Author Topic: Building your own PC  (Read 1446 times)

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Offline Hoodat

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Building your own PC
« on: December 18, 2021, 10:53:47 pm »
How to build a computer
How to find the best storage, memory, and processor to build the best computer possible.

There has never been a better time to build your own PC, but where’s the best place to start? Determining what you want to get out of your new computer is the first step and it guides the rest of the process. When you know what you want from your computer, you’ll know what you need from your hardware, which is the source of your computer’s performance. Get the most performance for less by investing in the right components from the start. That’s when you can begin to build.  .  .  .

https://www.crucial.com/articles/pc-builders/how-to-build-a-computer




I am creating this thread as a question to all you savvy briefers out there.  My teenage son wants a gaming computer, but I am not about to shell out $1,500 for one.  I understand a good machine can be built from scratch for about half that, but I don't know where to begin.  I recall seeing others post about building their own machines, so I am open to any advice, instruction, or experience out there.  Thanks.
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Offline Elderberry

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Re: Building your own PC
« Reply #1 on: December 18, 2021, 11:13:29 pm »
I've built almost all of my machines and several for my kids, but I'm not a gamer. I've always stayed far away from the bleeding edge to keep costs down.

I just found this site that seems informative: https://www.pcgamer.com/pc-build-guide-budget-gaming-pc/

Offline Bigun

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Re: Building your own PC
« Reply #2 on: December 18, 2021, 11:22:22 pm »
How to build a computer
How to find the best storage, memory, and processor to build the best computer possible.

There has never been a better time to build your own PC, but where’s the best place to start? Determining what you want to get out of your new computer is the first step and it guides the rest of the process. When you know what you want from your computer, you’ll know what you need from your hardware, which is the source of your computer’s performance. Get the most performance for less by investing in the right components from the start. That’s when you can begin to build.  .  .  .

https://www.crucial.com/articles/pc-builders/how-to-build-a-computer




I am creating this thread as a question to all you savvy briefers out there.  My teenage son wants a gaming computer, but I am not about to shell out $1,500 for one.  I understand a good machine can be built from scratch for about half that, but I don't know where to begin.  I recall seeing others post about building their own machines, so I am open to any advice, instruction, or experience out there.  Thanks.

@Hoodat
I have owned exactly one ready built desktop computer in my life (Tandy 1000A back in the early eighties). Since then, I have rolled my own.  There was a time when you could save quite a bit and wind up with a far better machine doing that but, IMHO, those days are gone. There is so much used iron out there now you can buy great machines for way less than half of their original sales price.  The key to doing that is being savvy enough to know what you are looking at.  Even if you have to do an upgrade or two to get to exactly where you want to be you are still money ahead.  Just for one example, I just bought my wife a nearly new HP Probook (loaded) for $500.  Desktops are even less.

Just my $.02 and probably worth less than that.

Edit to add: If you build from the ground up you are going to have to get an OS on it somehow. THAT can be a real hassle depending on the one you want. Used boxes are going to come with an OS already installed and working.
« Last Edit: December 19, 2021, 03:15:51 am by Bigun »
"I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.

"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."
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Online roamer_1

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Re: Building your own PC
« Reply #3 on: December 19, 2021, 02:59:11 am »
@Bigun  is right.

Business class HPs is all I own anymore... I have one dell, and the carcass of one white box - my last white box, my main server. It stayed around longer than the rest because I required an aftermarket board simply for all the drives that were hanging off it... But now, with the advent of ginormous drives.  CICERO (my server) is now housed in a more modest 3/4 tower, and I am down to 5 drives (and a system drive) right off the rack from HP (sans drives), used, off-lease, and 3 years old... Bought (traded) for 150 bucks (in value).

No one I know is building white boxes anymore. No profit in it.

BUT, I will give you some tips: ASUS, MSI, or Gigabyte. Nothing else. NZXT makes some pretty good cases with monster power supplies that can be included... Or at least, they used to.

If you are willing to wiggle on specs, loaded boards are usually the way to go, coming with board, processor, fan, and RAM usually at around a 30% savings over off-the-rack retail, but without the satisfaction of getting precisely what you wanted.

I think you are probably best off in Intel processor and board architecture and nvidia graphics. A gamer box will put a lot of emphasis on a discrete video card. butt-tons of ram, and probably an M.2 NVMe system drive... That's for a top shelf box. Dunno if that is what is needed.
« Last Edit: December 19, 2021, 03:00:39 am by roamer_1 »

Offline Hoodat

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Re: Building your own PC
« Reply #4 on: December 19, 2021, 04:42:55 am »
Looks like I have a lot to learn about hardware.
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Offline GtHawk

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Re: Building your own PC
« Reply #5 on: December 19, 2021, 05:12:10 am »
I have built all my own in the past but looking at prices as they are now it's cheaper to buy a factory computer, especially for my needs, or maybe go to a local shop and see what they have in the way of refurbished. Considering I am still running a box I built when XP was king there is no way I need the newest kid on the block.

Online roamer_1

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Re: Building your own PC
« Reply #6 on: December 19, 2021, 06:29:42 am »
Looks like I have a lot to learn about hardware.

Understand me though... It is a good father/son project, and the boy has it to learn - So I ain't of a mind to say don't do it. I would favor toward doing the project. WAY better to learn him rather than just going out to buy the latest Alienware nonsense.

~And I do not know what you mean by 'gamer'~
What is he playing on now?

« Last Edit: December 19, 2021, 06:32:58 am by roamer_1 »

Offline Elderberry

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Re: Building your own PC
« Reply #7 on: December 19, 2021, 12:28:28 pm »
The sky's the limit when it comes to "Gamer" setups.  I am currently running on some of what my son cast off when he did his last build.

