If you’re keen on entering the PC gaming scene, you may be wondering: should you build your own gaming PC from scratch or opt for a ready-to-go prebuilt gaming PC? When considering building a PC vs prebuilt, both routes have their own perks, you just need to decide which path’s benefits best align with your needs. Here’s a rundown of what makes both DIY and prebuilt gaming PCs great choices.
Prebuilt gaming PCs are optimized by the experts who build them
When you buy a prebuilt gaming PC directly from a company that specializes in gaming PCs, you’re scoring their knowledge in the process. They know how to use their hardware to deliver the absolute best machine. This is especially true when buying a rig from the ROG lab. Take our ROG G700 prebuilt gaming desktop: because we’re building it with tried-and-true ASUS components using our internal expertise, we know the difference between compatible and optimal. We aren’t just slapping parts together in a case — when we build a machine, we validate every component, carefully design the overall thermal configuration for those parts, and run the machine through a full battery of quality tests to make sure you’re getting a strong build that’ll stand the test of time. This means that whether you go with a value-oriented configuration sporting an ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 4060 Ti or opt for a powerhouse ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 config, you’ll get an ROG G700 machine that gives you every drop of performance it can spare.
And better yet, when you go prebuilt, you don’t have to rely on blind faith that your PC will work perfectly, because you’ll also score a convenient all-in-one warranty with your purchase that protects you against surprises and hiccups. For many, this will be more convenient than having separate warranties on each individual part, or a warranty from a separate assembler, since responsibility for all parts and construction falls solely on one company, negating delays in assessments and remediation. If you buy an ROG prebuilt PC and you need service, we handle it. It’s that simple.
DIY gaming PCs are built exclusively for your needs
One of the biggest debates among gamers is building a PC vs prebuilt. While some prefer the convenience and reliability of prebuilt gaming PCs, others enjoy the freedom and customization of the DIY approach.
With a DIY gaming PC, you get exactly what you’re after. Nothing more, nothing less. If you don't want to pay for hardware bells and whistles you have no use for, you don’t have to. If you want all the extra features of a high-end motherboard, you can pick the model that best suits your needs. By building your own gaming PC, you make sure every dollar spent goes exclusively toward features you’re interested in.
Want control over how many PCIe and M.2 slots your PC packs? Need two HDMI ports on a graphics card, in a small enough form factor that leaves room for an extra PCIe expansion slot? If you’re the type of gamer with the technical know-how to be asking these questions in the first place, you may find the most value in building your own rig.
This is especially true if you have very specific needs for your desktop that the average prebuilt won’t accommodate. For example, let’s say you want a machine with premium, RGB-infused gamer flair and need tons of storage space for media but don’t want to spend on a strong graphics card because you only play graphically lax games. You may not find a dream prebuilt packing 8TB of storage and gorgeous gamer style alongside a more value-oriented graphics card. So, if you’re budget-conscious and need every penny to go toward a hyper-specific use-case scenario, DIY is the way to go.