Custom Built PC
A custom built (or assembled) PC is a personal computer system that is assembled from components selected by the end-user; it may be assembled by the end user or a system builder. The advantage of custom assembly is that components can be selected to match the user's application. Manufacturer options of mass-market computers may not meet the particular requirements of an end user. Since a wide range of standardized low-cost interchangeable hardware is available, most custom built computer systems are IBM PC compatible or Wintel-type, though Macintosh, Amiga, and other types are also custom-built.
A system builder specializes in customized or special purpose systems, which cannot be obtained off-the-shelf from major manufacturers. Generally, a system builder obtains parts from distributors, wholesalers, Internet vendors, or small computer specialty stores. Internet vendors generally offer a wider selection than small computer parts stores, and normal electronics stores, which are catered towards pre-built PCs. System builders are often either computer gamers or individuals whose requirements can't be fulfilled by a practical cost efficient pre-built PC. A consumer is more likely to buy a pre-built computer than attempt to build a machine due to difficulty and the lack of a technical support team when problems arise. On the other hand, it is usually less expensive to build a PC than to buy a pre-built equivalent.
Famous quotes containing the words custom and/or built:
“Parents fear lest the natural love of their children may fade away. What kind of nature is that which is subject to decay? Custom is a second nature which destroys the former. But what is nature? For is custom not natural? I am much afraid that nature is itself only a first custom, as custom is a second nature.”
—Blaise Pascal (1623–1662)
“The walls that fence our fields, as well as modern Rome, and not less the Parthenon itself, are all built of ruins.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)