This is just what his "computer chair?" is similar to. He first had 6 monitors mounted on his. Later he upgraded his monitors and changed to 4 larger monitors.


Offline Bigun

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Re: Building your own PC
« Reply #8 on: December 19, 2021, 02:45:10 pm »
Understand me though... It is a good father/son project, and the boy has it to learn - So I ain't of a mind to say don't do it. I would favor toward doing the project. WAY better to learn him rather than just going out to buy the latest Alienware nonsense.

Just for the record, I agree with what you said here @roamer_1 he's not going to learn any younger and it really isn't all that complicated a thing to do.
"I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.

"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."
- J. R. R. Tolkien

Offline Restored

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Re: Building your own PC
« Reply #9 on: December 19, 2021, 03:29:24 pm »
I build my own but there has never been a worse time to build one. Graphics cards are very hard to come by and are expensive. Bitcoiner miners buy them all.
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Offline Elderberry

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Re: Building your own PC
« Reply #10 on: December 19, 2021, 03:39:25 pm »
You also have the option of doing a build without a dedicated graphics card. I have often run that way.

Online roamer_1

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Re: Building your own PC
« Reply #11 on: December 19, 2021, 10:41:22 pm »
Just for the record, I agree with what you said here @roamer_1 he's not going to learn any younger and it really isn't all that complicated a thing to do.

 :beer:

Online roamer_1

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Re: Building your own PC
« Reply #12 on: December 19, 2021, 10:49:03 pm »
You also have the option of doing a build without a dedicated graphics card. I have often run that way.

You are right about 'sky's the limit'... That's why I asked @Hoodat what the kid is running now (that is insufficient), to get a better idea where the boy is in that continuum.

If he is on an old joe@homeowner i5 or celeron with modest ram, a modern i5 or i7 with bangin ram might be a barn-burner... shared vid or not...
« Last Edit: December 19, 2021, 11:14:58 pm by roamer_1 »

Offline corbe

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Re: Building your own PC
« Reply #13 on: December 19, 2021, 11:49:54 pm »
   I built a 'White Box' last month through Newgg for a BailBond Business's Secretary for under a grand, excluding Labor, that Dell couldn't touch under 2K.
   It always requires boneing up on PC advancements, which I find fascinating. I always liked Intel Boards.

   Is Moore's Law still plausible?

   
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Offline Sighlass

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Re: Building your own PC
« Reply #14 on: December 20, 2021, 01:36:06 am »
My youngest kid has been living on bread crumbs for a over year now watching (rarely getting to play) his brother play Minecraft. I don't get the game, it has graphics that were comparable to my Atari games in the 80s, but the boys love it. Anyhoo, I ran across a refurbished computer on Amazon for $150 dollars. It is pretty bare bone in that it didn't come with a screen (had a small one here sitting around) and it didn't have wifi connection (which I wanted because he is young). We are going to set it up in the middle of the living room and he can (if he has his chores done) play Mindcraft every once in a while.

Noticed the price jumped 15 dollars after I purchased it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BCGW85X/

But my old XP computer couldn't hold a match to what this cheap computer offers. I recently got a refurb computer and it really wasn't much better than this either (did have a separate internal graphic card and more memory). The computer did advertise a DvD player, and one came with it, but it was external, but that is ok. Just saying, if you don't mind refurbished, there is some great deals out there. I ordered a Blueray and wifi USB adaptor and it works. The older kid quickly swapped the Blueray/wifi plug in for his computer and that was ok since this computer really only needs wifi when we stream a movie onto the TV.

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Offline Hoodat

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Re: Building your own PC
« Reply #15 on: December 22, 2021, 03:05:59 am »
Son is now in the doghouse over exam grades.  No gaming PC forthcoming in his immediate future.
If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power.

-Dwight Eisenhower-


"The [U.S.] Constitution is a limitation on the government, not on private individuals ... it does not prescribe the conduct of private individuals, only the conduct of the government ... it is not a charter for government power, but a charter of the citizen's protection against the government."

-Ayn Rand-

Offline davidhelpgop

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Re: Building your own PC
« Reply #16 on: December 27, 2021, 12:13:12 am »


The motherboard has it's own video and sound. Those who like to game buy an add

on video card for better response and better screen graphics. You can start without

the video card which can always be added later. Current price for the best video card

alone approach $1,600 such as the Radeon RX 6800 XT !!!

Do a search:  best motherboards with integrated graphics

This is a good overview:
GPU Buying Guide: How To Choose the Right Graphics Card
Daniel Horowitz     February 2, 2021
https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/tech-takes/gpu-buying-guide


Youtube search:
They have 6 pcs to compare:
Linus Tech Tips   14.2M subscribers
Cheap vs. Expensive Gaming!?
They start out at $309 El Cheapo to over $6,000....

Techquickie  3.98M subscribers
Are Integrated Graphics...GOOD?

 JayzTwoCents   3.58M subscribers
Gaming without a video card in 2019





Offline Hoodat

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Re: Building your own PC
« Reply #17 on: December 27, 2021, 12:13:54 am »
@davidhelpgop

Welcome to the Dexter Lake Club.
If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power.

-Dwight Eisenhower-


"The [U.S.] Constitution is a limitation on the government, not on private individuals ... it does not prescribe the conduct of private individuals, only the conduct of the government ... it is not a charter for government power, but a charter of the citizen's protection against the government."

-Ayn Rand-

Offline davidhelpgop

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Re: Building your own PC
« Reply #18 on: January 01, 2022, 08:07:32 am »

Here is a motherboard issue caused at the factory that installed capacitors backwards. Started fires...!

THIS is why Z690 Hero Boards are failing... how to easily check if yours will fail too...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdoB9p3LXVQ
The comments are interesting at the site.