Practicalities of buying a high-end Graphics/CAD Computer

First there is the age old question of whether to order hardware from one of the big mail order hardware suppliers overseas, or buy locally from a bloke like me.

Now obviously I have an axe to grind, so take this post with a pinch of salt and decide for yourself whether it makes sense to buy your computer hardware from me.

Prices here in RSA are about 15% – 20% more expensive (on average) than from the big US mail order houses like New Egg. (Amazon US does not ship hardware here and AFAIK Amazon UK doesn’t either, but Amazon DE does).

However, there are two matters to bear in mind before you try to import.

1] If you get someone to send you something small (like RAM) you may get away with it being declared a gift. Mostly, you will get charged both customs duty and VAT and that will eat up any savings that you might have made.

2] If the component is faulty, you have a huge problem with guarantees.

Some gaming enthusiasts do indeed import stuff, but that is usually not to save money, but rather to obtain something specific which is unavailable here.

Getting the best value system is all about knowing exactly how much you are prepared to spend and having the discipline not to exceed that budget by any major amount. There are so many variables like stock availability, component performance matching and current daily price (it varies every day) to take into consideration, that it is not really viable to design a hardware a system until you are actually ready to buy.

Here’s how it works where you are technically clued-up, know what you are doing,  and are assembling the machine yourself:

• You determine the budget with a percentage variation which cannot be exceeded.
• You ask me to design your machine according to certain requirements (like: it must run AutoCAD 3D and Starcraft and have Direct X 11 support, etc.) You specify things like: “I don’t need a mouse – I already have one –  but I want a gaming keyboard…”.
• I work a system out for you and email you the specific component list (Usually with the technical reasons for my choices).
• At this stage, I have spent quite a bit of time on your behalf and have sent you a quote, but it’s more than a quote, it also represents a piece of work which has taken quite a bit of time to research and produce. I have not charged you anything at this stage, but I expect you then to play fair and purchase from me (and not take that spec sheet around to every dealer you can find) so that my labour is eventually compensated for. If the deal falls through, that’s my loss – you are under no obligation. It’s simply a matter of playing fair at this stage.
• You now look at my suggestion; you Google the suggested components and make specification changes or special requests or queries. (What I mean is that you might say “I don’t want this particular chipset, I would rather look at that chipset unless you have a technical objection.”) While you can certainly request a a particular component from a particular manufacturer, it is often the case that I cannot supply because that specific part may be unavailable, out of date, or from a wholesaler I am not comfortable in dealing with or whatever. It is quite OK, however, to request a component similar to a specific one that you have come across.
• So there is a flurry of e-mails back and forth until the system is agreed upon. It’s a joint effort.
• Once we have an agreement, You pay a deposit into my bank account with the balance paid COD. Terms are unheard of in the computer industry and credit card purchases are only for the big shopping-mall retailers.
• Then comes the dance with my suppliers. This sometimes results in a particular component being changed for stock reasons or other. If there is a major upset, you are consulted again for your approval. At this stage there may be price changes again, but they will normally be fairly minor.
• Finally you come and collect the stuff (or it gets couriered to you).