Current Events > I want to build my first computer.

(+) Yeah! (+)

My current gaming laptop from college isn't really current anymore (it's seven years old) and runs like a piece of shit. I've been telling myself that I wanted to make a computer for years but never got around to it because of work travel. I set aside my travel bonus from 2015 for one. So I'm willing to spend $2,000 on a computer, but I'm not really sure where to start. Does anyone have any tips?
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My advice: check out reddit's /r/buildapc. They have a lot of resources and helpful links. A word of warning though: while most of the community is pretty great and super helpful, you should definitely read the resources before you post. If you haven't done your homework, so to speak, it'll just get you more confused.

Also, pcpartpicker.com is great for selecting and browsing parts, and putting together a build.

And tomshardware.com is a good website to use for various PC related news and information.
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Sell gave you some good points.

I would like to add start by thinking about what type of build and computer you would like. Me I wanted a small but Powerful gaming computer so it could fit in my living room without looking like a computer. This limited the things I could do. If you want one of those big light up things than you can do more. But these are things think about before you start.
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I built my first PC last year and pcpartpicker.com is definitely a great resource for making sure the parts you buy will work together, and they can help with pricing as well. Watching some vids on YouTube can help with getting a general idea of the order to do things so you don't get the whole thing together and realize you forgot to run a power cable for something.

Speaking of power cables, I would suggest you choose a fully modular power supply. It makes cleaning up the inside that much easier since you are only hooking up the power cables you'd actually need. I just upgraded my GPU to a 1080 Ti two days ago. It meant running an extra cable, but that took me all of 20 minutes to get an extra cable out of my closet and running it to the card.
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cjsdowg posted...

Sell gave you some good points.

I would like to add start by thinking about what type of build and computer you would like. Me I wanted a small but Powerful gaming computer so it could fit in my living room without looking like a computer. This limited the things I could do. If you want one of those big light up things than you can do more. But these are things think about before you start.

Size really isn't an issue since it is going to be in my basement. I'll check out pcpartpicker. Thanks.
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Are LEDs on a motherboard just a meme?
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Talk to PC board and

@premature_tyrant
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Compsognathus posted...

Are LEDs on a motherboard just a meme?

RGB lighting in general I'd kinda a big fad right now within the PC market. Shit even the high end Ryzen CPU's come with a stock cooler that has RGB lighting effects.
You can get mobos with it, RAM stick with it, etc.


But anyways what resolutions are you wanting to game at? Do you need a new monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc. And is that included in the 2k? And do you plan to overclock and stuff?
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I JUST built my first one last month. Head over to buildapc, they're a ton of help. Building really is as easy and simple as they say and you won't regret it.
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Compsognathus posted...

Are LEDs on a motherboard just a meme?

My mobo has them, it's kinda nifty because they sync with my video card's lighting

But it wasn't a selling point for me.
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Gamer99z posted...

Compsognathus posted...

Are LEDs on a motherboard just a meme?

RGB lighting in general I'd kinda a big fad right now within the PC market. Shit even the high end Ryzen CPU's come with a stock cooler that has RGB lighting effects.
You can get mobos with it, RAM stick with it, etc.


But anyways what resolutions are you wanting to game at? Do you need a new monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc. And is that included in the 2k? And do you plan to overclock and stuff?

I'll need a keyboard and monitor(s). I wasn't including it in the 2k though. I forgot that the company gave me a few hundred in gift cards that I'll put towards it too.
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Start with a website like choosemypc.net or pcpartpicker.com. It gives a rough estimate of the best parts for a given budget, but it is slightly outdated, or otherwise doesn't account for brand new deals.

Meanwhile, go on /r/buildapc and read some of the guides. They're not long, just know what each major part's role is in a build.

Then go on /r/buildapcsales and find if any of the parts are cheaper and/or the next "tier" up for the same price compared to the build you made on the first two websites. Do this for every part until you have a "shopping cart" of what your build will look like. Then, you can either read the specs on the motherboard themselves to make sure they will all physically fit or are compatible with the hardware. Finally, make a post on /r/buildapc and have others vet the build for you as well.

At that point, place the order, wait for your parts to come in, then just follow a how-to video on youtube to build your pc. Takes a couple of hours for your first build, but it's like putting together legos.

Some things that are often overlooked in a build. You will need to buy a copy of windows if you don't already have a spare license. You need peripherals (monitor, keyboard, mouse) if you don't already own them. Also, think about how you'd like to connect to the internet. If you are going wired, you don't need anything additional, but if you want wifi, you're going to want to buy a wifi card for your mobo (although going with a usb attachment is another option down the road). These are just small expenses that contribute to a first time build, so don't go all out on buying dual 1080s or something.
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Some mobos do have built in wi-fi, though I don't know how good it is. I haven't tried mine yet
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The motherboard that I have has Wifi built into it. I would suggest that you look for one of those. That can make things just a little be easier down the line. It is not a big thing but these small little things that you can do to make things easier add up.
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I built my first in 2015 and I knew next to nothing about PCs then. Just go on the internet, figure out all the parts you're gonna need, pick the parts that you want, check if they're compatible (make sure they'll physically fit too) and check for youtube tutorials on how to install the parts to make sure you do it safely and correctly. That's what I did when I built it, although I'm no expert so I can't really give the best advice. That's just what I did as someone new to building PCs too and my stuff works fine still.

One thing I'll say though is that putting thermal paste on your CPU is not optional. Make sure you do that or it will get damaged.

Soviet_Poland posted...

Some things that are often overlooked in a build. You will need to buy a copy of windows if you don't already have a spare license. You need peripherals (monitor, keyboard, mouse) if you don't already own them. Also, think about how you'd like to connect to the internet.

Especially this. There was a lot of things I didn't realize I would need and had to buy later. Windows, a disc drive, things like that.

Fortunately, if you have a flash drive, you can just put your discs in your laptop and copy the data on them onto the flash drive, so you can just use the flash drive to get Windows or any other files from a disc to your PC. That's what I did before I got one. You should also be able to copy your Windows straight from your laptop.

V-E-G-Y- posted...

Talk to PC board and

@premature_tyrant

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/pandaforest/saved/7FBtt6
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