First Time Building A PC, Clueless and Need Help

Fluttershy814

Commendable
Nov 27, 2016
1
0
1,510
Hi, thank you for stopping by to read this. I was recommended to come here by a friend to ask for help. While i'm not new to PCs and PC gaming, I've never built one from parts and the thought of the whole process has made me sick. (Like, I've ACTUALLY thrown up from the stress to far.) I have a limited budget to work with ( 500 USD ), and I can risk my stupidity breaking any of the parts as I wouldn't have the money for replacements for around another year.

I haven't bought any parts yet at the time of typing this out, but as part of Cyber Monday this year I will have the chance to buy parts within my budget. I'm using this article as a guide to buying.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/3120287/computers/how-to-build-a-cheap-but-powerful-gaming-pc-for-500.html

What would I need to know with putting parts like this together? I don't know how much variance there is with how parts need to be assembled, but I assume it's somewhere in between "Each is a Special Snowflake" and "They Have a Plug A and a Slot B with possibly a Slot C." How fragile should I expect these part to be? How easy is it to identify what goes where? What additional tools do I need besides screw drivers? And what do I need to do AFTER it is built?

Thank you for your time and/or help. This is incredibly scary for me to even think about. I've never done this before or even something similar.
 
Solution
Does your $500 budget include Windows, or is it just for the hardware?

With Windows

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($104.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: Asus H110M-A/M.2 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($54.99 @ Jet)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($42.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB Mini Video Card ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Nova ATX Mid Tower Case ($21.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified...

Blackink

Distinguished
Well....with the stress you're already feeling, it may be wise to find someone to build the computer for you?

If you go to YouTube and enter How to Build a PC, look for the Newegg videos.
Another great video selection on YouTube is done by Carey Holzman, do a search on him.

Between these two resources and all the videos they've made, it'll be a great start for you.

Pay attention and take notes if you have to.....
 

mangaman

Honorable
There are plenty of video tutorials on YouTube, regarding your same situation. A quick "how to build a gaming pc" will yield many results, but for now start with these videos. I highly recommend you watch and study these or similar videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cXNpHWcdZY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xke5Kn51vqI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZUYymbCH1w

As for parts compatibility, and pricing, I highly recommend you use PCPartPicker. This site lets you build your very own custom PC, view the price of it, and the compatibility of parts (CPU, GPU, motherboard etc.). If you don't have the time, or desire to handpick custom parts, you can always view other builds from different people on the site. The best thing about this is, you can adjust the pricing slider, check off parts that you want in the build, the type of power supply and many more.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/

If you do handpick parts, but don't know how much power they will draw, these power supply calculator sites have you covered. This site best determines the type of power supply wattage you'll need for your rig. You can select different CPU's, GPU's, hard drives etc to best fit your proposed build. Do note that the calculator will recommend a power supply that is atleast 80 or more watts above the load wattage. This is because you need some head room in a power supply, and it is not always good to run it at its full capacity.

http://outervision.com/power-supply-calculator
http://www.coolermaster.com/power-supply-calculator/

Lastly, make sure you build the computer in a static free environment. I also recommend you buy an anti-static wrist band so you do not statically damage your PC components (these go for $5 on amazon). However if you do not wish to buy the wrist band, the easiest way to ground yourself is to touch any unpainted metal surface. I built my PC without the anti-static wrist band, and had no problems, but I was building it in a static free environment.
 
Okay, you are making this wwwwwaaaayyy too complex and are stressing yourself out as a result of it. Your mind is taking everything in at once and you can't do that.

Break it down.

LOOK AT IT THIS WAY. YOU ARE ONLY CONNECTING 7 OR 8 COMPONENTS TOGETHER. THAT'S IT. THAT'S ALL IT IS.

You can line up the markings on a CPU and place it in a socket.
You can insert ram in to dimm slots
You can connect a sata cable to a hard drive.
You can insert a graphics card into a PCI slot and secure it with screws.
Then hook up a 24 pin connector to your motherboard and a 6 pin to your graphics card and that is about it.

Just 7 or 8 parts.

The main thing is just knowing what parts are compatible with what however the forum can help you out with that.

I built my first PC back in 2001 and had zero experience. I just got some pointers and I was off and running.

My 12 year old neighbor built a PC by himself. Its not hard. 7 or 8 components, connect them together and you are off and running.

Tips when building a computer:
1.) Never RUSH. Never set a time limit. If it is not finished by the end of the day there will always be tomorrow or the following weekend.
2.) Take a 15 minute break every 45 minutes whether you feel you need the break or not.

I normally relax and have a good time when building PCs. It is a lot fun.

If you are not comfortable yet just keep watching youtube videos and asking questions on the forum.

I highly encourage you to follow through this endeavor. It is soooooooo rewarding.
 

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator


There's absolutely no PSU wattage calculator on the internet that's 100% accurate, and those are two of the most inaccurate ones you could link to. Calculating the wattage is not rocket science like these sites make it out to be, it's much more simple math. Drives and storage use almost no power. The big power draws are the CPU, GPU, and overclocking. Really just take the CPU and GPU power requirements and add them. Maybe add an additional +-10% for overclocking. GPU power requirements may be going down, especially with the NVIDIA 10XX series, but that still doesn't change the fact that you need a quality PSU, and quality matters way more than quantity. It doesn't change the fact that GPU manufacturers and OEMs grossly overestimate power requirements, but those consistently get lower with each generation.

Lastly, make sure you build the computer in a static free environment. I also recommend you buy an anti-static wrist band so you do not statically damage your PC components (these go for $5 on amazon). However if you do not wish to buy the wrist band, the easiest way to ground yourself is to touch any unpainted metal surface. I built my PC without the anti-static wrist band, and had no problems, but I was building it in a static free environment.

Not true. While it helps, it helps you more if you build in a clean environment. Dirt and dust are 9 times out of 10 the catalyst for an electrostatic shock. But you can prevent that by thoroughly cleaning the area where you intend to build and make sure that you don't build in a carpeted area. No amount of static wrist straps, wrist bands, or static shock prevention material you can buy can prevent dust build up in the area where you work.
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
What would I need to know with putting parts like this together? I don't know how much variance there is with how parts need to be assembled, but I assume it's somewhere in between "Each is a Special Snowflake" and "They Have a Plug A and a Slot B with possibly a Slot C." How fragile should I expect these part to be? How easy is it to identify what goes where? What additional tools do I need besides screw drivers? And what do I need to do AFTER it is built?

The hardest part about building your PC is selecting a compatible list of parts within your budget, for what you want it to do.
The people here can assist you with that, sometimes to excess.

Once you have the parts on your kitchen table, any semi-intelligent 12 year old can read the manuals and assemble it.
 

logainofhades

Titan
Moderator
Does your $500 budget include Windows, or is it just for the hardware?

With Windows

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($104.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: Asus H110M-A/M.2 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($54.99 @ Jet)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($42.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB Mini Video Card ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Nova ATX Mid Tower Case ($21.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($45.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($85.68 @ My Choice Software)
Total: $496.61
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-11-28 10:03 EST-0500


Just the hardware

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($104.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: Asus H110M-A/M.2 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($54.99 @ Jet)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($42.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1060 3GB 3GB OCV1 Video Card ($198.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: BitFenix Nova ATX Mid Tower Case ($21.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($45.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $509.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-11-28 10:04 EST-0500
 
Solution