How to Buy a custom built PC

Buying a PC is never an easy task. Off-the-shelf jobbies often have features you don't want and don't have features you do. And with the computing scene changing almost daily, how can you be sure you're getting the latest spec and not something designed six months ago to off-load a distributor's overstock?

One solution is a custom-built PC. If you're of a technical bent you can build one yourself - in which case you're probably leaving us about now...

But if you're not, there are several companies which will do it for you and the better ones give you advice and guidance along the way.

Being in the market for a new PC to replace an ageing Pentium 200, I approached several companies for quotes via email and was eventually drawn into an exchange with Jim Bisset at EQ Consultants.

My main requirement was for a fast PC suitable for digital audio recording so I had very specific requirements. An off-the-shelf machine simply wouldn't do.

It had to be fast - 350/400MHz - I wanted a SCSI hard disk for fast data transfers as well as an IDE drive, a fast graphics card (but not for 3D games), 128Mb RAM, lots of free PCI slots for audio cards but I didn't want a card supplied. It needed network facilities to enable the transfer of files and a full tower case whose innards could be easily accessed.

Of course, this is easy enough to put together - but at what cost? There is always a trade-off - a faster processor for a bit more money, a faster and larger hard disk for a bit more money, a faster graphics card for a bit more money...

The great thing about Jim is that we went through virtually every single item in the spec and discussed all the options - the price vs. the performance - right down to the mouse!

For example, Jim has a thing about RAM. For superior performance he recommends CAS-222 RAM whereas most suppliers use the more standard CAS-322. (Sorry, we're not going to get into a technical discussion about this. Suffice it to say that the 222 offers a small performance benefit over the 322, particularly if you want to run the bus at 124 or 133MHz.)

We decided the performance vs. price benefit of the 322 was not sufficient for my purpose so we went with the 222.

We discusses the benefits, data transfer rates and price/performance issues of a range of hard drives. Likewise with video cards. And CD ROM drives. Is now the time to buy a DVD drive? (We decided it wasn't.)

After a couple of weeks we had thrashed out a spec. However, one of the sticking points was the processor. I could save £300 by opting for a Celeron rather than a Pentium II 350. Overclocking seemed an attractive option and Jim agreed to try it for me.

Overclocking is the business of making a chip run faster than it was intended to do. The Celeron 300A is a firm favourite and can often be clocked up to 450MHz. The success rate is only about 80 percent but you can afford to try a few and still save money on a P350. Jim reckoned he had sourced a supply of chips which could be overclocked extremely reliably.

(These chips, however, are in short supply and Intel has nobbled the production of current chips to prevent overclocking.)

So that was settled. We'd try it! However, Jim suggested we wait a while longer because an Intel price cut was on its way. More money saved.

Because it was built to order, the parts were bought in as required making sure the latest versions of hardware and firmware were used.

The machine took around two weeks to build. I received progress reports via email virtually every day and, towards the end of the build, a couple of photos!

The end result is a superb machine made with quality components, carefully assembled with the wiring neatly tied away.

Oh yes - and it flies!

You'll be wondering how much it was?

Well, it was a touch under £1500 (plus VAT). I'd need to list the full spec to put the price into perspective but it certainly wasn't expensive. If you take the advice and service into consideration it was a downright bargain!

EQ specialises in custom-built PCs although Jim was careful to stress that they are not "cheap". By which he means they put together Rolls Royce systems for discerning buyers so if you want a cheap £700 jobbie, go to a box shifter.

You also get superb after-sales service. EQ spent an unbelievable amount of time helping to sort out cables and switcher boxes to connect two PCs to one monitor.

Oddly, in my opinion at least, EQ's most demanding customers are games players. Jim delights in using the fastest and most powerful of everything - RAM, hard disk, video card... - to squeeze the last ounce of performance out of a machine. He can push it that few extra percent above and beyond what a similar "traditionally" spec'ed PC could achieve.

If you want a custom-built PC, a top notch machine, specially designed, carefully constructed with minute attention to detail along with a service which goes beyond the call of duty or even reasonable expectation, EQ will not disappoint.

Impressed - you bet!

More from:

EQ Consultants. Tel: 01764 685220

E-mail: biz@cix.co.uk

Ian Waugh
Read More of Ian's music reviews and tips at www.making-music.com