Having only ever owned PC world's finest, I quite like the idea and sense of achievement of building my own PC.

1. Is it something a novice can do with the right knowledge and some DIY know how?

2. Where do I start?

PC will be used for web, office applications and music editing/cleaning (think connecting a USB turntable or the like to digitise a substantial Vinyl collection)

All advice welcome

Its not hard but without any previous experience I would just buy one off the shelf. Its less hassle.

 

I've built all my desktop computers since I was at school and you really need to be interested and up to date with the latest hardware. My last build was about 3 years ago and it took me ages to decide what to get because Its not really my hobby anymore and you lose touch with what is best.

 

If your really set on building one, sign up to a decent forum and I'm sure somebody can spec you something up within your budget and give you a few pointers

The actual assembly isn't that hard, but choosing the right mix of components can be quite tricky. My lad is about to replace his PC, and was looking as building from scratch. When we compared component costs (individually at the cheapest delivered cost) to getting one ready built the difference was less than £50 (on a £700+ machine), and that comes with a three year, collect & return warranty. He's opted to get it pre-built, though tweaked the config to get as quiet a machine as he could.

 

I bought my first PC (Gateway 2000, with the original Pentium CPU) over 20 years ago, but have built all my others since. While I'm resigned to dealing with issues mine might develop, it's too much like being at work fixing the family's machines as well! 

 

As SuperbTWM says, the landscape changes so frequently it's easy to get out of touch with what's available. It's only a couple of years since building my last system, and things have moved on sufficiently that I'd have to start research from scratch again. I'm hoping I did a good enough job back then to save me the hassle for at least another three years, if not longer!

I just thought I would add that by pre-built, I mean one made up of custom components but pre-assembled, plenty of places will offer pre-built systems or let you spec your own.

 

The difference is, you can go to Currys and buy one with a set processor and GFX card, hard drive etc. but you  have no idea what motherboard its running, it will have a 10 bob PSU and the case will be rubbish which is why they can be priced so well. Having a branded and reliable power supply is a must as if it goes wrong it could take everything else out with it.

 

Oh, and get one with an SSD (Solid state drive) in it as the primary drive. They are very cheap these days and add a lot of performance, there's no point having a fast system if you've got a mechanical disk drive creating a huge bottleneck

Edited 22 February, 201610 yr by SuperbTWM

^^^

What he said again!

 

My lad is buying his from CCL (cclonline.com - fairly local to us, and I've used them for years) and on the advanced configuration option you can see every item that goes into it. That's how he priced up the cost of the parts alone. I've also used Scan (scan.co.uk) for parts in the past, and they do pre-built systems the same way. Getting an SSD for the OS at least is a no brainer - it makes the system so much faster.

^^^

What he said again!

 

My lad is buying his from CCL (cclonline.com - fairly local to us, and I've used them for years) and on the advanced configuration option you can see every item that goes into it. That's how he priced up the cost of the parts alone. I've also used Scan (scan.co.uk) for parts in the past, and they do pre-built systems the same way. Getting an SSD for the OS at least is a no brainer - it makes the system so much faster.

Thats really weird, I was just about to insert a link to CCL. Been using them for about 15 years.

 

Its a good 30-40 minutes away from me but what I like is that if you have a dud component you can take it back and swap it rather than having to post it and wait for a replacement.

Two suggestions of places to look are Aria (http://www.aria.co.uk/) and Novatech(http://www.novatech.co.uk/) for both custom built or matched bits( MB+CPU AND /OR MEMORY). Novatech will give you an idea of the PSU needed.personally, I'd opt for a high grade one and double the power. ( You never know just how much you will add to the PC in next few years).

If you can find a Computer Fair somewhere nearby, there are people who will talk you through the options and sell you everything you need. The only tools needed are a philips screw driver and some patience; the hard part is getting the software installed.

 

These days it isnt cheaper, it used to be - when the PC builders inflated their prices by including "£1,000 of free software" (tat worth 99p); but you know what you are getting and how it went together.

