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My point was that adding up the initial acquisition cost of a batch of inexpensive PC hardware, and comparing that price to that of a pre-built high-end Mac that comes with support, etc., is a silly comparison that misses some important factors, that's all.

Why is it silly? That's like saying comparing the cost of any DIY project to the cost of contracting it out is silly.

I don't see anything in your criteria for whether to build or buy that involves any cost consideration. You'll build computer, but only if you can't buy one with the required specs, regardless of how much it costs.

In that environment, Macs are probably great. How many people operate in that environment?

>> My point was that adding up the initial acquisition cost of a batch of inexpensive PC hardware, and comparing that price to that of a pre-built high-end Mac that comes with support, etc., is a silly comparison that misses some important factors, that's all.

> Why is it silly? That's like saying comparing the cost of any DIY project to the cost of contracting it out is silly.

It's silly if the two things being compared are not comparable, other than the one characteristic being compared.

For example, some of the cost of a pre-built computer is the warranty service and follow-up support that comes with it. That doesn't come with a homebrew computer -- you built it, you support it. So how much money do we put in the "price list" of the homebrew, to allow for your time when it goes bug-frack and there's nobody to call? Is your time free? Really?

> I don't see anything in your criteria for whether to build or buy that involves any cost consideration. You'll build computer, but only if you can't buy one with the required specs, regardless of how much it costs.

Perhaps I didn't state that well. Specs cost money, and so does my time. If the specs I want are available pre-built, then I weigh the price of the pre-built machine against the cost of my time building it myself in addition to the component costs, and determine which makes more sense.

Note: Sometimes the experience gained in DIY is very valuable -- might be hard to quantify, but it can argue in favor of DIY too, especially when acquiring a new piece of technology.