Building Your Own System

[bigmck]

Building my own system is something I have wanted to do. Two years ago I had decided that I was building one when I retired to part-time work. As luck would have it about four months before that happened my system died and due to having to have one rather quickly I was forced to have one made rather than building my own. When I get a 64-bit system, hopefully in a couple of years, I will build my own. When you built your first one, how long did it take? What references did you use to do it? Any insight to it would be appreciated.

 

[pparks1]

I think the longest part of the process is learning about all of the components so that you know that what you are buying is compatible. The greatest advantage you have today is that you can pose the hardware that you are considering on forums such as these and get instant feedback on whether or not there are any glaring problems.

The actual process of putting the pieces together for somebody who hasn't done it before is probably going to be 4-6 hours. This gives you time to read the manuals, figure out how the heat sinks work, look over the case and get adjusted to the little cables for the case lights and so forth that plug into the motherboard.

Today, I can build a PC in about 1 hour if I have to. On the box that I built in July, I spent about 4 hours assembling it all to get nice wire management and keep it as clean as possible.

There are tons of great references on the web on how to build and assemble your own PC. Here are a couple of them for quick reference.

Build the Perfect PC! Step-by-Step Illustrated How-To Guide | Maximum PC
Building Your Own PC, Part 1: Know-How for Do-It-Yourselfers : Building A PC System - Review Tom's Hardware

 

[bigmck]

I think the longest part of the process is learning about all of the components so that you know that what you are buying is compatible. The greatest advantage you have today is that you can pose the hardware that you are considering on forums such as these and get instant feedback on whether or not there are any glaring problems.

The actual process of putting the pieces together for somebody who hasn't done it before is probably going to be 4-6 hours. This gives you time to read the manuals, figure out how the heat sinks work, look over the case and get adjusted to the little cables for the case lights and so forth that plug into the motherboard.

Today, I can build a PC in about 1 hour if I have to. On the box that I built in July, I spent about 4 hours assembling it all to get nice wire management and keep it as clean as possible.

There are tons of great references on the web on how to build and assemble your own PC. Here are a couple of them for quick reference.

Build the Perfect PC! Step-by-Step Illustrated How-To Guide | Maximum PC
Building Your Own PC, Part 1: Know-How for Do-It-Yourselfers : Building A PC System - Review Tom's Hardware

Thanks for the info on it. Despite when looking inside a computer, it looks rather daunting, it seems to me that there would not be that many pieces to put together. About how many pieces would you say are involved in a build?

 

[pparks1]

Case
Power Supply
Motherboard
CPU and Cooler
RAM
Hard Drive
Video Card *
Optical Drive
Monitor
Keyboard
Mouse
Speakers (optional)
License for Windows : if you plan to use Windows

That's pretty much it.

*Video might come integrated into the mobo...it depends upon the motherboard. Almost all motherboards come with a Network Card and a sound card these days.

 

[skunksmash]

the first time i built my own PC, i spent about 6-7 months researching ''system building'' sites & researching components, as im an avid gamer knowing what the components were capable of was a MUST!!

i actually researched the parts i wanted, then printed out a 12 page '' step by step'' manual on how to do it, when the parts arrived (i wont lie) i crapped myself, upon opening the old HP tower i had... it just hit me ''where do i start'', but once i got going all was well......(my 1st ever rig was built inside of this old case )

i found the manual i had printed out was mostly not needed, as all that was really required was the motherboard info.. the rest was pretty simple TBH, i also had the added advantage that i could correlate the new components i had to the old in the case, so i had an instant idea of where it all went...


i guarantee once you've built your own....you'll never stop.

 

[blackroseMD1]

I have to agree with everyone above. Research the parts before you purchase. The computer in my specs is the first one that I ever fully built on my own. I was a little nervous going in but, as SkunkSmash says, the Mobo manual was really helpful. Took me a little over an hour to put it all together, and it posted and booted the first time I plugged it in.

It is pretty addicting though. I finally managed to talk my boss into letting me build one for him, and I'm probably more excited about that than I should be.

 

[ThePizzaMan]

i guarantee once you've built your own....you'll never stop.

+1 to that part...

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Building my own system is something I have wanted to do. Two years ago I had decided that I was building one when I retired to part-time work. As luck would have it about four months before that happened my system died and due to having to have one rather quickly I was forced to have one made rather than building my own. When I get a 64-bit system, hopefully in a couple of years, I will build my own. When you built your first one, how long did it take? What references did you use to do it? Any insight to it would be appreciated.

You'd better watch what you ask for, they'll corrupt you and you'll never be the same/sane again!

 

[nate42nd]

Read reviews and read about compatibility. YouTube is also useful if you can weed through all the crap. There's some good stuff there but it takes time to find. 3DGameman you will get to know...

YOUR AVATAR IS MAKING ME HUNGRY.....seriously.

 

[garysgold]

Resistance is Futile.

