Of all the reasons to build a gaming-oriented desktop computer yourself rather than buy one from a manufacturer, the best of them might just be the control it gives you over your money. Sure, big companies may get bulk discounts that they can pass on to you, but you're still stuck with the components they want you to have—or a limited selection if they let you choose some yourself—and uncertain upgradability. If you decide later that you want a faster processor, a more powerful video card, or more storage, you might find upgrading too much of a hassle to bother with.

Build your own computer and you don't have that problem. You get exactly the parts you want and can afford, and can sleep easy knowing that as technology evolves and hardware changes, you can make an easy swap-out yourself so you can always stay current. Plus, once you get into the build cycle, you'll never spend more money than you need to: Just replace this piece of hardware with a new one and you have a new computer—for a fraction of what you may have to pay a major manufacturer.