In terms of "ownership", plugging in a few cables and chips into a premanufactured circuit board isn't much different that buying a fully-assembled system off-the-shelf. If you really want to "own" your computer, then design your own processor and circuit boards, and write your own operating system.
Disagree, it is alot more than just plugging in chips and cables. It is picking the components and manufacturers you like and trust its the decision of what case suits you best, not some cheap mass manufacturers pile of plastic with sharp edges. It’s picking the memory with the best timings, your favorite brand of GPU’s, not some on board crap or lowest bid no name brand ati or nVidia branded board. It is also learning the what nots and what to do’s when building, learning on what to do if it doesnt work on first boot. It is a whole lot more than plug and play and 100x’s more satisfying than buying pre-built. No my friend it isn’t quite as simple as you play it out to be. Only suckers buy pre-built.(This rant excludes DIY laptops as they suck and arent worth the time)