How hard is it?

[kittems]

So like.. how hard is it to build one from the ground up? Ive changed out HD's.. and power supply's and video card's, but never really build a whole PC, so how hard is it?

the main thing im worried about.. is.. putting in the processor and the fan for it and putting the motherboard its self into the case.. are those like.. really hard? or what?

i wasnt gonna build my own pc.. but my friends tell me it can end up being like 20% cheaper if i do.. so tahts why im asking

 

[aevm]

It's not hard, but if you do it wrong you can make the CPU overheat and die, or you can give electrostatic shocks to various parts and kill them. Get one of those friends to do it for you and watch him carefully. Buy him pizza or something.

If you can't do that, get some tutorials from the Web, or borrow a book from the public library, whatever.

http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/
http://www.amazon.com/Repairing-Upgrading-Your-Robert-Thompson/dp/059600866X

 

[Guest]

I'm in the same position... I have never build a PC from scratch myself but I'm planning to. Been planning to do so for months but I just can't find the right shop that offers low prices and good support.

Anyway, building a PC from scratch isn't hard. As long as you make sure that every part you buy is compatible with the rest you're fine.

Buy one of those strings you wear around your arm to make the static electricity go away so you don't fry your processor. You can also touch some grounded metal before you start.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1NxsHpaL_s

This is a good video that shows everything you have to do. Nothing hard, just push, click, screw and you're done! Don't forget the cooling paste though. It's all in the video, there are thousands of tutorials on this, search around, google a bit and use what suits you best.

 

[pip_seeker]

just do it, it's not that hard. The hardest part is making sure you buy the right components.

You don't want to buy a core2 processor and a core i7 motherboard. Buy the correct memory, good psu... etc.

The motherboard you buy comes with a manual if you can read and follow directions you can do it, there is nothing that hard about it. Just don't get in a rush. Plan, plan, plan.

Once you have a parts list, post it on Toms and let other critique it before you buy anything. While problems could crop up on a first build that may leave you a little frustrated, this probably isn't the norm. I've built several and most often it works fine the first time around.

If you get hung up somewhere just post on Toms there are lots of good folk here that don't mind helping.

 

[kubes]

Ya like pip said the first thing you want to do is post your list of parts here so that we can confirm its the best setup. Not only that there are some good deal finders that stalk these forums and are always saving people a few bucks. Another good resource to see how to put compturers together is youtube. There is countless vidoes of people showing hwo they put together their PC. Watch a few. In general though if you've already been fooling around inside computers before you'll notice its not all that hard.

 

[aevm]

@pip_seeker - I love your avatar

@kittems - yeah, tell us what you want this PC to do (gaming, video encoding, FSX, GTA4, Crysis, etc.), screen resolution, budget, what country you are in.

 

[MRFS]

ASUS motherboard manuals have detailed assembly instructions,
with photographs.

You can download manuals for all their motherboards
from the ASUS website: www.asus.com


RTFM (Read The Fine Manual) ... not always "Fine" however


MRFS

 

[kittems]

Building a gaming rig(or gonna try to i guess xD) like ive said in another post im trying to only spend 1200-1400.. i can save up more but wasnt planing on spending more then that.

and from other posts ive made, i was looking into making a i7 core PC, so i will have upgrade paths later. From parts ive looked at so far(only been looking for like 45mins) this is what ive gathered..

GPU: gtx 280 - $350
BOARD: EVGA X58 SLI Motherboard - $300
CPU: Intel Core i7 920 - $310
RAM: OCZ Gold Tri Channel 6GB - $220
PSU: CoolerMaster Real Power Pro - $140
HARD DRIVE: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 750GB - $90
CD/DVD DRIVE: Sony DRU-V200SBR - $40
CASE: Apevia X-Supra G type - $70
OS: Vista Home Prem 64-bit - $110
TOTAL: 1630(already more then i wanted to spend, but i havent really searched around to much for good deals, but this is all from www.tigerdirect.com which has nice deals from what ive heard/seen)

Also.. did i forget anything? like any core parts ill definitly need?xD
and i was gonna get a new monitor 24".. but that would add even more to the total.. so ill stick with my 19" i think..

 

[aevm]

That Apevia case has only two fans. If you're planning to add a second video card later or to overclock, I'd suggest an NZXT Tempest instead.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146047&Tpk=nzxt tempest

You can save $12 with this burner:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151173&Tpk=Sh-S223Q
It also has the advantage that it's not made by Sony.

Spend $30 more and get this PSU:
SILVERSTONE OP1000-E 1000W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256043

For one thing, Silverstone is a respected name in PSUs, while CoolerMaster isn't. Second, if you're going to add a second GTX 280 you need a 1KW PSU according to nVidia's recommendations.

Consider a GTX 260 Core 216 instead of GTX 280 too, it's better bang for the buck.

 

[huron]

Building is not difficult. As long as parts are compatible (list here for people to scrutinize) you should be just fine.

It's hard to build an i7 build on the cheap right now since it's pretty new tech. If you want a build near $1200, it will be tough if not nearly impossible for it to be an i7 build. Also, a 24" monitor will set you back well above your budget.

 

[kubes]

Another good place to look would be is www.newegg.com They have some of the better prices and best customer serice out there right now imo.

Something you can probally save a few bucks on is your PSU. These are some of the best PSU's on the market. If your buying a gtx 280 you probally want to stay above 600w. go with 750 if you plan on sli'ing ever.

PC Power & Cooling
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=pc+power+%26+cooling

Crosair:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=crosair+psu

Also Antec does some great combo deals at newegg for their cases and psus. Might want to take a look into there stuff. Antec makes both good psus and really great gaming cases.