OC & Modding Custom PC Builds in India

[soulweaver]

Taking the discussion @PHOENiX117 and I started (all thanks to the 2016 Thermaltake Casemod thread), we were wondering if there was a market for customised PC builds in India, and also considering how each new year is always declared as the year the PC is going to die, added to the increasingly powerful gaming consoles and the many market pulling games exclusive to the consoles,
is there a market (especially in India) for customised rigs?

PHOENiX117 says, providing warranty, and all will be a pain because waterblocks, pumps and the like are not easily available in India, and replacing them will eat into profits.

While I agree with him on this, I still feel that, done right, there is a clear market for this sort of stuff.

How many of you (and people you know) would be willing to invest heavily in a custom modded PC? How much are you willing to pay for it?
Does it Have to be watercooled?
Would you pay a premium for a box that looks hypersexy?

Something like this is what I had in mind: https://www.scan.co.uk/shops/drwho/tardis

PHOENiX117, and the rest, The floor is yours!

Edit: For those of you who haven't seen the thread by @rakesh_sharma23, here it is: https://www.techenclave.com/communi...od-invitational-season-2-huffer-build.181852/

 

[PH0ENiX]

Ok guys,
can u people honestly answer the questions below,

PC MODDING

Spoiler

How much are you willing to spend on a new PC?

Can you wait 14 to 45 days for your pc to be delivered ? whats the max you can wait?

You are offered unique features missing in Indian segment, Will u be willing to pay a 5k fee on a 50k build?

Are you interested in Pc modding Parts (braided cables,Led strips,dremel)

What else do you want from Us?

55,000 -60,000
This is the most interesting segment and most likely the only one where custom made pcs can come into the market.

Thermaltake N25 Chassis With Led strips of your choice,carbon fibre wrap and vinyl wrap options and a Anti Vandal switch-5K

Msi B150 Pc Mate Motherboard With a custom made Cover -8.5k

Corsair Vs 550W psu with braided cables and vinyl wrap of your choice.-4.5k

GTX 1060 3Gb -18.5k -Pre overclocked for maximum performance

I5 6500 processor with aluminium heat sink cooler-14k

Crucial Ballistix or corsair 8Gb DDR4-4K

1tb HDD-3.5k

Intel 520 series 180Gb SSD-2.5k

Stealth Optical Drive-1K

 

[rakesh_sharma23]

Thanks you two for starting this discussion..

Dear soulweaver, as per your first question about make modding as a business. I would say it will still take time for people to understand, appreciate and value, the time and effort involve in customizing a PC. Till than modding as a business in India is impractical. Just look and wait, you will know yourself that, how much percentage of member of this forum only shows interest about modding.

Modding is growing in India, but at a very low rate.

 

[PH0ENiX]

Thanks you two for starting this discussion..

Dear soulweaver, as per your first question about make modding as a business. I would say it will still take time for people to understand, appreciate and value, the time and effort involve in customizing a PC. Till than modding as a business in India is impractical. Just look and wait, you will know yourself that, how much percentage of member of this forum only shows interest about modding.

Modding is growing in India, but at a very low rate.

This is the only right answer to the question

 

[6pack]

Even if someone buys, they will expect you to take care of all the hardware and pirated software and viruses that infect their pc. It will never be their fault. It will always be "the costly pc i bought from you is giving me this problem and what are you going to do about it" type of talk every time. Hardware business is a headache. Too many idiots buying pc's.

 

[soulweaver]

Thanks you two for starting this discussion..

Dear soulweaver, as per your first question about make modding as a business. I would say it will still take time for people to understand, appreciate and value, the time and effort involve in customizing a PC. Till than modding as a business in India is impractical. Just look and wait, you will know yourself that, how much percentage of member of this forum only shows interest about modding.

Modding is growing in India, but at a very low rate.

This is the only right answer to the question

Even if someone buys, they will expect you to take care of all the hardware and pirated software and viruses that infect their pc. It will never be their fault. It will always be "the costly pc i bought from you is giving me this problem and what are you going to do about it" type of talk every time. Hardware business is a headache. Too many idiots buying pc's.

