How hard is it to build a computer?

[Whitemilk661]

Hi!



First off I've never built a computer before. My computer knowledge isn't that great either, I mean I know a few things, but for the most part I'm still pretty new. I just bought a whole new system with the EVGA X58 mobo, i7 920, 6gb 3X2 1600 g.skill RAM at 9-9-9-24, 1000w corsair PSU, 1TB WD caviar black HD, thermalright ultra 120 extreme and the NZXT guardian case.

Can I save myself a few hundred dollars and try and put this thing together myself safely? Is this doable with the instructions? Also, I hope to maybe one day OC in the future when I learn a lot more about my CPU. If I do a poor job putting it together, will I have a much larger risk of destroying my system OCing?

Thanks to all who reply, I'm very stressed about this.

 

[PsyKhiqZero]

The hardest part really is matching the components. There are plenty of people here willing to help with that. *note the millions of rate my build post*. Putting the actual machine together is easy cakes.

How much are you paying for the prebuilt unit?

 

[teh_boxzor]

most motherboard manuals tell you which part goes where and which jumpers to place on the mobo.

for other stuff i.e. installing a heatsink the manual also gives instructions on how to install the heatsink and spread the thermal paste.

 

[V3NOM]

In my mind, if you can plug in the back ports of the computer, you can put the whole thing together as well.

 

[Whitemilk661]

Thanks for the reply's everyone. I think I'm going to go for it.

 

[Outlander_04]

The hardest part of any computer build is paying for it .

The rest can be done by a drunken monkey on the worst day of the week if he can follow instructions from any of about 8 million tech websites

 

[shortstuff_mt]

If you're capable of reading you should be able to put a system together. There's really not much to it. Just be sure to take your time and always discharge static electricity before handling components. If you get stuck or aren't sure of something - don't guess, the motherboard manual is your friend. A little common sense goes a long way too.

 

[jsc]

The majority of new builds work after assembly. The only problem would be if you are one of the few that end up with a faulty component. And even there, you can find help.

 

[royalcrown]

It's easy, things only fit in 1 way and usually run with the default settings just fine. The hardest part is deciding how to keep the mess of wires neat.

 

[montyuk]

and for that i would say dont rush to get it all fitted together within 30 minutes, take your time, plan where wires and cables are going to go.

really think, now this wire is coming from here, going to here, how can i place it so that it doesnt get in the way.

use the case to your advantage, can you thread wires behind the motherboard, many cases have gaps designed so you can put wires behind things so they dont get in the way.

 

[icyicy]

DON'T FORGET THE MOTHERBOARD STANDOFFS!

If you don't mess that part, not much can go wrong.

 

[chaosgs]

It's easy, except installing the fans and heatsink. I have my my exhaust fan screws half way screwed in, took me god knows how long to get the heatsink on right.

 

[kubes]

As long as you maintain some patience and take your time its really easy. Its like a sports game. Come in with a game plan on exactly what your going to do and in what order. Another great resource is youtube. A lot of people make vidoes of themselves putting together their computer. Watch some of these. Learn what are the good and bad things to do when building a PC.

Another thing you can do is if you have a computer lieing around see if you can open it up and start idenifing where the parts are in that computer and where they are located at.

Some common mistakes are forgetting to install the motherboard standoffs. (icyicy noted this earlier).
Plugging in the 8pin and 24 pin power connectors into the motherboard.

Most likely you'll make some simple mistakes. Don't get fustrated with this. Even very experinced builders goof up from time to time. I know i've made a few mistakes here and there and i've put together a lot of rigs. The hardest part is getting all the parts right. Installation is the easy part. If you hit any bumps just ask. Its a lot easier to ask us first than force something and have it break. Good Luck!!

 

[Whitemilk661]

Thank you for all the quality responses everyone! I noticed some people said getting the right parts are the most important so if someone can look them over before I actually build that would be great!


http://secure.newegg.com/Shopping/ShoppingCart.aspx?Submit=view


With windows vista 64 bit being the operating system. Tell me if that link doesn't work.


