The current cost sheet for my computer is standing at $920. This is actually almost the same cost as building the same computer in Singapore. (Minus the shipping cost of items that is.. which is actually quite high being that computer parts are heavy). How do I know this? Well, my brother just built an almost identical system back home. (I have 40gb more of harddisk space and a one version more advanced motherboard, plus probably better quality memory) But other than that almost the same.
The lesson from all this? parts in the US are cheaper than parts in Singapore but the shipping costs more than make up for it - which explains why I had monarch build my barebones system and test it before sending it to me. The extra cost is a small cost to pay in return to not have to worry about shipping defective parts back and forth.
Also lessons from buying online? The places with the best customer service, prices and shipping policies are always computer parts stores. Not computer stores, mind you, but the part stores - the ones aimed towards geeks, technophiles and the like, perhaps because they're the ones that will write reviews on forums on them, price search online and reputation search online. In comparsion buying anything else is like a walk through a bed of roses - full of thorns.
Compare that to my camera buying experience - where one has to contend with bait and switch online stores, inflated shipping charges, slow slow processing and bad/rude service. Cellphones too... as far as I know, they have lost my order or something because 4 days later, my order number is still missing from their system.
Also - Amazon must do something to make their items ship really slowly or something because everywhere else i have ordered from has free shipping at much much faster rates.
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