@6pack tell me about it!

I am not talking about the mass market. I have mentioned in the first post itself that we are looking at a limited market. Even in Europe the market is limited.

As for the pirated software, there is always a disclaimer that does the trick.

So, how many here are ready to fork our for a customers mod?

@rakesh_sharma23 how much so you think a tardis case would cost to make here for you? Just the case, components can be the builders headache for how.

 

[PH0ENiX]

@6pack tell me about it!

I am not talking about the mass market. I have mentioned in the first post itself that we are looking at a limited market. Even in Europe the market is limited.

As for the pirated software, there is always a disclaimer that does the trick.

So, how many here are ready to fork our for a customers mod?

@rakesh_sharma23 how much so you think a tardis case would cost to make here for you? Just the case, components can be the builders headache for how.

building cost for pc cases is next to none,for like 5k i was able to build a Ultra Tower out of ply and Aluminium/steel
things like military style switches,led strips, are dirt cheap,100rs per peice,only that it takes time.
obviously there are expensive mods too

the people in this limited market of yours are basically nothing more then A holes,people buy iphones when they earn 50,000,
they will just crap the brand by saying their PC leaked and we dont admit fault and its a Ponzi scheme of some sort.

there are people who will understand but what about those who dont?I wont offer a Replacement for 1 lakh hardware just because Leaks are an accident and i should have mercy and customer support.

Who will sell pirated software first of all?we wont,we actually are not even remotely responsible for hardware compatibility with software,take that shit to intel and nvidia

i am ready to design a Pc for anyone here on a 50,000 range,Just foot the bill

 

[rdst_1]

With laptops becoming as cheap as they are now, PC market has already lost a lot of customers. In words of Mr. Wonderful, you are catering to a subset of a subset of the market and unless the margins are huge to offset the low demand, it doesn't make sense as a business. As a hobby, one would probably do it only for oneself.

 

[goDofWar_skr]

How much are you willing to spend on a new PC?
I feel 60k max excluding the display. My gaming requirements being to play most of the AAA titles @ 1080p using HIGH settings.

Can you wait 14 to 45 days for your pc to be delivered ? whats the max you can wait?
Waiting period of more than 2 weeks might bring second thoughts in mind. I might rethink about my decision to purchase.

You are offered unique features missing in Indian segment, Will u be willing to pay a 5k fee on a 50k build?
Yes depending on what those "unique" features would be.. also provided that any damage during assembly is borne and sorted out by the seller and I only have to deal with after sale warranties with manufacturers directly.

Are you interested in Pc modding Parts (braided cables,Led strips,dremel)
Sure. Always wanted to replace my cabinets side windows with a glass or acrylic one.

What else do you want from Us?
Depends on what exactly are you trying to sell here. I'm not getting a clear idea yet. Is it limited to only liquid cooling and lighting mods?

My opinions and answers to some of the questionnaires..
P.S. I already own a gaming pc and a ps4. The answers are assuming that I'm in market right now to buy a new PC.

 

[jhononweed]

Modding is an art which is takes time, effort and creativity.
Buying case , cutting it , reshaping it to fit a certain hardware or trying to replicate a established mod doesn't mean modding.Proper modding takes atleast 2-3weeks if not months for design phase which I don't think many people can understand it or wait that long.

You can either built from scratch , which is time consuming and expensive or buy a case which has max mod opportunities for your designs.

A true modded PC is very un-budget friendly concept , parts used in modded case or system varies from normal daily use system to ultra high gaming rig.
Water cooling parts of reputed company will eat up atleast 40% of total hardware budget if you wanna do proper water modded rig , you can just reshape case and use air cooling system that matches your theme.But water cooling system will take ordinary case mod to next level if done properly.

A proper mod should have hardwares that can compliment it's beauty.
Case mod + Water Cooling + OC capable Hardware.

You don't need to guarantee anything on hardware as long as its having Indian warranty, the best you should offer is ASS for the build.

People will pay you for your work, creativity not for the cutting a case in half to see disco lights in it.

