I'm looking to replace my laptop for an actual PC at some point, maybe a year or so, but I want to know: -Should I get a pre-built PC -Should I buy one to build myself -What are the advantages/disadvantages of both -Which is cheaper -What monitors you recommend And lastly, (dumb question) does it require specific tools of any kind?
I'd say another option would be to find a secondhand pc from 1 or 2 years ago, people seem to forget the fact that entire PCs depreciate as much as the parts do.
No. Prebuilts are priced pretty competitively these days, but they're built without any attention to detail. Most lack dual-channel RAM, and use proprietary connectors that make it difficult to upgrade. Building a PC can be a tad more expensive, but you learn a valuable skill and feel the satisfaction of doing something yourself. It depends on a lot of factors. The last time I built a PC around 2-3 years ago, custom low to mid-range builds were usually cheaper but slightly uglier. Ketchup and mustard cables were still clinging on for dear life and cheap motherboards were all "gamer-y." As for now, prebuilts can be either slightly more expensive or slightly cheaper than a custom build. Money isn't everything, though. See above. Try this. It's a little chunky, but it's a great price and it's 75hz. A good magnetic screwdriver, scissors, black zip-ties, and optionally a flashlight. Don't bother with anti static wristbands. Just touch the PSU and you'll be fine.
Oh and if you are building your own computer here's a good tip for beginners: make sure you get a PSU with an 80+ rating. If you don't get one with an 80+ rating it won't be very efficient. I like 80+ gold or higher, and around 600-1000 watts. That would be enough to run a decent CPU and GPU.
