I see where you're coming from but, with the extent of gaming that I do, a manually-built system would cost me more in time and effort than it would ever save me in raw equipment pricing.
I figure a system would last me 3-4 years. By then, I'd be shopping around for a brand new Next Big Thing rather than trying to dust out my current shit pile and trying to upgrade it.
I'd still consider building a computer from scratch for three potential reasons:
1. You could get more powerful parts (either more ram or a better graphic cards)
2. Or you could buy the material that would help you move your potentially new gaming system (specially made case, bag, etc...)
3. Get another monitor (because you never have enough of them).
I see where you're coming from but, with the extent of gaming that I do, a manually-built system would cost me more in time and effort than it would ever save me in raw equipment pricing.
I figure a system would last me 3-4 years. By then, I'd be shopping around for a brand new Next Big Thing rather than trying to dust out my current shit pile and trying to upgrade it.