:devil2:

 

[johnwillyums]

I recently built my own and I agree with all that's been said.
I spent ages working up to it. Doing little things on my old one. Gradually doing more ambitious upgrades until I'd done virtually all the processes involved in a build.
I'd also followed this forum and other sites such as Tom's Hardware and looked at comparisons between the relevant components.
Also looking at the websites of custom builders and their various mid and top end combinations can give you an idea of what's being paired with what out there.
Problem is there is always a better graphics card coming. Always.

My best choice was an enormous case with a slide out motherboard tray. This made the whole build so much easier.
Also recommended. I had my old pc running and was able to beg for help on this forum when I got stuck.
I'll certainly never buy one off the shelf again

 

[bigmck]

I have to agree with everyone above. Research the parts before you purchase. The computer in my specs is the first one that I ever fully built on my own. I was a little nervous going in but, as SkunkSmash says, the Mobo manual was really helpful. Took me a little over an hour to put it all together, and it posted and booted the first time I plugged it in.

It is pretty addicting though. I finally managed to talk my boss into letting me build one for him, and I'm probably more excited about that than I should be.

Thanks for all of your input. The whole process does not seem too bad. The best part is that you have a nice new computer when it is all over.

 

[whs]

Here is another nice and easy guide that comes in 5 parts: Building a New Computer – Part 1: Choosing Hardware :: the How-To Geek And as the others already said, once you are set on the mobo, CPU and graphics, the rest is easy. Also a good box with ample cooling is a good idea. The bigger the box, the easier it is.

 

[thefabe]

Actually assembling it is the easy part. Staying within a budget is the hard part. Just do your home work. And it doesn't hurt to have a working system on hand to go to the net for answers. Just take your time, research your hardware. And if your going to cut costs somewhere. IMO never choose your power supply as a place to save money. After all it is the heart and soul of your system. If it's not up to the job it doesn't matter what else you have it isn't going to work properly. Quality known name brand products! Tomshardware was mentioned somewhere before. Great place for product reviews. Just a few of my thoughts. Fabe

 

[skunksmash]

I have to agree with everyone above. Research the parts before you purchase. The computer in my specs is the first one that I ever fully built on my own. I was a little nervous going in but, as SkunkSmash says, the Mobo manual was really helpful. Took me a little over an hour to put it all together, and it posted and booted the first time I plugged it in.

It is pretty addicting though. I finally managed to talk my boss into letting me build one for him, and I'm probably more excited about that than I should be.

The best part is that you have a nice new computer when it is all over.

this is the beauty of it....b/c ''your'' building it, a lot more care & attention goes in, these PC shops throw these towers together like they're playing with ''Lego'' :sarc:

after a while you grow quite attached to your builds.

i just wanna keep building em, even if i have no use for more PCs...... but the wife draws the line at 2.

 

[thefabe]

SkunkSmash: come on over to my house. I bought a pallet of open boxes and returns from a computer store going out of business. I've got 3 new empty cases and all the trimings to build at least 3.Not ball busters but could give you that building fix your looking for. Fabe

 

[skunksmash]

SkunkSmash: come on over to my house. I bought a pallet of open boxes and returns from a computer store going out of business. I've got 3 new empty cases and all the trimings to build at least 3.Not ball busters but could give you that building fix your looking for. Fabe

right...im there

just look out for the guy who's waving with an ''anti-static band'' hanging of his arm.

 

[bigmck]

Read reviews and read about compatibility. YouTube is also useful if you can weed through all the crap. There's some good stuff there but it takes time to find. 3DGameman you will get to know...

YOUR AVATAR IS MAKING ME HUNGRY.....seriously.

Did you figure out why I have the hamburger for my Avatar? My name is bigmck, so the hamburger is a Big Mac, get it bigmck & Big Mac............I am just too cleaver

 

[pparks1]

Did you figure out why I have the hamburger for my Avatar? My name is bigmck, so the hamburger is a Big Mac, get it bigmck & Big Mac............I am just too cleaver

But a Big Mac has 3 pieces of bread.

 

[Lordbob75]

I am with all you guys here. I managed to get a few extra computers (2) from various places. These were my playthings. I would plug them in, make them work, then take them apart and change them around. First thing I did on one of them was to take the ENTIRE thing OUT of the case, separate EVERYTHING, then try to put it back together by just figuring it out. (I do not recommend that).

That computer has never worked quite right after that (some KB error that sometimes happens that won't let it post). Though I have since scrapped it.

My current rig I custom built. Took me 2 weeks (time from decision on parts to installed OS). I did very little research, just went to Fry's Electronics and started shopping. In retrospect, I'm really lucky it works.

However, I too am addicted now. It's something I REALLY want to focus on in my business (anyone need a custom rig?), though I need to learn some more first.
I just bought an A+ Cert study guide, looks really promising (yes I plan to read all 1424 pages!).

~Lordbob