Loaded question I know, but how hard is it to build a PC from individually purchased components?
I’m reasonably tech savvy, for instance I recently replaced the internal hard drive on our desktop, with no ill effect. I even managed to figure out when trying to reinstall windows that somewhere in the settings the boot location was defaulting to the 3.5" drive (Don’t ask my why a 3 year old PC still had one of those), and the only work around I could make was to physically unplug that drive.
With that vague idea of my skillset, could I build a PC from scratch without too much misadventure?
It just seems so many of the components have so many different specifications, even down to how much wattage the power box puts out? How much do I need? I’m not sure how each of those factors will interact?
As to the reason, I’ve always wanted to give it a try, but we need to replace our PC, so I can’t afford to to have a ‘hobby’ project ’ sitting ‘in progress’ on a desk for months. Money is a factor, I have a budget to work with, and looking at individual component prices, buying pre-assembled seems to have a remarkable mark up, and I think I could build a pretty kick-ass gaming set up, for the same price as a staid middle range computer if I buy pre-made.
I suggest looking at the Ars Technica system guides. I’ve built a few machines using those as a baseline. The parts guides ameliorate the “I don’t know if these things will work together” issue.
As for the work of putting stuff together, once you have the parts together, we’re talking about a few hours work at most. These things are meant to snap together pretty easily, and with modern motherboards you don’t even get the fun of playing with jumpers.
If everything goes right, it’s just a matter of maybe an hour or two of opening boxes and screwing things together.
But if something goes wrong (you got a dead or incorrect part, you fried something with static electricity, you’re stumped by some bit of configuration arcana, etc), you might end up spending a while trying to figure it out. You’ll probably be fine, but the risk of having a pile of useless parts for days or weeks is a real one.
If you’re not building a gaming computer where you’re really trying to squeeze as much horsepower as you can out of the box and therefore really trying to avoid bottlenecks at the like, building a computer isn’t really a hobby.
You can order the parts online or go into any computer (parts) store and, assuming you don’t forget anything, from the time you have all the boxes to the time you power it up will be somewhere between a 20 minutes and 2 hours depending on how smooth everything goes.
This isn’t a two month project where you order one part at a time.
I’ve built 4 or 5 computers and have one computer that I’ve had for 10+ years but have continually upgraded it so that now the only original part in is one hard drive any everything else has (including the case) has been swapped at least twice). But I’ve learned that nowadays if you aren’t looking to do something in particular with your computer and you aren’t looking to build it for fun, you probably aren’t going to save a ton of money by building it on your own.
For example Here’s an HP desktop with a 1TB drive, 4G of ram running a pentium. It comes with a keyboard, mouse, DVD Writer, and Win7 all for under $400.
Say what you will for about HP, but I’m running 3 of these slimlines right now (two at work and one at my parent’s house) and have been very happy. They’ve been trouble free for several years now. But even if you don’t like HP, there’s other brands out there for similar prices (just don’t get an eMachine, I can’t believe they still sell those).
Anyways, if you go this route, the most you really have to be careful about is that you mount the motherboard properly, placing the standoffs where they belong so you don’t short anything out and making sure you don’t bend any pins when you unplug and plug things in 10 times. Also, don’t forget…when you buy all the parts, you’ll need an OS unless you move your hard drive from your old computer over.
OTOH, it’s a good experience to have. It’s nice to be able to dive in, elbow deep, to a computer case without worrying about breaking something. It’s nice to be able to pull cables out or unplug them to get them out of the way with the confidence that you can hook them back up. It’s nice that once every few years you can totally dismantle the computer and blow all the dust out of all the nooks and crannies instead of just getting some of it out. You’d be surprised how much gets trapped in inaccessible places. I’ve also found it’s helpful to take the parts outside to do this unless you want all that dust blowing around inside your house. Once you’ve put together a computer from scratch this is all much easier. Also, be prepared to be the ‘computer guy’ to all your friends and family…or better yet, just don’t tell them you built it, that’s probably easier.
It’s pretty easy once you know what you’re doing. Getting there can be interesting, but it’s a really great experience for a computer hobbyist. A few thoughts, based on a couple year’s experience working for a custom computer builder:
Configuration: If you know what ‘ATX’ and ‘DDR3 1600’ means, you probably know what you’re doing. If not, I’d stick to the Ars System guides pretty closely. This is where most inexperienced builders go wrong. If you want to post your configuration here before buying, I’ll be happy to take a look at it for you. Do buy your parts from Newegg or somewhere with an equally loose return policy in case you need to change something.
