Reply With QuoteI do this every day, so it's simple to me.
If you are not familiar with computer components, leave the montage to someone who is.
Afternnon gents.
My son has informed me he wants a gaming PC for Christmas, but after seeing the prices of them in Currys etc, he's no chance!
I asked my mate, he said they are relatively easy to build, and looking on a few online sites, it does fill me with some confidence to have a go. But when your electrical skills end at changing a plug, I'm not convinced in my (Very limited) ability.
Have any of you gone down the route of building your own? So the obvious question is: how easy is it? And also some good sites to buy the required components?
Thanks as always, your input is always invaluable.
Adam
I do this every day, so it's simple to me.
If you are not familiar with computer components, leave the montage to someone who is.
Last edited by matt; 7th September 2019 at 17:31.
Short answer. Yes it is easy. Best thing is to watch some Youtube build videos from Bitwit, Paul’s Hardware and the like. Then use PCPartPicker https://pcpartpicker.com/ to put the build together and it will make sure all the parts work together and give you links to where to get them. It also has plenty of suggested builds you can use and you can see what others have done and their builds
It is pretty straightforward to do, provided you read the instructions. Do your research and watch some videos beofrehand.
Here are a couple of good videos showing you how to build a PC:
I buy my parts from Scan.co.uk and Overclockers.co.uk.
It is far less daunting than it seems. So lo g as you've bought the correct bits, then it is completely straightforward if you've a YouTube video that shows you the key components. The most complicated bit would proba ly be hooking the case wiring up to the motherboard, and then that's just a matter of reading the instruction manual
Seems like a great way to learn, for both you and your son, and give you loads of confidence to have a go and fix it should you have problems or want to upgrade in the future.
The key is to get matched parts, in terms of performance, so the whole thing plays nice together with no bottlenecks.
I agree that it would be a great thing for you and your son to do together - you'll learn a lot and he'll (hopefully) appreciate it all the more. I've built every computer I've had for the last 20 odd years and also for family. None have been specifically gaming machines as I/they don't play computer games but it really isn't difficult. Getting everything (cables!) neat and tidy inside the case can be a challenge.
The key things are:
- Processor and motherboard (that must use the same socket) and there's no point spending a great deal on a processor only to skimp on the motherboard or vice versa.
- Graphics card. For gaming you'll want a powerful one and if the plan is to have multiple monitors look at the interfaces (Displayport, HDMI etc.)
- Monitor. The bigger the better (within reason) and response time as low as possible within budget. Don't skimp as this is the main interface between your son and all those expensive components. Somewhat similar with mouse and keyboard.
If you do go down the self-build route keep asking questions, I and I'm sure others will be happy to assist/advise.
Last edited by Skier; 7th September 2019 at 21:25.
buying high end components for a gaming rig that is a few years futureproof is still going to cost a fair amount of money , you might save a few hundred quid but at the same time if the components you have bought dont want to play nicely together it might give you one hell of a headache making you wish you had given the few hundred to give someone else the problems to deal with :)
I've been building mine for years now. Fairly straight forward and normally no issues. Google usually assists with any issues quickly.
As stated be good for you and your son to give it a go!
Yes easy to build, but you need to learn the compatibility of parts and read the manuals in full instead of guessing stuff.
and it can go wrong and need troubleshooting etc, best to get from scan pc shop and get the builders insurance they offer
Easy.
Do yourself a favour and go for trusted brands and suppliers who excel in customer service and don't skimp on quality. Remember that if anything goes wrong you'll need to resolve it yourself.
It's essentially expensive Lego. They want it to be easy so you can swap out parts yourself and constantly buy more and upgrade.
Software is the faff.
I did it last year and have no experience whatsoever with that kind of stuff. It was enjoyable, pretty simple and got myself a really good and fast PC in the process. For a gaming spec PC then building your own is definitely the way to go. My advice would be don't skimp on the case as if the case it well laid out then makes the whole build easier. Maybe even find a tutorial video you like and buy the case and motherboard they use as this will make it very easy to follow. I bought from scan.co.uk overclockers and amazon.
If you are concerned about making sure everything is compatible or looking for ideas then I suggest using https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/ It also has price tracker for parts and you can register to save your process builds.
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I forgot to ask, what's your budget and do you have any peripherals already? (mouse, keyboard, monitor)
While it's easy for those who have messed around with PCs before I'd question whether building a gaming rig is a good beginner project. My main concern is that I don't think you'll save as much as you think you will.
Fun father/son project? Great. Having it working out of the box on Christmas day, not so much.
An off the shelf PC will probably not be ready to go; it may will need lots of software updates, and come with lots of 'free trial' software installed. You're right though, there isn't much money to be saved by building yourself. The cost of the GPU alone would be above some budgets.Originally Posted by Mr Pointy
Tip for OP: you can get a Windows licence very cheaply from softwaregeeks.co.uk
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