Building your own PC used to be the ultimate badge of honor - more power for less money, plus bragging rights. But here we are in 2025, and things look a little different. Between rising hardware prices, tariffs, and prebuilt systems getting better every year, the DIY route might not be as obvious as it once was.
So… is it still worth building your own gaming PC?
price gap is shrinking
Back in the day, you could save hundreds by building your own rig. But now, with prebuilts from Lenovo, NZXT, and HP offering competitive pricing, and bundling in things like Windows licenses and tech support, the savings aren’t what they used to be. In fact, prebuilts sometimes cost less than DIY if you catch the right sale or bundle.
performance still favors DIY (a little)
If you know exactly what you want - say, an RTX 4070 Super, paired with a Ryzen 7 and a beefy 850W PSU - you’ll still get more precise performance from a custom build. Most pre-builts cut corners somewhere (often on the PSU or motherboard), so if you're picky about components, building is the way to go.
convenience is king for many
Let’s be honest: building a PC takes time, patience, and a little nerve. Pre-builts show up ready to run, fully cable-managed, and often with tech support. If you're short on time or don't want to deal with potential troubleshooting, that’s hard to beat.
the verdict
Still worth it if you want total control and don’t mind the work
Less necessary if you just want to plug in and play
Best of both worlds? Buy a prebuilt, then upgrade over time (like swapping in better RAM, an SSD, or GPU later)
What do you think—are you team DIY or team “just give me frames”? Drop your thoughts below.