Cost: Buying parts for a mid-range computer that can play most current games but not the really graphics intensive ones will usually come out in the $700-$1000 range. The same specs pre-made will usually be $1000-$1500 but with lower quality parts. If you really just want something that can surf the web and send email, it can be had premade for $400 or so. You’d be hard pressed to match that doing it yourself.
Assembly: As JoeyP mentioned, getting the motherboard standoffs in the right places is important. IMHO the wiring is by far the hardest part. Just remember that everything needs power (usually from the PSU, although some fans plug into the motherboard instead) and everything needs a data connection to the motherboard (except the PSU). The motherboard manual is your friend, it’ll have a very complete description of what pins are for what. And don’t forget to put thermal paste on the CPU!
When stuff goes wrong: That’s always the hard part. Discovering that pieces physically won’t fit is the most common problem that I’ve seen - usually something like a CPU cooler and video card cooler that are too large/in the wrong orientation to be used together, or a case that doesn’t allow for this or that. In that case, you’ve just got to return one and buy another. Troubleshooting broken parts is about the same as it is with an already functional computer - again, you’ll probably need to return a part or parts to solve the problem.
You sound like you’ve got a decent idea of what you’re doing and are smart enough to research any problems you run into. I say go for it!
I’m doing this at the moment. I find the hard thing is putting the component list together, simply because I’m a bit obsessive about considering all the options when making purchasing decisions and there are so many Og-damned decisions to make, given the number of components to choose and the number of options out there, and the way one decision impacts on others.
Given that you are in Brisbane, the website you need to know is www.umart.com.au. I don’t know how they are on returns (service is not what they are about) but they are cheap.
Oh, and another useful source for the DIY computer person in Brisbane is www.sundaycomputermarket.com.au which is a travelling market for computers and computer bits. Their locations aren’t very convenient for me, but you can get things damn cheap, particularly if you are prepared to buy second hand stuff that was super expensive bleeding edge a year or two ago but is now merely pretty good. My impression is that the market used to be more of genuine jumble sale and now is mainly organised vendors but it’s still very useful if you need an odd widget or bracket or cable or a few screws etc when building a pc.
No big deal. I spent a ton of time a few years ago running down different bit and pieces and put a decent computer computer together for under $200. Note, that doesn’t count driving to our daughter’s place and taking it to his office and downloading Debian. It is amazing how quick you can do that when you are on the campus of one of the mirror sites. Windows 7 may cost more than all my hardware.
What I have may be 5 years past state of the art, but still a very competent net surfer. I really do need to move from Lenny to Sid. Maybe replace Iceweasel 3.0.14 too.
Do you have a Microcenter store in your area? We buy most of our components from them. For our last 4 or 5 builds, we have had great luck finding a knowledgable salesperson who will help us decide both which components make the most sense (the last one actually talked me into a cheaper processor, and he was right) and in making sure we have all the compenents we need and they will all play together.
Please note - for your first build or 2, you are almost guaranteed to have skinned knuckles and lots of frustration before you are done. You will swear at the people that wrote the manual for your motherboard. You will swear at whomever designed the case and made some of the spaces ackward. You will swear at the carpetting on your floor, because now you can’t find the jumper or the screw that you just dropped.
So, if you are curious about how it’s done, go for it. Give it a shot. If you want to have a system with the specific parts you pick out, consider paying someone $40 to put it together for you.
Randomly, I recall one of my favorite writers of computer geekery (Dan of dansdata.com which isn’t very active anymore) commonly endorsed www.auspcmarket.com.au. They sell parts, combos (i.e. motherboard cpu and RAM that are all compatible), and even build custom systems (presumably for some modest fee).
I took a break from assembing my own computers for about 10 years, then did one about a year ago. The hardest thing I found was the sheer variety available. 10-15 years ago, there were so few options that keeping up with what was going on was pretty easy. When I started doing research to assemble my most recent machine, it felt a little overwhelming…and I still am not an expert on different chipsets, type of RAM etc.
One downside about DIY is that there is no technical support. This is offset somewhat because, if you familiarize yourself enough to buy and assemble components, you have somewhere to start troubleshooting for yourself. I recently had some problems with my machine that I was able to start resolving because I was familiar enough with how the thing works.
Cost-wise, I looked around and could have spent about the same amount for a pre-fab machine. I built a mid-range gaming platform.
