New PC? Off the shelf or custom built?

[ToonArmyMick]

Hi Everyone,

An opportunity at work has arisen where I can work from home if I want to (I'm a Project & Design Engineer) specialising in battery manufacturing automation machines.

I already have a decent work laptop, but I want a desktop set up too, it'll mainly be used for my work and the occasional face ache visit by the good lady wife.

Software wise, I need it to comfortably run the full versions of;
Autocad
Fusion 360
Inventor
Revit

I'm not too savvy with computer specs, but could I get an off the shelf PC that would cope with those programs or am I looking at custom made?

Thanks

 

[clk320x]

Custom made is always better value IMO.

You can use PC Part Picker to find compatible part combinations.

 

[Jukie]

FWIW, I've bought 3 self-configured computers (tower case to go under a desk) in the past from Quiet PC. Reasonable prices, great service, easy to configure.

I have not commercial or financial interest in Quiet PC and other similar companies are available.

 

[SpikyMikey]

FWIW, I've bought 3 self-configured computers (tower case to go under a desk) in the past from Quiet PC. Reasonable prices, great service, easy to configure.

I have not commercial or financial interest in Quiet PC and other similar companies are available.

I can endorse Jukie's recommendation; my current computer is a Quiet PC custom build, which was very competitively priced for the spec and was delivered exactly on schedule. The build quality is really good, with neat internal cabling. It's quiet too - as it says on the tin.

 

[liamt]

I would go with custom built, the problem with off the shelf computers is that there is alway a trade off when it comes to specifications, at least with a custom build you're getting exactly what you want/need. As someone who works in IT I used to build my own systems, but the last few times I've used PC Specialist, purely because they offer a three year warranty on their builds which is more than I would get buying the various components individually for a similar price.

 

[Germgh0st]

+1 for PC Specialist. Custom building is generally more expensive than off the shelf, but at least you're getting what you want and not compromising.