Buying a computer off the shelf is second nature to everyone, especially in gadget-mad Singapore.

Plenty of established brands exist to offer laptops and desktops of all sizes with varying specifications to cater to consumers conditioned to walk into a store and buy a new device every few years.

So, here’s a concept everyone can get behind: What if you could customise a new computer that serves your needs without the pesky add-ons and bloatware you never asked for and prolong its usage?

1. Custom-made computers are not just for geeks

Custom-made PCs (personal computers) first emerged in the 1980s for everyday consumers.

Since then, sales of these devices are still going strong four decades on – a testament to their appeal and longevity due to their ability to fulfil needs.

And this sector has been booming as of late, growing beyond the gamer customer base.

During the 2000s, custom-made PCs were built to boast more RAM, storage space, higher-quality graphics, and game-ready processors than ready-made computers bought off the shelf.

Gaming graphics and hardware were constantly improving exponentially, driven largely by the demand for greater realism and Moore’s Law running its natural course.

With the arrival of Web 2.0 in the late 2000s and the advent of social media platforms that host user-generated content, custom-made PCs have found a new customer base: Content creators, especially photographers, videographers, and designers.

These amateur and professional users have displayed a voracious appetite for ever-more processing power.

2. What happens when you customise your own PC?

There are two primary things that happen when you customise your own PC.

a. You can save money.

If your purpose for having a computer is to play games, you can buy parts that work best for the games you play.

If your purpose is to edit photos or videos, you can buy specific parts that can support the workload of editing.

Illustrators, architects and music producers have all benefited from using custom-made computers.

All these users who use specialised computers are paying for gear they need – nothing more, nothing less.

b. Your computer can last a longer time.

With extended use, wear and tear will no longer mean having to buy an entirely new computer because you don’t have to chuck the whole thing out.

Custom-made computers allow for spare parts changes, reassembly, and reconfiguration to make room for future uses.

The custom PC essentially provides an open-ended future and is not subjected to planned obsolescence, which has allowed hardware companies to thrive by manufacturing products and lifecycles to ensure customers go back to purchase devices to keep up to date with the latest technology.

3. How do you build your own PC in Singapore?

Barely 10 years ago, custom-made PCs were built by hobbyists with their own hands, using their own technical knowledge, as they were steeped in the do-it-yourself culture.

They essentially have to build and test their own systems to weed out incompatibility issues.

This resulted in a bit of trial and error and having to spend more than buying a ready-made computer off the shelf and making do with it.

And if this process sounds like torture to the less tech-savvy consumers, it does not need to be.

In Singapore, Dreamcore has developed a system to bring customisation to the mass market.

Its unique selling point? It is offering beginners and users who wish to have a fuss-free experience with access to professionals who ensure reliability and over-the-counter support, which are all part of its after-sales service.

Dreamcore, founded in 2012, made its mark in 2017 in the market by launching one of the smallest custom PCs that could fit into a backpack to challenge the notion that customisation automatically meant bulky and unwieldy geek gear.

Since then, it has seen retail users balloon.

Content creators, illustrators, streamers and animators, besides gamers in the new economy, driven partly by the pandemic, make up Dreamcore’s user base.

Dreamcore sold 17 units at their first IT show in 2017.

It has now sold more than 15,000 units since.

3. How difficult is it to custom-build your own PC?

These days, a functional and aesthetically-pleasing desktop or laptop with the exact specifications to suit your needs can be created after a guided experience at Dreamcore.

Customers who do not possess the tech know-how are able to go to a Dreamcore consultant, whose role is to guide them through building the custom PC in easy to understand language.

The consultant helps to empower customers by not just making the purchasing process easier, but by giving them the knowledge to make even more thoughtful PC-building decisions in the future.

The consultant would translate customers’ requirements into a custom desktop or laptop with matching specifications.

Those who have turned to Dreamcore for help in getting the perfect computer include business professionals who are drawn to the productivity-focused Dreambook Touch 15 laptop, while graphic designers and video editors have been looking to the Dream Machine and Reverie ranges that were designed to suit the needs of content creators.

Hardcore gamers have lapped up the Ghost and Phantom series of desktop computers, built to handle heavy-duty gameplay without causing lags and latency issues.

Those who have overlapping uses for their laptops can also check out the latest offerings from Dreamcore.

As an example of how far Dreamcore has come, its latest laptop, the Dreamcore Fusion 15 is a slim, 15-inch computer for content creators, as well as those who love to play games.

Powered by the 11th generation Intel Core i7-11800h processor with a base configuration of 8GB of RAM, Dreamcore still allows further configuration by tuning it up to 32GB of RAM.

The minimum 500GB of storage is also customisable up to 2TB.

The laptop has a black aluminium alloy chassis, with options for an FHD 240Hz or high-resolution QHD 165Hz display.

Customers can choose the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 discrete graphics card that is suitable for most uses, or load it up with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card for smoother, sharper graphics to pair it with the QHD screen option.

The best part for the non-tech-savvy consumers is that custom-built computers are not DIY.

Paying for a computer built and delivered by Dreamcore is to also receive the services of experts and after-sales care.

The next best part about custom-built computers is that it is entirely up to you when it comes to including what you want.

Additional features like liquid cooling systems – which unlike air coolers, the liquid moves heat to the radiators, and efficiently blows it out of the desktop case instead of around it – add to the cost, but they are dependable in ensuring the computer does not crash, leading to hardware being damaged because of overheating.

The cost structure is highly transparent.

Individual components are priced individually, and even the storage you buy is sold separately for your own build.

The user can even choose their own operating system, or request Dreamcore to recommend one to suit their needs.

If you would like to custom-build your own computer, find out more here.

This sponsored article was brought to you by Dreamcore.

The writer of this article now wished he wrote this article on a computer built by Dreamcore.