5 Disadvantages Of Buying A Pre-Built PC

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Pre-built computers, mainly desktops, offer a lot of convenience compared to building one yourself. There was also a time when they were considered a bit more expensive than ordering the parts yourself, but now you may find some pre-built rigs cheaper than DIY (do-it-yourself) ones. Part of that issue is that memory and RAM are so expensive, and you might even find a better deal if you get one already installed in a machine that was manufactured a few years back. But even with pre-built gaming computers being more affordable, there are some disadvantages to owning one.

Those disadvantages can vary based on whether you buy one with stock parts or OEM (original equipment manufacturer) components, since upgradeability and customization are much more limited. One reason is that OEM computers are usually built with proprietary parts that are difficult to access unless you buy directly from the manufacturer. Another is that you lose flexibility over when and how you want to build your computer, while tailoring it to your exact needs — you’ll find nowadays that building your own PC isn’t as intimidating as it looks, despite all the scary upfront costs and management, compared to the downsides of owning a pre-built machine.

If anything goes wrong in your OEM pre-built rig, then you are likely at the mercy of the OEM to repair it, unless an authorized third-party center is available. In the case of OEM repairs, sometimes the quoted pricing can be as high as replacing the actual component itself — which happened to me when I had an Acer Predator desktop; my Acer Nvidia RTX 4070 repair cost nearly $1,200 CAD (around $850 in USD) to fix after 13 months of usage (I bought my computer for around $2,000 CAD, translating to about $1,420 USD in late 2023).

Comparing your options, there are no cheaper alternatives to repairs. That’s because it usually requires securing those exact components. You can try doing so second-hand, or modifying parts that fit — but you do have to be very technical and precise for that to work. For example, I tried fitting a power supply unit upgrade, but the process was too tricky due to my proprietary motherboard pin configuration.

Plus, upgrading can become tricky due to custom parts because the manufacturer compiles the build in a specified way, and anything adding to it might require changes — such as the used power supply or the motherboard. Moreover, manufacturers typically don’t guarantee to have specific old parts in stock if the hardware becomes dated. That also means third-party repair centers, unless OEM-verified, are limited in what they can service you for fixes, especially if those components become damaged. Essentially, you mainly settle with what you have.

The good news is that if you’re under warranty, you might receive additional customer support when something goes wrong. Acer, for example, offers live web chat and priority for warranty owners who connect to Acer technicians. But outside of warranty, the options become a bit more limited, often requiring you to contact the community or send your device in for paid service. Plus, for technical support, it isn’t always easy to troubleshoot on your own unless the technician is familiar with your system (I sent mine to a third-party repair center for five visits; they struggled because they lacked the Acer software to do specific testing).

Again, the experience will largely depend on the OEM and what’s distributed for self-help tools. The quality of service will vary based on the company and sometimes the location. For example, people may be more satisfied with Dell’s support and repair services versus HP’s, and that might also depend on what state you’re in/if they offer on-site repairs. Some companies may even have specialists or specialty services.

For example, Alienware has its own support line called “Alienware Care” and “Alienware Elite Care.” While this sounds good on paper, it can sometimes be confusing to get the help that you need without hopping through additional channels (Dell owns the brand, but you may have to go through Alienware first).

Since my pre-built computer was out of warranty, I had to troubleshoot the issue on my own, which took months. And because I didn’t know much about custom parts, it was difficult to compare it to guides that referenced stock parts. For example, a 500W rated OEM power supply unit (PSU) won’t be equivalent to one bought for a standard computer using market-available parts. According to Corsair, a 500W PSU would be too low for a higher-end GPU/CPU combo (14th gen i7 and Nvidia RTX 4070) — but that wasn’t the case for the OEM one.

So when I was having stability issues, it took a lot of extra guesswork to figure out which part was the faulting component. Ideally, a professional diagnosis from the OEM is best, but that isn’t always the most accessible option when the out-of-warranty pricing is quite expensive/may require shipping it. On a DIY built-PC, it is easier to check online or even ask in larger communities, like Reddit, to help troubleshoot your issues — otherwise, depending on how niche the pre-built is, your options become limited.

For me, when I bought my Acer Predator system, I could not find the power supply listed for my model (users listed between 500W and 750W) easily; eventually I did confirm what I had after I looked inside the computer itself. Another example is that you might not know the exact motherboard being used, especially if it is proprietary, so you don’t know the exact upgrades you can or can’t make. Part of this barrier is because information ends up getting disclosed unless you already own the hardware.

The manufacturer should ideally list all the specs in detail or be more transparent, but that won’t always be the case. One example of a pre-purchase conundrum is custom computer casing. Unless you are familiar with cases, you may not know how good the chassis is, which can dictate the thermal management and airflow for your whole system. Though, at the same time, you can always return the pre-built machine if it isn’t to your satisfaction, but the process takes time, and you no longer have a computer.

All in all, some of the differences aren’t easy to spot right away — that’s one of the reasons why people enjoy making their own rig, as it is a great way to get acquainted with the parts you are procuring and learn more about your system.

A massive reason people enjoy building new computers is that they have complete control over how long a rig is meant to last, depending on the components they buy. Motherboards can only support so many generations of CPUs. When you build a computer, you can decide whether you want it to support next-gen upgrades or support current-gen. Then, you can also choose to buy a higher-grade power supply that has a higher wattage rating to sustain heavy loads, pay for extra RAM, secure a better processor like an Intel Ultra 9, Nvidia’s 5000 series GPU — or completely dial it back.

While some of the upper limits may present specs that are overkill for what you’re trying to do with your PC today, you want it to be future-proof and last for five or seven years — or even longer. People like having a computer that can last closer to a decade than one that only lasts a handful of years. The upfront costs are steeper, but it does pay off if you can get a lot of mileage out of it.

An OEM-based computer is usually built to be just enough to hit lower pricing — meaning the power supply might be only okay, thermal management may be a mixed experience, and then the proprietary parts become too expensive to replace. In five to six years, you aren’t guaranteed to find those parts second-hand because OEMs will move on to selling different models.