I want to build a pc here in japan, this is my first time doing it so I’m kinda lost and even though I have been reading about it in other posts I have a few questions.
Where are the best places to buy parts? I read some say Akihabara but others said it was way too overpriced. is it cheaper to buy it online like on amazon?
Some suggested buying a prebuilt from MOUSE or other companies. is this better than buying all the parts and building them by yourself? is the price difference not that big?
are there some parts that you would recommend getting used instead of new?
(I’m located in Nagoya but I could travel to Tokyo if necessary)
I will have different uses for this pc like:
running research models using python, R, Stata, etc (probably an occasional data mining), I’m also a photography and video enthusiast so ill be editing some photos and videos and if it can run some games it will be cool. what would be a decent budget for a pc that can do all this? I was thinking about 200k-300k yen is this enough?
if you could give me a list of the parts that could handle this use or tell me some parts you recommend, I would appreciate it!
19 comments
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A variety of sites can provide decent deals on certain parts, I tend to use a mix of Amazon, Yodobashi, Tsukumo, Dospara, Pasokon Koubou, Applied-Net, and lately XPrice (formerly Premoa) have been good for cheapest costs on new items.
Your best bet is to create a list for your ideal build, a few substitutes for each part (slightly different models/brands, as sometimes certain brands/models can be hard to get/not available in Japan) and scour the major manufacturers for the best price for each.
If you don’t mind pre-owned you can get certain parts cheap on mercari, stuff like RAM is difficult to break/be in bad condition as it’s a static part that most people never touch and is far less likely to have any wear and tear compared to a GPU/CPU.
Try アプライド　(applied) a pc shop in Nagoya. There are a few I think. They have parts and do custom builds, so you can go in and see what they have.
Word of warning – GPUs are insanely marked up in Japan, due to some kind of monopoly on import I believe.
I used Amazon nearly exclusively for my pc. The nice thing about Amazon is that their selection is wide however some prices are overpriced so come up with a build that you would be interested in making and then go to a nearby computer parts shop and then compare prices. Maybe you’ll find a better deal on say, a heat sink and fans at a local store rather than online. You’ll want your build to last a long time so take all the time you need finding the right parts at the right price!
Nothing special, but I used the pcpartpicker site to spec out my box, then just bought the bits on Amazon.
If you don’t mind a decent used machine, I was eyeing [this one](https://item.rakuten.co.jp/etre/1229211/) on Rakuten. Probably more than enough to handle your needs and with the money saved, you can get more ram and storage if needed.
Shout out to ドスパラ (dos para) in chiba and Tokyo too I think, were really friendly in helping me update my tower pc and basically replace the guts completely.
You will never find prices like you can at a Mircocenter back in the states and that should be a fucking crime.
Be wary, PC parts, especially GPU’s are highly marked up here for some reason. Depending on what gpu you want, just that will run you around 200-300k.
>Some suggested buying a prebuilt from MOUSE or other companies. is this better than buying all the parts and building them by yourself?
Yeah I’ve seen this advice before and frankly I just don’t get it. Unless there’s some special deal going on or something I don’t think you save much money.
I guess you save time? Or it’s more convenient? I mean it is what it is and if that’s what you want go for it. I think mainly though the people recommending this are kinda falling for the marketing ploy and are just anxious about doing it themselves though.
I’ve talked to quite a few people that just seems utterly daunted by the task of actually putting the parts together or something. Idk. Last computer I built maybe took like an hour or two to throw together. So I can’t really fathom why you’d wanna pay someone to do it for you unless you were literally so strapped for time that’s the kicker.
I search [ä¾¡æ ¼.com](https://s.kakaku.com/) for high value items.
There you can also see current prices on several auction sites.
I bought parts off amazon or tsukumo depending on who was cheaper/shipped faster. Building in Japan is bit more expensive? though so are prebuilds.
I don’t know about Akihabara but in Nipponbashi(Osaka) there are shops that you can mix new and 2nd hand parts to build your own PC. The one that i got my PC was really helpful and they were even warning you if there were any known software issues between the models you choose or giving advices about power consumption of the units etc. The only problem was they only talk in Japanese.
The hard-off in my neighborhood has lots of parts, although I’ve never looked closely at then bc idk how to build a PC
To add to what the others have suggested you can also try [Amazon.com](https://Amazon.com). Usually it includes shipping and import fees and it’s still cheaper than buying from [Amazon.co.jp](https://Amazon.co.jp).
I reckon your budget is enough to build a decent PC with new parts. I usually just get them on Amazon or Yodobashi. If it’s your first time building one though, just make sure to read/watch instructions. And I think it helps to know what CPU, GPU and other peripherals you want before deciding on a motherboard just so that compatibility can be checked
My trick was… buying it back in Spain using Euro instead. Literally everything is cheaper even in Europe than here.
Just some advice from someone who has been building custom PCs for over 20 years now professionally and privately…. Japan is not the country to break your cherry on your first custom build. Almost everyone blows their budget on their first custom, mainly cuz they’re not knowledgeable enough negotiate the parts sites and have no idea what they need to buy. Japan already is stupid expensive due to a variety of bullshit, so mistakes become that much more painful here.
Your post is the kind of red flag I use to deal with all the time in my previous employer…. you’re not asking for spec, you’re asking for usage, which implies you don’t even have the smallest hint of what you need to start looking for.
Like I can tell you right now, that you can do ALL of that, very well, on a prebuilt assuming you aren’t specializing in any one part of it. I know this because I just built the professional version of this request for work at 400k. This prebuild will handle all of that, as it is easily faster than the computer he was working on before that doing R data work all day.
https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/UM690-32-1TB/dp/B0BN1HSGRT/ref=sr_1_2?crid=28EK2IO89GH8N&keywords=um690&qid=1677826146&sprefix=um690%2Caps%2C200&sr=8-2
Since you are in Nagoya, head to Kamimaezu/Osu. Tsukumo, Good Will, and Dospara have prebuilt and pc parts. They often have sales. Depending on the type of PC you are looking to build, you could find good deals in clearance sections as well. If you are lazy or busy, for an extra ¥15,000-20,000 you could have the store build the pc for you out of parts you picked. I spent ¥230,000 on my PC when the nvidia 3000 series Gpus were released and built a high end computer with top of the line parts for the same cost as a prebuilt with cheaper parts. I also had the store put it together for me because I was busy at the time and couldn’t leave an unfinished pc laying about with a toddler in the house.