the user may not want. Most computer manufacturers have partnerships with third-party software companies, and include trial versions of those companies’ products on their computers. The HP computer selected includes trial versions of several ISP programs including AOL, CompuServe, and Earth Link, as well as Symantec’s Norton Anti-Virus. All of these programs are available for download to anyone wishing to try them; and when not wanted, cause clutter and take up space on a hard drive. Some can even be a nuisance, constantly asking the user to purchase the full version of their product. Warranty and Technical Support Warranty and support are also key issues when selecting a computer system. HP gives a 1-year limited warranty to all their desktop PC’s (Hewlett-Packard 2). This warranty is not voided by installation of upgrade components by the end user; however, it does not cover damage caused by improper installation or malfunctions of user-installed hardware and does not cover any hardware installed by the user. A copy of Hewlett-Packard’s “Pavilion Desktop PCs – Warranty and License Information” is included in the Supplemental Reference Materials section of this report, starting on page 13. Technical support for both hardware and software can be obtained by Web, by phone, or through a local retailer (Hewlett-Packard 1). The quality of technical support is a more subjective decisio...