Can a novice really build a computer himself?

[Milo1272]

Hello folks,

I'm trying to figure out if I could actually build my own computer.

[jimcooper1]

My advice is get an old PC which is still working.....you should be able to pick one up for free...I've got 2 here at home doing nothing !   Take it to bits..completely.  Then reassemble it and check it works.  That will give you the confidence that you can do it.

regards

Jim

[ThatOnePerson]

You'll also find that most things on pc's will only fit one way. So that helps a bit

[Groundbound1]

[quote]My advice is get an old PC which is still working.....you should be able to pick one up for free...I've got 2 here at home doing nothing !

[Boca]

I've built about 5 or 6 perfectly working computers so far. It doesn't take as much effort as you'd think , only time..and if you enjoy doing it, you won't notice the time. I can cobble a PC together from almost anything...and infact I'm working on a second PC for my spare room...and exclusively Linux based PC.

If I can do it, anyone can. Just follow the steps and you won't go wrong.

[ozzy72]

I've lost track of the number of PCs I've built but it is quite a few! I've even been known to canabalise broken down elderly PCs to make working ones (used to drive my mum nuts)

[machineman9]

Never fully built one, but I have done a few upgrades.

I wouldn't say it's brilliantly hard, just gotta have some patience. For example, I spent a while trying to get my RAM to go in right, and then eventually I got it working. The componants pretty much always come with installation guides and there are plenty on the web. Hardware like RAM and graphics cards and processors will only go in, in one perfect exact way. If you find that your power supply has the cables sticking out of the case to the back then you know you've made a mistake.

So yeh, I think a novice could build a computer easily enough.

[GuitarFreak]

It's not hard at all. This time last year, I didn't even know what an AGP slot was I've built 3 PCs since then and all of them have worked just fine.

[GunnerMan]

Yeah I was a noob and i just did it. I sent a lot of time reading upon the tech and things so I knew the mb layout etc when I built. Just read the manuals and you can't go wrong. Your biggest enemy is ESD otherwise it is easy.

[legoalex2000]

one thing i will always say to people wanting to build computers. GROUND YOURSELF. get a static bracelet, and more preferably, a static protection mat (same principle as the bracelet)

ask any IT professional and they will say the same. nothing like ruining a motherboard because you scraped your feet on the carpet.

and don't forget to use the grounding screws, the screw into the case and the motherboard screws go into them. same principle again.


BE GROUNDED!! NO FUN FOR YOU!!!!

Ramos

[richardd43]

I took my 64 year old sister-in-law to the store and helped her buy her components. When we got home I handed her the screw driver and had her assemble the components. She had some instructions I had printed out for her plus she had to ask me a couple of questions but she got the job done.

This woman could hardly find the On/Off switch. Assembling a computer really is that easy.

[Milo1272]

Great.  I'm ready to give it a go.  Thanks for your encouragement.

Milo

[Rudderbutt]

Go for it!

[Kaworu]

Building a PC is downright fun! You get to spend hours working on creating your own...(twisted mind ahead!)...baby! Afterwards, you get the satisfaction that you built that SEXY thing out of a pile of S*** that won't so much as tell me what 2+2 is (it's 4, btw!). not to mention, you get bragging rights (if your friends are nerd like me!).

Hey, and if you screw up...sell everything to friends or on ebay! get half your $$$$ back.

So, as others have said, go for it. most stuff is just common sense when it comes to builds. (blue into blue, USB to USB, etc!)

[beaky]

It bears repeating:
Hardware compatibility is the trickiest part-mostly because it's difficult to get definitive answers on what works best with what. It's also a "make or break" factor... very important!

But the rest is easy. If you can change the batteries in, say, a camera without breaking it, you can probably build a PC.

I've built two, and when I built my first I was "too old to learn new tricks" and a very green computer user. Made a mistake on the first graphics card, but it wasn't an expensive one. Also needed more RAM initially. In the end, the only setback was that initial disappointment in performance.

That machine is still plugging away, working very nicely, hardware-wise.

Only general advice I'll give, other than take your time researching,  is to plan ahead for upgrades, getting more than you need where you can afford it. Power supplies, case size, that sort of thing.  

And don't worry about whether or not your design is going to impress anyone- by the time you choose your parts, get them, build the machine, install the 'OS and other software, and get it tweaked out, it will be hopelessly obsolete by industry standards.

all that matters is that it's good enough for your needs, within your budget.