PC Build - Tips to Building Your First PC for Beginners - DIY in 5 Ep 148

Опубликовано 11 июня 2021, 18:01

So you wanna build your first PC! Before you jump into the world of PC building, here are some tips and tricks for beginners that you’ll want to keep in mind. This is by no means a comprehensive guide on how to build a PC, although we do have step by step guides on this channel if that is what you are looking for. We will be focused on common mistakes newbie PC builders make and how to avoid them.

Planning your build ahead of time is key. When choosing components there’s a lot to consider that can often be overlooked in a first build. What will you be using this machine for? Photo Editing? Video editing? Live streaming? and what is your intended budget? While it can be tempting to splurge on the best of every component, you will be better off designing your build with a specific purpose in mind. An SSD upgrade may be a worthy choice to increase upload/download or save speeds if you plan to do a lot of gaming or access large raw video files. Splurging on extra RAM may be the right move if you will need your machine to juggle many different responsibilities at the same time. Do not cut corners on the power supply unit, or PSU. A low quality PSU can damage other components and cause tons of issues down the line.

When planning out your build, use a tool like PCpartpicker.com to compare pricing and reviews from different retailers, and ensure that your components are compatible with each other by comparing your build to others’ and seeing how theirs went and what they did differently. PCpartpicker also has a basic wattage calculator to give you an idea of the type of PSU you might need. Double check that your RAM will work best with your motherboard. Certain motherboard manufacturers will list the memory they’ve tested with their boards and guarantee they’ll work well with. The Kingston memory finder is an easy to use tool (see the link in the pinned comment below) for the compatible RAM for your motherboard. Finally, look at the physical dimensions of larger components like after-market coolers or hefty graphics cards and make sure they will physically fit in your case. This is often hard for online calculators to figure out and is a real bummer when you realize it mid-build.

Once you have the components, keep everything. Read the manuals thoroughly to know the personality quirks and specifics of each component’s installation process. And keep all the packaging as well. You may find that you missed a bag of screws somewhere or need to return items afterwards and you’ll want to have everything you may need to make that already frustrating process go smoothly.

When you are ready to start the actual build, be sure to ground yourself by wearing an anti-static strap or touching a metal object on the ground to discharge any electricity in your body.

If your motherboard has a separate I/O panel that needs to be installed inside the case, do that first. It’s an easy warmup, plus many new builders will forget about this until later and end up needing to take everything out afterwards which is no fun. When adding your major components to the motherboard, do it outside the case, it makes it easier to install the CPU, RAM, heatsink and sometimes the PSU before putting the motherboard inside the case. When adding components, keep in mind, not all slots of the same type are the same spec. Your motherboard manufacturer will tell you which memory slots and storage slots will give you the best performance and have the least bottlenecks. This is not only true for RAM and storage drives, but PCI-E slots as well - say for your GPU if you are going with a dedicated graphics card. Always try to install your GPU in the PCI-E slot closest to your processor then consult your motherboard processor for the next optimal slot if you are installing multiples.

During the installation, considering good cable management to have a clean, open space that can make modding easier and looks nicer. Zip ties and velcro ties help as well. Triple check that everything is plugged in correctly and fully to both the motherboard and the PSU if needed.

After everything is assembled, plug it in, hook up a keyboard, mouse and monitor, and turn it on. If your new computer POSTs (Power On Self Test) and you see the motherboard logo come up on the screen - congrats! But your work isn’t done yet. New builders will often install the OS and call it a day here, But you might experience less issues over time if you run a stress like Cinebench R20 or AIDA64. If your new PC doesn’t POST, troubleshoot and retrace your steps. It could be faulty hardware but pretty uncommon.

The PC Building process can seem overwhelming for the first time but the results will be rewarding. You’ll have a custom PC built just for your needs, and by you, so if you ever want to upgrade or swap components in the future, you’ll know exactly what to do.
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