Configuration of PC Builds
I was ordering some computer parts, and it took me longer than I planned to find the relevant sites (i.e. sites I had already referred to in the past!). So, for future reference, a couple of useful links. I work from Irish and European context.
For configuration advice:
- https://www.logicalincrements.com/ Nice site that provides basic configurations, priced with links, for configurations of PC. Goes all the way from “destitute” (today EUR275,00) up to “monstrous” (today at EUR4415,00)
- https://ie.pcpartpicker.com/guide/ Another site, covering some of the same ground. Here you have a less curated, more crowd-sourced collection of PC specs. You can use it to put together your own build, and if you like share that.
Where to buy parts:
- German vendors tend to have better prices
- https://www.alternate.de/ where I have most recently used. Prices are competitive. I was ordering non-bulky items (HDD, MBoard, RAM) and postage to Ireland ended up about EUR11.00
- https://www.mindfactory.de/ have used in the past. Even more price competitive. Unfortunately they don’t ship outside Germany any more. However it may be possible to work around that…
- https://www.mailboxde.com/ I haven’t used this site yet. However I plan to do so in the future. The site has a good vibe about it, IMHO: https://www.mailboxde.com/about-us.html
- Geizhals https://geizhals.de/ , not a vendor as such, but a comparison site. Good place to plug in some part numbers and see where the market is at.
- Ireland, and UK
- I’ve only really used Elara as an “Irish” vendor, at least for a very long time. https://www.elara.ie/ Prices are decent, but sometimes a bit off the money compared to German vendors (and sometimes the same, but very rarely cheaper IME). (However, please do remember to account for the VAT/ MWSt difference though, as the larger German vendors will generally have to hit you with that once you order.) Since Elara have a Dublin facility for pick-up they can be the quickest solution, and also good option for bulky items (e.g. Cases).
- RIP Marx Computers
- Haven’t really used UK vendors much (e.g. scan.co.uk, dabs (as was), etc.,) order process might be a little simpler than some of German suppliers, but prices no better in general, currency introduces more variables, and in Brexit climate of last couple of years its preferable to support intra-EU supply chains to whatever extent possible.