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All my friends built their first PC in high school/college (5-10 years ago) and I only recently did mine 2 years ago. I was nervous but it turned out to be pret

All my friends built their first PC in high school/college (5-10 years ago) and I only recently did mine 2 years ago. I was nervous but it turned out to be pretty easy. I would figure out what your needs are: play modern AAA games in 4K definition at 120 FPS? Play older games on medium graphics? Do video or other media editing? Etc etc Then go look at Logical Increments for example builds and figure out how expensive you want to go to meet your needs (they have example builds from basically a toaster on up to the best that consumer money can buy): https://www.logicalincrements.com/ https://www.logicalincrements.com/ (Edit: keep in mind that the prices on Logical Increments may be lower than actual parts, due to the supply chain issues, pandemic, etc) Use PC Part Picker to keep track of your build items, they have a handy interface to make builds out of specific parts, track the price of the whole build, make sure you don't forget a part, and even generally warn you if you choose incompatible parts (it's not foolproof but it worked for me and is nice for peace of mind): https://pcpartpicker.com/ https://pcpartpicker.com/ Finally, read/watch a few build guides on YouTube or find some articles via Google, to get more familiar with the process. This is a rough and high-level approach to what worked for me as a first-time builder with roughly zero knowledge (beyond being as computer-savvy as an average person in tech, which I presume most HNers are). Good luck and have fun!

shoo 3y ago
logicalincrements & pcpartpicker are excellent resources Other misc thoughts: Don't try to save a few dollars getting a cheap, low-quality PSU. One upside of PCs is modularity. If you're on a limited budget, one option is to select parts where you plan to upgrade and replace components in a year or three. You could start with a CPU with integrated graphics (e.g. AMD-Ryzen-5600G) with the option of replacing that with a better CPU and a dedicated GPU in future -- but for this possible future upgrade path to work you'd need to pick a motherboard and power supply that would support the future upgrade: CPU socket, size & version of PCIE socket, PSU with enough power to support future CPU + GPU -- otherwise upgrading will require also purchasing a new motherboard and going through a complete disassembly & reassembly. If you're trying to get RAM running at a high clock speed, you need to find RAM sticks that are mutually compatible, and compatible with your motherboard. Mixing sets of RAM sticks from different manufacturers that are all rated at some high clock speed X probably won't work, and you'll get a system that doesn't boot and only communicates the symptom with pc speaker beeps and blinkenlights. This is more an issue when upgrading and adding RAM to an existing system than when starting with a new system. There are some resources online to help with this, if you search for "RAM <brand> compatibility database" etc you may be able to find lists from manufacturers of RAM with RAM+motherboard combinations they have tested and confirm work.
- embeng4096 3y ago
  Agreed with all this! One note if you decide to go the integrated graphics route: if you’re planning on gaming, get a CPU with the most powerful integrated graphics you can. I did as shoo pointed out, started out with a CPU with integrated graphics to save money (inflated GPU prices during pandemic), then later upgraded to better CPU plus discrete graphics card. I started with a Ryzen 3400G for its low price and integrated graphics, but found I could barely play even medium-low graphics games like Valheim, maxing out at 15 FPS, dropping to 5 much of the time. Hopefully you can avoid the same issue if you decide to get an integrated graphics CPU. I do prefer and recommend a dedicated graphics card, assuming it fits within your budget.
- askiiart 3y ago
  Expanding on this: And don't just get a high wattage PSU, make sure to get something high quality. If your PSU dies, then your entire PC could very well die, and the PSU could even go up in flames. Power supplies are the one thing you NEVER cheap out on.

shoo 3y ago

logicalincrements & pcpartpicker are excellent resources Other misc thoughts: Don't try to save a few dollars getting a cheap, low-quality PSU. One upside of PCs is modularity. If you're on a limited budget, one option is to select parts where you plan to upgrade and replace components in a year or three. You could start with a CPU with integrated graphics (e.g. AMD-Ryzen-5600G) with the option of replacing that with a better CPU and a dedicated GPU in future -- but for this possible future upgrade path to work you'd need to pick a motherboard and power supply that would support the future upgrade: CPU socket, size & version of PCIE socket, PSU with enough power to support future CPU + GPU -- otherwise upgrading will require also purchasing a new motherboard and going through a complete disassembly & reassembly. If you're trying to get RAM running at a high clock speed, you need to find RAM sticks that are mutually compatible, and compatible with your motherboard. Mixing sets of RAM sticks from different manufacturers that are all rated at some high clock speed X probably won't work, and you'll get a system that doesn't boot and only communicates the symptom with pc speaker beeps and blinkenlights. This is more an issue when upgrading and adding RAM to an existing system than when starting with a new system. There are some resources online to help with this, if you search for "RAM <brand> compatibility database" etc you may be able to find lists from manufacturers of RAM with RAM+motherboard combinations they have tested and confirm work.

embeng4096 3y ago
Agreed with all this! One note if you decide to go the integrated graphics route: if you’re planning on gaming, get a CPU with the most powerful integrated graphics you can. I did as shoo pointed out, started out with a CPU with integrated graphics to save money (inflated GPU prices during pandemic), then later upgraded to better CPU plus discrete graphics card. I started with a Ryzen 3400G for its low price and integrated graphics, but found I could barely play even medium-low graphics games like Valheim, maxing out at 15 FPS, dropping to 5 much of the time. Hopefully you can avoid the same issue if you decide to get an integrated graphics CPU. I do prefer and recommend a dedicated graphics card, assuming it fits within your budget.
askiiart 3y ago
Expanding on this: And don't just get a high wattage PSU, make sure to get something high quality. If your PSU dies, then your entire PC could very well die, and the PSU could even go up in flames. Power supplies are the one thing you NEVER cheap out on.