ETA - forgot to mention that it’s a LOTof fun to play on a something that you have planned and built. And it’s very impressive to some folks, since many people don’t realize that it’s not rocket science. I would say that chicks dig it, but I’ve only met a couple who do…
I did it back in April 2010 and it wasn’t bad except for a faulty PSU that had to be returned. That required a little troubleshooting on my end since it wasn’t a complete failure (the fans would power on) so I didn’t immediately guess the culprit.
After I built mine (parts from NewEgg except for a drive to the local Tiger Direct warehouse for a new PSU now :D), I poked around on a couple “design your own” websites and determined I probably saved about $150 total over having someone else build it. So it was worth it but not by a lot when you figure the additional hassle of the PSU. I’d recommend doing it at least the once for the experience and feeling confident about tinkering inside next time you want to upgrade a CPU or video card but I think the days of realizing huge savings on a mid-range system are largely over.
not to say that building is too hard for a less experienced person but details can matter. there can be more deviation from standard components than in times past.
you can have components good for a general use machine and not good for a multimedia machine. components for a multimedia machine may/will be more than needed for a general use machine.
a power supply has issues not only the wattage but the number and configuration of cables. are the cables long enough for the mother board and case you are using? do you have enough cables for fans on the case, video card (if needed), memory (if needed)?
there are more memory types available than before. memory vendors can have guidance in getting the correct type for your motherboard.
for a general use machine you may not be much cheaper building than buying a produced in high volume manufactured machine. also a manufactured machine has been tested for good behavior with its components with the installed operating system.
building your own machine has a large advantage in picking your own components. a manufactured machine (depending on the company, the time in the history of that company, the tier or model of computer by that company) can have less expensive components and you can select ones that perform better or might live longer.
building also can save money if you order from a single vendor and then shipping might cost less.
If you want a build a PC from scratch and you’ve never done so, I’d suggest taking your current one apart and trying to rebuild it. Leave the CPU/motherboard attached, but dismantle everything from the case and then put it all back together.
You’ll experience all the joys, laughs, cries, frustrations all in a single day!
I used to build computers all the time for people, 10 years ago. The problem today is the major manufacturers offer computers at prices that you cannot even get the parts for. Unless you are building a real high end computer you will spend way more money than you can buy one for. Dell for exaple offers new towers from $299 and up, hell Windows 7 is going to cost you about $100…
i am perverse enough to enjoy having a decent computer hidden in a 90’s artifact beige case. The only clues it has not to expect Windows 95 is a little penguin decal and a card reader.
This might warrant an entire thread about jury-rigging you’ve done, but I once had a (90’s beige) computer case that had a bum power switch. So for a while i just had the wires sticking out of vent holes in the side of the case and I’d ‘hot wire’ it to turn on or off.
I got to thinking that was kind of trashy…so I bought a $1.09 doorbell, hooked the power wires up to it, and screwed it to the front of the case.
PC building is pretty simple these days. It’s nothing like it was in the mid 1990’s where you had to set jumpers on the motherboard and many of the expansion cards. Back then even the drive controller was a separate expansion card. Plug N Play was joking called Plug N Pray in the early Win 98 days. It sucked so bad. Getting Plug N Play to work back then sometimes was a major PITA. Win 7 plug N play seems very, very good. Especially if you are using new, modern expansion cards.
These days, make sure you buy a processor/ram set. I think New Egg sells them that way. That eliminates the need to match them yourself. Buy a case and video card. As others mentioned, the power supply can be tricky. You have to match the plugs on the power supply with the connectors on your motherboard and graphics card. I’d go with at least a 450Watt higher end power supply. 500 Watt would be better. Chances are good the higher end supplys will have all the power taps you need.
You want at least a Mid Tower. That’s big enough so the motherboard will mount easily. You don’t want a tiny case. It’s a PITA to mess with mounting a MB.
I don’t remember where, but there are websites you list your components and it tells you what wattage you need. For a 24/7 thing like your computer, bigger isn’t better. I think I went with 200 watts and my MB controlled fan never comes on.
Get a Seagate 2 TB SATA hard drive and you are all set. I’ve trusted the Barracuda line of Seagate drives for almost ten years.
I’m not seeing a CPU, Memory & Motherboard combo at New Egg. They do have plenty of Motherboard, CPU combos. That Is very important because you absolutely can’t afford to screw up and mismatch them.
Once you pick a motherboard/CPU price point. Ask here and one of us will be glad to help you pick the right memory. It’s a little tricky. You have to look at the MB specs and see what the MB wants for memory.