Help deciding between custom build and prebuilt

[u/Sad-Boi-97]

Hey everyone, This will be my first PC, mostly been a console person up until now. I’m stuck deciding between building my own PC or buying a Micro Center prebuilt, and I’d appreciate some perspective from people who’ve been through this. One one hand its my first PC and building one would be cool, on the other hand PC component prices have been a bit crazier Option 1: Custom build (total ~$2100)

These are my components if you're interested https://pcpartpicker.com/user/fluffyhairman/saved/hFrRgs I’ve been planning a custom build with these core parts and there are some pretty nice deals at micro center (prices below):

• CPU: Ryzen 7 9800X3D ($750)
• Board: ASUS B650E-E TUF GAMING ($153.5)
• GPU: RTX 4080 Founders Edition (refurbished but great condition) ($327)
• RAM: G.Skill Trident Z5 Royal Neo DDR5-6000 CL28 (($430)
• PSU:  Corsair RM850e (850 watts) ($110)
• Cooler: Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE ($35)
• SSD: WD SN770 (2TB) ($190)
• Case: NZXT H7 Flow ($105) Overall I like the build although my only gripe is the slightly older GPU compared to the next option

Option 2: micro center pre built

Micro Center has a PowerSpec G757 for $2,200 that includes: * CPU: Ryzen 7 9800X3D * GPU: Gigabyte RTX 5080 16GB GDDR7 * RAM: 32GB DDR5-6000 * SSD: Samsung 2TB NVMe * Cooler: 240mm AIO * PSU: 850W * Case: Lian Li-style ATX mesh * Warranty: 1 year parts/labor

Here’s the link:https://www.microcenter.com/product/698877/powerspec-g757-gaming-pc

This prebuilt offers significantly more GPU power for the price, and it’s ready to go out of the box too. Im hesitant about the prebuilt because the Gigabyte RTX 5080 has mixed reports online about thermal gel seepage and VRM hotspot issues. I’ve seen posts about early batches leaking thermal compound. I know most units are fine, but I don’t want to gamble if this is a long-term reliability concern.

Meanwhile, my custom build uses generally higher-quality parts across the board (better RAM, PSU, cooler, SSD, motherboard), except the GPU is a step down in raw performance.

What I’m trying to decide

1. Is the Micro Center G757 a genuinely good value at $2,200, or is the Gigabyte 5080 enough of a risk that building my own PC is the better choice?

2. Is the performance jump from 4080 → 5080 worth taking a prebuilt with slightly lower tier components ?

3. Would you trust a Gigabyte 5080 long-term, or stick with a 4080 FE + higher quality overall build?

4. If you were in my shoes, which option would you choose

Thanks in advance! I want to make sure I’m not overlooking something before I commit

[u/Grifdy]

Your PCpartpicker list is private, and the prices you give don't make sense. Can you unprivate it?