If you are not technically inclined or do not want to bother they seem to be the best off the shelf approach. With anything DIY will be cheaper and possibly better but DEFINITELY more work and headache. Who cares what the BOM is, they are a for profit company. I can guarantee the BOM for a Stern LE is under 4k.

The bottom line is that VP is not as good as a real pin but they are a blast to play. There will always be people on these forums that hate the idea of a "video" pinball machine. If they are fun to you then do not hesitate. This is the only hobby I know that people freak out if they lose a few bucks when they decided to change things up. If you can afford an 8k toy then enjoy it until something else piques your interest.

As always YMMV