I recently built a “frankenstein” with the following components for under $500.
. ASUS M2N-MV/DVI Motherboard
. AMD 4800+ X2 Dual Core CPU
. 2GB DDR-533 Memory
. 256 MB NVidia Graphics 16-lane PCI express graphics
. Sony Dual-Layer 18x DVD-RW
. Front-Panel Multi Flash Card Reader
. Seagate 500 GB SATA-2 (3Gb/s) Hard Drive
. Two NIC ports (one built-in, one PCI)
. 6 USB 2.0 ports
. Case with 300W PS and quiet fans
Now tell me what a similarly endowed Mac would cost.
You know, dual-core, high-speed CPU, 2 GB memory, 500 GB SATA drive, high-speed PCI express graphics, etc.
I venture it would be at least $1000.
We have 11 children, 9 still at home.
We have 5 PCs in this house, all of them “frankensteins”.
No way I could afford that many Macs.
First, for an apples-to-apples (no pun) comparison, you don't compare DIY to OEM. But for the Mac Pro even DIY can't beat Apple's price, not even counting software.
For what you built, Apple doesn't play in that ballpark unless you count the Mac Mini. OTOH, with the mini you pay extra for the small size (stack 8 CD cases and you get the idea).
I paid $1,800 for my iMac plus another $100 to take it to 3 GB RAM. First of all, for that I get a small form factor that fits on my desk and an extremely quiet computer (the only thing I ever hear is the DVD drive, never a fan noise). The CPU is about 50% faster, I get a very nice 24" monitor, lots of ports, software, etc. And a warranty on the whole thing. It was definitely worth it. I lost patience with DIY years ago, having had a frankenputer that lasted over 10 years of swapping parts. Now I just want to use a computer.