How easy is it to build a PC?

timberflake

Thanks for all the replies guys.

I'm going to have a budget of between £1,000.00-£1,300.00.

At the minute I only use my pc for internet, office, photo editing and some light video encoding. But I'm looking to get into PC gaming (I'm a hardcore PS3 gamer) and want to be able to run the latest games at a decent frame rate.

I'm by no means new to PC's, but this will be my first build from scratch. I've got an idea of the parts I'll want to use, just got to nail it down now. The only thing I'm absolutely sure of is that I want an SSD drive, maybe with a traditional 7,200 to store large files on.

I'm open to suggestions to what brands/parts people would go for to blow my budget. I'm not concerned with saving money just getting the best PC I can for my money.

DCFC79

Ive built a few and i have to admit some were much easier than others. First 1 was a doddle except when the m/board turned out to be faulty. Second and third ones were also a doddle but without the faulty part.

Mista_C

Robisere wrote: »

The "spacers" are actually called Standoffs and they should come with the motherboard, in the box, along with an I/O Plate, a silver plate with holes to line up with the connectors in the 'board. They are usually brass-cloured and are made to screw into the case where the motherboard mounts. The 'board is then lined up wit the holes and I/O plate, which is "springy" and pushed slightly into line with the holes in the standoffs. Screws are then driven into the holes to secure the 'board. The standoffs are NOT "bits of plastic". They are made to insulate the 'board from the case and mount it level, to prevent warping.

Some boards use nylon spacers as well as the stand-offs/posts and incorrect positioning/leaving them out have been the source of many a strange symptom in the past. These things...

http://www.crystalfontz.com/backlight/mrhyde/DSC04858_nylon_spacers.jpg

They're designed to stop contact between solder joints and the case as well as provide support in areas that have no brass stand-offs. They were very common a few years back but less so these days I've found.

grizzly1911

Don't forget the blue LED lighting and turbo fan case to make it look like a jet engine;)

Hammyman

photodgm wrote: »

I was looking at a self build based on an i5 2500k and a Z68 motherboard but when I priced it all up including thermal paste, SATA leads, delivery etc I couldn't significantly beat the price of a pre-built system. Any comments?

At the budget end you're unlikely to however the ones you're competing against will be the cheapest cases possible, the motherboards may only have two DIMM slots, have everything onboard and no PCI-e slot. Once you get into gaming computers and high end its a different ballgame.

Hammyman

timberflake wrote: »

I'm open to suggestions to what brands/parts people would go for to blow my budget. I'm not concerned with saving money just getting the best PC I can for my money.

https://www.tomshardware.com

ada1988

I don't consider that will be difficult,but not very easy,either.
With a guide paper that will not be too hard.
And it can do save some money and learn something.

Mark_Hewitt

JJ_Egan wrote: »

Very easy to build but not as easy as it

The biggest problem is usually getting hold of a copy of Windows, as that can set you back and put the cost up to the same as buying a PC from PC World. The advantage is that you spec the entire thing yourself - you may find that it's more expensive, but, you'll have good quality components throughout.

Of course you could just whack CentOS on it and jobs a goodun

rmg1

I got a basic Windows 7 disc from eBuyer for about £80. It does for me, I don't need all the frills.

visidigi

Standoffs/Spacers etc don't come with the motherboard. They come with the Case.

The motherboard comes with an I/O panel. It is this panel which is specific to the motherboard and will be required to be fitted in the case you need.

The demands of your use are critical as to the parts to recommend, e.g. if you are a gamer you will need a graphics card of significant capability, if you are a web browser then you need something which will play HD video and not sweat, giving you the scope to get quite a few years use out of it.

PC's, like laptops, work best when aligned to the needs of the user - far too many people buy something because its the latest spec etc - if you only use it for web browsing then that latest spec is eating your battery for no good reason.

I downgraded my laptop - I had an all singing all dancing laptop I used for graphic design on the go - the battery would last 1.5-2 hours at best.

I stopped doing that job, and only then needed to be able to surf the net - I bought an ultra low voltage setup, a nice small screen for lounge surfing and my battery now last 5-6 hours.

Moral of the story, get what you need, not what's just come out because 'everyones buying it'