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The power supply went out on my 3-4 year old Compaq. I was expecting it, but didn't expect the replacement to be so difficult. So, I went to a local computer store and picked up a standard ATX PSU... No dice, doesn't fit. So I go out to Best Buy and Circuit City looking for a PSU to match. Same answer that had dawned on me after I got it out of the box - proprietary... HP designs their cases so only their power supplies will fit.

So, I called up HP about a replacement... $127 (for a 220w PSU), and it's backordered 3 weeks...

So we ended up buying a Toshiba laptop we had been looking at... But this is why from now on I will always build my desktops...

OH, and I have to use Vista now... Blech.

Well, there are advantages of both. With buying from a manufacturer (such as Dell, HP, etc.) it will usually be a bit cheaper because they order their parts in bulk and get discounts. On the other hand, building your own PC can be better because like you said, you don't have to worry about it if something breaks. You know where you can find the part (plus i enjoy building my own).

My 2 cents,
Adam

Same it is very fun building your own PC. I found the same problem with a mates PC. It had a very small PSU and to replace it needed a new case

The branded makers generally use the minimum required PSU / Non-standard sized hardware / sometimes "proprietary" layouts / inferior-quality components .
All of these are a pain-- but as upgrader said-- you can change the case. To me... it is never worth it to buy "off the shelf"... but it depends on what your intent is-- and the budget.

I have found you can get cheaper building yourself than buying from a manufacturer... Or at least from what I've looked at.

EDIT: The exception to my rule is laptops, which I wouldn't try to upgrade or fix myself anyways.

Absolutely... which is another reason.
It's a win/win--
You get better gear-- that lasts longer--perfoms better-- and is cheaper to buy (mostly) \
Some things I will spend more upfront on... like PSU's Mobo/ RAM /video card. Overbuild now... pay less later.

manufacturers always use custom parts, that way you *need* to purchase parts from them...if you look hard enough, you will find 3rd party parts that fit...but not very often, and not for something so old


And the only way a custom build is cheaper, is if you shop around alot, and don't buy the software