I have done both. My most recent computer was purchased by the part, in a wholesale store, and put together by us, but previously I've ordered them pre-built. I even bought a few used laptops and mixed and matched parts to complete a system on my own so that it worked okay without buying a fully new one. If you don't know what you're doing at all, though, or don't have any help, I wouldn't recommend it.
I prefer buying from the store since it's convenient. I am not so much of a techie person. I just ask my techie friends to help me decide for a particular model and that's what I'll look for. I buy from the manufacturers so it's cheaper than the ones in the mall. But I guess if you're techie enough, it'll be more affordable to buy the parts that you want and assemble it on your own.
I bought both my PC and laptop in person. I prefer to do it this way since I can easily talk to the seller face to face, ask various questions and most of the sellers told me suggestions, pro and cons of the various computers. I do ocasionally buy only some parts online (like RAMs, video card, coolers), but I usually don't since I got the same advantage for parts as I get when buying the pc, talking to the guy from that electronics store and I always learn even small things I didn't know, hehe.
I would like to buy my computer from a store and it is not just any other store, one of which I've got quite a few positive reports or have been satisfied by a few other purchased items earlier, not any untried store. Earlier I've suffered because of purchasing computers from untrustworthy stores that appeared okay just by appearance, so I don't want to repeat that mistake again. As far as purchasing computer online is concerned, it is never an option for me, as I feel it is a risk I can ill-afford to take.
I would like to know how to build my own computer, but unfortunately I'm not that tech savvy. When I'm ready to purchase a new PC, I usually purchase the computer at the store. I like to order them online as well, but in the store you can test the product out before you buy it. I think that's where the stores have the advantage over the online stores. I like the convenience factor of ordering products online. You can stay at home and have it delivered it to your door, which is better than wasting gas by driving. Sometimes I wish I could build my own computer because companies add unnecessary features and apps. The power that you have with putting your own parts in a PC is amazing. It seems like stores are suffering from this new Internet craze of buying merchandise online. Eventually we will never leave the house, working at home, and ordering things online will become the norm.
I bought my last one at the store. It is an Apple Mac. This one was for me, which I absolutely love. My son wanted something special with all the special specs and other additional things on his computer. I bought my son's online through HP. He has had a lot of problems with his computer since day one. It went back once. I spent a lot of time on the phone arguing with them. The one before that was for my husband which was online too. It was a Dell. We had a lot of problems with that one too. My preference is to buy a computer at the store directly. It seems like I have better luck when I order it right at the store.
I literally never and never will buy pre-built computers by manufacturers like HP and such (other than for laptops and netbooks). I would much rather just go to a local parts store, pick out parts, and build the computer myself. It's so much cheaper to get a computer this way (if you don't know how to assemble a computer, it doesn't take very long to learn. Just find tutorials and guides online). A computer that people would normally spend $2000 for, I could build for about $1000-$1200 or less.
I would love to learn more about building my own laptop. I bought my current one from Best Buy on a special and I love it, but it would be great to not have to pay for the parts I don't need...
I have both bought online and in-store and I can honestly say I don't care. It made no difference, I got what I paid for in both instances. Being able to bring the computer home and set it up after buying it in the store was cool, but I got a much better deal online. As for shipping, those manufacturers know what they're doing, and the boxes are sealed and have tons of foam and stuff to keep it from breaking. If thousands of computers were getting broken in the mail, nobody would buy them. And before anyone references the FedEx video where he throws the computer monitor over the gate.... really? That's one instance. When millions of computers are bought online nobody says anything. No video goes viral. It's just that people see something like this once and assume that that is always the case.
I choose to buy my computers in the store. I like to look at them when I an making a decision to buy one. I like to try out the mouse because some of them I don't like the texture. I also like to test out the keys because I hate a computer that has a loud keyboard or keys that do not type as well. As for the customizing, my husband choose to buy his computer from hp so he could customize what he wanted. I am pretty simple and would not even know what I was looking for.
I prefer to buy parts on Newegg and build my computer myself. Usually prebuilt computers are ridiculously expensive. Building your computer gives you more options and lets you get better specs for less money!
We buy our computers in a store. We do it because they can help us if something goes wrong. We have terrible luck with our computers. When we first started out, we had people build them for us because it was less money. The person building it usually ended up repairing it for us. As time went on, we went to a business to purchase computers. The last computer we purchased was a MAC from the Apple store. We have had it since the first of the year and we are still learning how to use it. We went with the MAC because they are supposed to last longer than a PC. I hope so because they cost more. They are supposed to get fewer viruses and I am also counting on that to be true.
Well you've also got to keep in mind that a lot of people don't know how to spend computers. And while a high-end computer will often save quite a bit of money, not everyone wants/needs that. If you want something just for pictures, email, etc. then you can get a decent "all-in-one" bundle with desktop and monitor and all that for like $350. And building a computer and getting all of that would not be cheaper, maybe even more expensive! And it would definitely be a poor choice when you consider all the extra time and effort you put into building a $350 setup?
I've done both. Sometimes, you almost are forced to do it online because local stores at times don't have the parts you're actually looking for.
I confess I'm lazy and have only ever bought things online! I find in stores you can be seduced by the sales pitch of the 'customer advisors', whereas online you can normally find pretty impartial reviews and opinions about a product (if you look in the right places).
I always buy my computers in the store unless I physically see it in the store and then order the exact same model off a website. I can't trust pictures or reviews to tide me over on any computer; I need to physically see it and use it myself to use if I like the feel of it.
For me it's always online - although always gives the impression I buy them more often than I have to. The last three or four computers have been Macs, all bought from the Apple store. Absolutely NOT the cheapest way to buy them, I know, but I also know the support will be excellent. From experience, each comp will last seven years until I feel it's going sluggish. That said, I have an old laptop I use for browsing and watching tv shows while I'm in bed, and until they only stream HD I can't see that becoming redundant for a long time. It's odd to argue for luxury items on a budget website, but I can't help but to feel I've got my money's worth over the years. Obviously different comps for different peeps!
Newegg is generally the place to buy. Most computer stores seem more geared toward selling upgrades and whole computers. It seems like the average part selection for some components such as cases, motherboards and and processors seem to be rather limited. I also have not really found thier customer service to be any better than online.
As much as I like the convenience of buying stuff online, I still prefer buying computers from the store. You have the option to try it out first and check for defects personally.