 

[Serious Sam]

With laptops becoming as cheap as they are now, PC market has already lost a lot of customers. In words of Mr. Wonderful, you are catering to a subset of a subset of the market and unless the margins are huge to offset the low demand, it doesn't make sense as a business. As a hobby, one would probably do it only for oneself.

laptops are completely different displays are getting cheaper also so u can have a 24inch display or 27 inch display can u put that size and quality display in a laptop no.

so desktops are and will still be a thing for a really long time.

 

[rdst_1]

laptops are completely different displays are getting cheaper also so u can have a 24inch display or 27 inch display can u put that size and quality display in a laptop no.

so desktops are and will still be a thing for a really long time.

I was not talking about gaming PCs. I was talking about a PC for every household kinda thing. Earlier, circa 2006, when I was looking to buy my first PC, nearly everyone used to buy a PC for their household because laptops were expensive. Not anymore. Laptops have increasingly cannibalized the sales of PCs, especially when it comes to buying a computer for regular use. When I decided to move to console for gaming, even I substituted my Gaming PC for a laptop. I have seen the new generation following the same. Very few people of the current and upcoming generations go for a gaming PC, apart from enthusiasts. Earlier, it was different as PCs used to dominate the gaming scene as well as the normal/regular use home computer market.
Now people prefer buying a gaming console and a laptop.

 

[soulweaver]

@rdst_1 @PHOENiX117 @Serious Sam @johnonweed @swagatrath @rakesh_sharma23

I understand the convenience provided by laptops, but I myself am somehow unable to move to laptops. I find everything about them slightly cumbersome. I think I am old school in that I feel desktops offer better performance, all said, than laptops not to mention that any problems, expansion, replacement, can all be sorted out immediately by me rather than take the unit to someone else.

Not to mention I hate using laptop keyboards and the small screens. Yes, I know I can always hook up a bigger screen, and a wireless keyboard, but that would again make it a desktop.

Also considering that I am used to two (24 inch being the smallest monitor size I own) monitors on my desktops, laptops do not just feel the same. The same goes for gaming.

Playing Doom or Shadow Tactics on a 40+ inch monitor at 4k resolution with surreal sound (laptop sound is no patch on even the most ordinary sound cards) is irreplaceable. And, I would love my desktops to look good in the bargain.

Modular PSUs, colour coded internal wiring, Cabinets that (need not have lights) that also act as pieces of decor is all something that I am willing to pay for. I currently have two PCs at home - I am the sole user, and at office I insist on having PCs for myself - and thankfully, they have so far put up with my shenanigans and I have two decently powered PCs, both with dual monitor setup.

Am I a part of a very small minority even in a place like TE?

 

[rdst_1]

@rdst_1 @PHOENiX117 @Serious Sam @johnonweed @swagatrath @rakesh_sharma23

Am I a part of a very small minority even in a place like TE?

Of course not man.
Just 2-3 years ago, I had gotten the itch to build a completely blinged out custom PC myself. I sketched some designs, went to my local carpenter, researched all the best parts etc. It would have cost me around 3-4L as I was just gonna go all out.
Until I realized that all I was currently doing was media consumption and occasional game of FIFA when my brother was in town or if my friends came over. That's when I decided to go with my mind over my heart and bought a PS3 and a laptop.
Now, I've even sold off my PS3 and use the laptop for downloading stuff and connect it to my TV whenever I want to watch something.

The point I have been trying to make is that earlier, even if someone wasn't a gamer, he would probably have a PC or be in the market for a PC and that would make that person a potential customer for a business venture of PC modding. Now, most of those casual users would 99% of the time prefer buying a laptop and hence the base of such potential customers has shrunk quite substantially.
So, I've been trying to look at it from a business POV and can say for sure that such a business will always remain small scale.
To add to the point, even selling computer parts has not remained lucrative anymore. There is a reason people like Amarbir, who catered to the general public and not local companies/offices/govt institutions, have decided to move on as there wasn't enough money to be made anymore.
I have a very close friend who used to be a distributor for HP products and he decided to move on as well once he stopped getting orders from offices and govt institutions as the margins in retail have really dried up.

