# Build-it-yourself computer resources. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 26, 2009, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/build-it-yourself-computer-resources/522644 "2009-12-26T19:47:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2009, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/build-it-yourself-computer-resources/522644/1 "2009-12-26T19:47:02Z")
I have built my last two computers myself. The most recent was about 1.5 years ago. I just went to Fry’s and bought stuff that fit together and it all sort of just worked. I had no idea how much I should be spending or what the best ways to optimize performance were or what resources to use for researching components or anything. I just had a budget, found parts that fit the budget, and stuck everything together. Now I’m in the market for a new computer, and I want to know more about that stuff. What are some good resources for great deals on computer components? What is a good resource for comparing different components, maybe with ratings and discussions about them? Is it even beneficial to build your own computer, or should I just buy a pre-built one, and if so, from where? I’m interested in playing Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 when they come out, and I’m currently playing World of Warcraft. I want a machine that will run those games at high settings. How much should I expect to pay for that? ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2009, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/build-it-yourself-computer-resources/522644/2 "2009-12-26T19:58:21Z")
[NewEgg](http://www.newegg.com/) and [TigerDirect](http://www.tigerdirect.com/) are where you can find individual computer pieces. [Here](http://static.tigerdirect.com/html/PCbuildingTips.html) is a walkthrough from TD how to build your own computer. [Here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=540729) is a recent thread on if it’s practical to build your own computer. The answer was yes it is, but only marginally and that if you’d prefer to buy a prebuilt one, you’ll still be getting some decent bang for your buck. EDIT: The biggest advantage of building your own computer was a significant increase in warranty length. As far as I can tell, three years is the default length of a warrant for an individual computer piece, compared to only one year when you buy prebuilt. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2009, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/build-it-yourself-computer-resources/522644/3 "2009-12-26T19:59:27Z")
For parts. > **[Newegg – Shopping Upgraded](https://www.newegg.com/)** > > Newegg offers customers an awesome experience shopping for computers, hardware, electronics, networking solutions, and more. Upgrade your shopping experience today! Advice, guides, etc. > **[Tom's Hardware: For The Hardcore PC Enthusiast](https://www.tomshardware.com/)** > > Tom's Hardware helps you buy the best hardware and build the best PC to play, create and work.. > **[Home](https://techreport.com/)** > > Check out the latest news, guides, reviews, and comparisons across Software, Crypto, NFTs, and iGaming - all on The Tech Report. > **[AnandTech: Hardware News and Tech Reviews Since 1997](https://www.anandtech.com/)** > > News and reviews of PC components, smartphones, tablets, pre-built desktops, notebooks, Macs and enterprise/cloud computing technologies. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2009, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/build-it-yourself-computer-resources/522644/4 "2009-12-26T20:05:15Z")
And to be a little more helpful: [Here](http://www.tomshardware.com/theme-build-your-own,156.html) is the Tom’s Hardware link to the building your own computer section of the site. [Here](http://www.anandtech.com/guides/) is AnandTech’s guide page. And I couldn’t find anything that would specifically guide a newbie in the TechReport page after a quick browsing. They seemed very aimed at people who already know what they’re doing. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_Stimulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Digital\_Stimulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_Stimulus)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2009, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/build-it-yourself-computer-resources/522644/5 "2009-12-26T20:33:20Z")
Most everything on which I rely when building a new computer has been cited already, so there’s that. I’ve found that a good guide for current information can be found in one of the sites’ “Bang for the Buck” articles (e.g., “Best Gaming System for $1000”). They’ll usually discuss individual components and comparisons, in addition to the trade-offs made in their selection (both individually and system-wide). ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2009, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/build-it-yourself-computer-resources/522644/6 "2009-12-26T22:06:52Z")
Why is it that when I try to go to Tom’s Hardware, I get this [screen](http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/6765/mozscreenshot.png)? And when I try to go to the TH link that I posted, I get a 404 error. WTF? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2009, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/build-it-yourself-computer-resources/522644/7 "2009-12-26T22:14:52Z")
ArsTechnica publishes frequently updated System Guides, with three levels of price and performance: Budget Box, Hot Rod and God Box. You can usually find something to meet your requirements in there. > **[Ars System Guide: October 2009 Edition](https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2009/10/ars-system-guide-october-2009-edition/)** > > With all of the major new developments on the PC hardware front, it was long … ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2009, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/build-it-yourself-computer-resources/522644/8 "2009-12-26T22:16:20Z")
**Bees** , I just checked your links and they worked for me. Tech Reports’ [System Guide](http://techreport.com/system/). ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2009, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/build-it-yourself-computer-resources/522644/9 "2009-12-26T22:26:13Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > **Bees** , I just checked your links and they worked for me. > > Tech Reports’ [System Guide](http://techreport.com/system/). Your new link works. The original Tom’s Hardware link of yours gives me the same screen I linked to and the TH link I first gave still gives me a 404 error. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2009, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/build-it-yourself-computer-resources/522644/10 "2009-12-26T23:49:49Z")
I personally don’t care about games, so I won’t give you any hints about that directly. BUT there’s one hot thing available today that would be good for performance, and that’s solid-state disk drives. They’re pretty small (in capacity and size) compared to magnetic drives, so you probably want a standard drive for any large things (like most game installs), but if you can “cram” your OS and other essentials within 60 Gb or so - and there’s no reason why you couldn’t - you will enjoy a really noticable speedup for booting and general use. But beware: not all SSDs are created equal, and some are outright stupidly slow for general use. Intel is a reliable brand with some good affordable drives - the X-25M G2 seems to be on a sweet spot regarding cost/performance - but see the anandtech site for comparisons of drives. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/build-it-yourself-computer-resources/522644/11 "2009-12-27T05:19:16Z")
[slight hijack] I have a new used computer, and I really really really would like to swap my C and D drives to it. Can someone recommend the best way to do this? ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/build-it-yourself-computer-resources/522644/12 "2009-12-27T20:03:54Z")
> [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](#): > > [slight hijack] I have a new used computer, and I really really really would like to swap my C and D drives to it. Can someone recommend the best way to do this? **Oslo** , you really need to give more information. Are these physically separate drives, or are they partitions on a single physical drive? What is the model for the computer? Laptop or desktop? What kind of hard drive(s), SATA IDE, what? ETA: This isn’t really a “slight hijack”. Pardon my “Jr. modding”, but just make a new thread and you’ll get better visibility. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/build-it-yourself-computer-resources/522644/13 "2009-12-28T06:46:02Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > **Oslo** , you really need to give more information. Are these physically separate drives, or are they partitions on a single physical drive? What is the model for the computer? Laptop or desktop? What kind of hard drive(s), SATA IDE, what? > > ETA: This isn’t really a “slight hijack”. Pardon my “Jr. modding”, but just make a new thread and you’ll get better visibility. [I did.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=11897992#post11897992) Didn’t get much traction. But you guys seem to know what you are doing, so … Physically separate. “New” computer is a custom job with Intel board. Desktop. IDE both. If you have ideas, probably best to bump the old thread. Apologies to all.