Also I forgot to add, my main concerns are the memory and the case. The memory is already non refundable, but the case is. The memory I'm worried about because the timings are 9-9-9-24, will this be bad for OC in the future? The case I'm worried about because I'm not sure if it will provide the necessary cooling? I ordered the thermalright ultra 120 extreme, will I be okay?

 

[shortstuff_mt]

The link doesn't work. You might want to just post a list of the components.

 

[Whitemilk661]

Case: NZXT guardian

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146050&Tpk=nzxt%20guarian

CPU: Core i7 920

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202

Memory: g.skill 6gb 1600

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225

Mobo: EVGA X58

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188039&Tpk=evga%20x58

GPU: GTX 260 216 superclocked (Should I have gone 280??)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130400&Tpk=gtx%20260%20216%20superclockd

PSU: corsair 1000w

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139007&Tpk=corsair%201000w

CD drive: LG


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136153




Sorry for posting bad link before.

 

[jedi940]

The power supply is definitely overkill. Nothing wrong with it, just way more than you'll need unless you plan on running more than one graphics card AND a water cooling system as well. Too much power doesn't hurt the computer though, just your electric bill since you won't be utilizing it in the range where it is most efficient. A 600 watt PSU would be plenty for you and save you about $100.

 

[djvibes2007]

get yourself a anti-static wrist strap, thermal paste i prefer arctic cooling mx-2 to AS5. the one problem i normally get is putting the front panel connectors on the mobo wrong and then the pc wont boot because its not sending the power, just take your time and as suggested read your manuals carefully. i like to read these a few times a day before i build anything like this.

 

[superfuzzy]

get yourself a anti-static wrist strap, thermal paste i prefer arctic cooling mx-2 to AS5. the one problem i normally get is putting the front panel connectors on the mobo wrong and then the pc wont boot because its not sending the power, just take your time and as suggested read your manuals carefully. i like to read these a few times a day before i build anything like this.

I've built dozens of PC's and never wore an anti-static wrist strap, but I suppose it won't hurt . My advice, make certain that the fan for the CPU's Heatsink is plugged in and spinning when you power up the PC for the first time. Most other mistakes won't damage components. The last PC that I built (ASUS) had a plug that the front panels connectors attached to, and that plugs into the motherboard - really nice idea!

Building a pc just to save money may not be a good idea. I do it so that I can have full control over the selection of the components, and if something goes bad I can replace the specific part instead of having to ship back the entire PC. Maybe the main reason why I do it is because it's fun It is always exciting to see if the thing will post the first time and problem solving and fixing minor screw ups.

One more thing - the current generation of motherboards have never been better laid out and easier to work with!

 

[Shadow703793]

Case: NZXT guardian

CPU: Core i7 920

Memory: g.skill 6gb 1600

Mobo: EVGA X58

GPU: GTX 260 216 superclocked (Should I have gone 280??)

PSU: corsair 1000w

CD drive: LG

Good build. Unless you plan to SLI/CrossFire you DON'T need a 1kW PSU. I would also swap out the motherboard to these: P6T-Deluxe or Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5. I don't recommend the EVGA as you may need to update the BIOS. See: http://www.anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.aspx?i=3474&p=7

Also swap out the GPU to a 4870.

 

[Whitemilk661]

Good build. Unless you plan to SLI/CrossFire you DON'T need a 1kW PSU. I would also swap out the motherboard to these: P6T-Deluxe or Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5. I don't recommend the EVGA as you may need to update the BIOS. See: http://www.anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.aspx?i=3474&p=7

Also swap out the GPU to a 4870.

Is it hard to update teh BIOS or something? My friend swares by EVGA, and I've had a good experience with them so far.

 

[cadder]

Computers are real easy to build. If you want them to work, then that might be a little bit harder.

 

[RaseberryCake]

im in the same boat; from my research theres alot to go wrong but nothings thats really hard. Be careful youll be fine. btw overclocking is the part i wont try but really its not too hard