P.S. - My brother is a video game programmer who carries his PC with him even when going abroad for an assignment. But with the advent of Sager/Clevo systems offering desktop CPUs and the performance of mobile GPUs becoming pretty good, even he is thinking of jumping ship as currently he has to carry one suitcase just for his PC.

 

[goDofWar_skr]

@rdst_1 @PHOENiX117 @Serious Sam @johnonweed @swagatrath @rakesh_sharma23

I understand the convenience provided by laptops, but I myself am somehow unable to move to laptops. I find everything about them slightly cumbersome. I think I am old school in that I feel desktops offer better performance, all said, than laptops not to mention that any problems, expansion, replacement, can all be sorted out immediately by me rather than take the unit to someone else.

Not to mention I hate using laptop keyboards and the small screens. Yes, I know I can always hook up a bigger screen, and a wireless keyboard, but that would again make it a desktop.

Also considering that I am used to two (24 inch being the smallest monitor size I own) monitors on my desktops, laptops do not just feel the same. The same goes for gaming.

Playing Doom or Shadow Tactics on a 40+ inch monitor at 4k resolution with surreal sound (laptop sound is no patch on even the most ordinary sound cards) is irreplaceable. And, I would love my desktops to look good in the bargain.

Modular PSUs, colour coded internal wiring, Cabinets that (need not have lights) that also act as pieces of decor is all something that I am willing to pay for. I currently have two PCs at home - I am the sole user, and at office I insist on having PCs for myself - and thankfully, they have so far put up with my shenanigans and I have two decently powered PCs, both with dual monitor setup.

Am I a part of a very small minority even in a place like TE?

When it comes to performance, upgradability, maintenance & cost, nothing beats a desktop.. No one is comparing desktops to laptops..
The point in discussion being, whether there is a market for modding here in India.. The answer to which will be very small.. close to non-existent..
If you consider an average gamer, the maximum extent to which he will try to make his rig look good, is to buy a cabinet with side window and add some components, like fans with LEDs..
IMO liquid cooling does not provide that much of a performance difference when you consider the additional premium you pay for it and the risks..
Then again say if 10 out of 100 gamers go for liquid cooling, then 9 of them would prefer to buy prebuilt units from the likes of corsair etc.. The remaining 1 will try to think of custom liquid cooling..

 

[PH0ENiX]

why are u people even comparing desktops and laptops ,i mean just why?
i will use a desktop even after laptops become cheap,

i love esports and i prefer sitting on a desk with a comfy chair and doing my work using a 10,000 mechanical keyboard,a 6000 zowie mouse and 144HZ 24 inch monitor,how is laptop beating this?it cannot.

 

[Serious Sam]

I was not talking about gaming PCs. I was talking about a PC for every household kinda thing. Earlier, circa 2006, when I was looking to buy my first PC, nearly everyone used to buy a PC for their household because laptops were expensive. Not anymore. Laptops have increasingly cannibalized the sales of PCs, especially when it comes to buying a computer for regular use. When I decided to move to console for gaming, even I substituted my Gaming PC for a laptop. I have seen the new generation following the same. Very few people of the current and upcoming generations go for a gaming PC, apart from enthusiasts. Earlier, it was different as PCs used to dominate the gaming scene as well as the normal/regular use home computer market.
Now people prefer buying a gaming console and a laptop.

i am also not taking about gaming desktop i am taking about day to day usage desktops

and laptops are also very very expensive still ......for 30k u can get i3 6100 with 8gb ddr4 ram and 20inch monitor desktop but with laptop u can't get that.

laptop's have different cpu and gpu then desktops they produce less heat by compromising on performance.

top of the line dual core hyper threaded i7 laptop cpu will still be little slower than i3 6100 desktop cpu ..... same goes for gpu's ..... so no comparison between a laptop and a deaktop.

People who say "why u bought a i5 desktop when u could have bought a i5 laptop" don't know what they are taking about.

Most important thing u can easily open up the desktop tower and diagnose it yourself if anything goes wrong or u want more performance doing that on a laptop is just impossible ..... and opening a laptop specially cheap laptops is a nightmare.

