Essay #1 Rough Draft - Corporate Vs. Custom

Corporate versus Custom
Although people tend to prefer brand name computers that come ready to use out of the box, they are often times a poor alternative to having a computer custom built because brand name computers are over priced, bundled with unneeded software, and cannot be serviced or upgraded by anyone other than the manufacturer. Most of these companies boast about their high customer service ratings and quality control standards even though many of these services are typically equal or even sub-par compared to those one might find locally. On top of all that, they draw business away from local competitors, intern causing the community to lose money.
Big name computer companies like to make their customers feel like they're saving money, so they've come up with some pretty neat tricks to make it seem like their making us do just that. Their first trick is to tell us how much money we could be spending. This is evident, because often times they make sure the first thing a customer sees on their website is an advertisement for the biggest, best, and most expensive computer they have to offer. It's huge, colorful, and impressive. It's also cutting-edge and enticing, but unfortunately, still very expensive. If all goes well though, that enticing part will stick, like a nail, right in the center of our CPU. The next thing they'll have us notice is everything else. Specifically, how affordable everything else is, especially when compared to that first rig. However, if were lucky, we'll realize that that nail was little more than a pointy piece of hot air, and that these “affordable prices,” really are only affordable when compared to that first rig, and nothing else. It doesn't take much research to notice that we're paying quite a hefty fee on top of each individual part's base value just to have it installed. In reality these twenty to fifty percent mark ups are paying for assembly cost and other expenses, not to mention your “free limited warranty,” so most of it's going to a reasonable cause, especially if something breaks immediately. However, in the long run, the fact of the matter remains that the majority of ones investment in a name brand computer resides primarily in the warranty, not in the hardware itself. In many cases involving custom built computers though, you pay the actual price of the parts plus shipping. Assembly labor and other fees are figured in separately that way the customer knows exactly what they are paying for, instead of leaving it up to the company to balance all expenses fairly behind the scenes.
Of all the annoying details that come attached to buying a brand name computer, the worst of which has to do with all that “useful” bundled software they come with. There's nothing like spending over a thousand dollars on a new toy only to have to wade though hundreds of trials, promos, and advertisements before one can even locate their desktop. Not to mention all the proprietary software and services typically involved with brand names that have to be learned before one can even start to do what they want with their computer. This is probably one of the best things about a custom built computer, is how clean it feels when first turned on. It's so fast and so fresh. There is nothing on the computer. No pop-ups, no trials. You're free to make your own mess from the start, instead of cleaning up someone else's from the start.
Then there is one of the most important things a computer owner can do to improve the lifespan and performance of their system, and that is to perform routine maintenance on it. Usually all that one needs to concern themselves with is keeping their computer case dust free, but warranties typically disallow access to the interior of the case, hindering ones ability to keep it clean. This is more of an annoyance than anything else though, as there is always the option to send the computer back to the manufacturer whenever it needs dusting or a little upgrade now and again, as long as the owner is prepared to pay a little extra for the “convenience” if it wasn't specifically in the warranty. Unfortunately, if this is the path chosen, a week is almost always the minimum time one should expect to be without their computers, whereas if the computer was built locally, a simple house call can be all it takes, or at most a couple of days in the shop.
Basically what it comes down to is a question of what one really wants out of a computer. Is customization a priority? For many it is not, while others just hate the idea of being locked out of something they own. If this is the case, local and custom is probably the way to go. However, maybe just minimal down time is all that is of concern, in which case perhaps the corporate approach with all their warranties would be a better decision. Hopefully though, it's mostly a question of how important it is to one to spend locally instead of abroad.