 

[rdst_1]

laptop's have different cpu and gpu then desktops they produce less heat by compromising on performance.

top of the line dual core hyper threaded i7 laptop cpu will still be little slower than i3 6100 desktop cpu ..... same goes for gpu's ..... so no comparison between a laptop and a deaktop.

People who say "why u bought a i5 desktop when u could have bought a i5 laptop" don't know what they are taking about.

Most important thing u can easily open up the desktop tower and diagnose it yourself if anything goes wrong or u want more performance doing that on a laptop is just impossible ..... and opening a laptop specially cheap laptops is a nightmare.

The specs don't matter to a person who is going to use his PC/Laptop for media consumption and internet browsing, which is what most of the people in the market for a PC/laptop do.

You still keep talking about performance an all and that definitely is something an enthusiast will care about, but like I have already said, from a business POV, you have to worry about the size of the market and that is where laptops outnumber PCs these days.

Did you even read what I said. You can buy a Sager/Clevo laptop with a desktop CPU.
Also, it's very easy to replace parts in a laptop as well. Apart from chip level repairs, which one can't do for PCs themselves either, most of the parts in a laptop are also plug-and-play. One can very easily take apart a laptop, replace the faulty part and assemble it back together.

 

[Serious Sam]

i am also not taking about gaming desktop i am taking about day to day usage desktops

and laptops are also very very expensive still ......for 30k u can get i3 6100 with 8gb ddr4 ram and 20inch monitor desktop but with laptop u can't get that.

laptop's have different cpu and gpu then desktops they produce less heat by compromising on performance.

top of the line dual core hyper threaded i7 laptop cpu will still be little slower than i3 6100 desktop cpu ..... same goes for gpu's ..... so no comparison between a laptop and a deaktop.

People who say "why u bought a i5 desktop when u could have bought a i5 laptop" don't know what they are taking about.

The specs don't matter to a person who is going to use his PC/Laptop for media consumption and internet browsing, which is what most of the people in the market for a PC/laptop do.

You still keep talking about performance an all and that definitely is something an enthusiast will care about, but like I have already said, from a business POV, you have to worry about the size of the market and that is where laptops outnumber PCs these days.

u can go lower still

-buy pentium g4400 (4.5k) still a beast at this price
-Motherboard h110 (4-5k) that means more USB ports and lot of i/o options which normal person cares
-8gb ddr4 ram (3.5k) so fluid workflow
-hdd wd 1 tb blue (3.5k) lots of storage which i think any person will care if they know how to use a pc
-antec vp450P (2k) that's more than needed so future upgrades are easy.
-cabinet (2k)
- cheap keyboard (400₹) which will still be better than a 30-40k laptop keyboard.
-monitor 18inch (5k)

costs only 25,400₹ .........

idk what most people use in workspace environment but if they use laptops then they are getting less for more money and that's stupid in any business i think so.
...... plus u have spend more in diagnosing a problem lol.

 

[rdst_1]

u can go lower still

-buy pentium g4400 (5-5.5k) still a beast at this price
-Motherboard h110 that means more USB ports and lot of i/p options (4-5k)
-8gb ddr4 ram (3.5k)
-hdd wd 1 tb blue (3.5k)
-antec vp450P (2k)
-cabinet (2k)

costs only 20k .........

idk what most people use in workspace environment but if they use laptops then they are getting less for more money and that's stupid in any business i think so.
...... plus u have spend more in diagnosing a problem lol.

You are turning this into a laptop vs PC debate.
I have been saying it time and again that look at it from business POV. The market clearly shows that laptops sell more than desktops.
You are talking about work PC and I keep saying casual user. Where have I ever said that a PC is not good for a work environment.

For a business, one has to look at the entire market. Out of all the sales of a computer, laptops sell in substantially higher numbers and that dominance is just going to increase.
That means that the PC modding business will always be a niche and not worth investing time and money in if the margins aren't huge.

The companies who already build custom desktops and laptops mostly deal with high end rigs. Such rigs sell in a larger number in first world countries and the scope of finding buyers for such expensive rigs in India is dismal.