 

Buy a GOOD case, dont stint, and a good PSU; these will good for several upgrades over the years; I have a case sat next to me that was first built with Win98SE.

 

I have had a lot of issues with Gigabyte boards - I do wonder if there are a lot of fakes in the market; buy MSI or Asus, and avoid mATX format as they often have very limited options.

 

Anti static is an issue, make sure you ground yourself against something earthed before touching components, and try to avoid touching anything but the fibreglass when handling the motherboard, RAM and GFX cards.

For the sake of £50, I'd still build it myself. I'm biased as I work in IT but there is no better way to understanding your rig than building it yourself.

 

Like previously said, the actual process of putting it together is fairly straight forward although it can be fiddly running all the wires and cables around the case to make sure you get the best airflow. (This is one of the biggest things to make sure you get right)

 

With regards to warranties etc... each component will have it's individual warranty of a year or more, not as much as a ready built, but realistically, if a component is going to fail, it's going to fail within the first year of use.

 

Use: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/ to make sure that all the components you plan to use will work well together, it also scans the net for the best price too! it came in very handy on my last build which was for a mega spec rig for Flight Sims.

 

Other tips are to stock up on mini cable ties and not forgetting to get some thermal paste for seating the heat sink onto the CPU.

I've just built a PC to run Elite Dangerous Horizons - I reused a Case  and PSU - but everything else was new i5-6600 (~£175), a ASUS 1151 motherboard (~£50) , a 240gb SSD (£~£50), 16GB RAM (~£60)  and a GTX 960 Graphics card(~£135) - if I wasn't using it for gaming I could have got away with an i3 (£100 to £130) or even one of the Pentium CPUs (£55- £80)  and not the Graphics card.

Depends on your budget of course -  for your intended use a Pentium CPU would be more than adequate. My old Pc had the previous generation Pentium CPU in and that ran Elite Dangerous OK ( until the Horizons release) and on the more practical side you if you destroy a £50 processor you will less upset!

 

You will of course need to buy an Operating System - Windows 10  (or use Linux).

 

It's usually a plug everything in and switch it on. If you can build flat pack furniture (or lego )you can build a PC. 

 

I've got my parts from various places Amazon, Overclockers, Ebuyer CC-online and Scan over the years - decide want you want and see where you can the best deal. 

I used to, but it's not worth it anymore. If you look at what you can buy a full system for from Dell or somewhere, then price it up as a diy, it doesn't make sense.

The third way is what I normally end up doing and buy a fairly basic dell then upgrade the storage and graphics myself when I get it, and normally memory about a year later.

I used to buy off the shelf, but after experiences with MESH (Useless), Evesham (Defunct) & Dell (Non standard components), I sought advice from a friend who told me how to build one and I haven't looked back since.

 

Yeah, it can be a tad confusing at first but if you match the case to motherboard (ATX to ATX) it's fine, all you really need is a computer tool kit and you might need some long nosed pliers for the finer bits like jumpers or cable connections which are in the tiniest of spaces.

 

I built my system about 3 years ago and it's had a few upgrades since but it has:

 

Intel i7 (3.4Ghz)

16 Gb RAM

2 x Pioneer BD-Writers

Built in multi card reader

Soundblaster Z soundcard

NVIDIA GTX 970 GFX card

2 x 2Tb Mechanical Hard Drives

1 x 500Gb Samsung 800 EVO SSD.

 

Get an SSD drive the biggest you can afford and install it as your boot drive and from switch on to doing some work can be as little as 20-30 seconds! That's Windows 10 Pro x64 and everything running!

 

I've tried it with a old style drive and it takes about 60-90s. So a third of the time.

 

At the end of the day you'll be fine if you read the manuals.

Edited 23 February, 201610 yr by TheWanderer

First questions are what will it be used for and what's your budget?

These days you can even get barebones laptop cases, but it's much more expensive than buying off the shelf.

First questions are what will it be used for and what's your budget?

These days you can even get barebones laptop cases, but it's much more expensive than buying off the shelf.

First question answer in first post.

Budget wise, I'd not even thought. Let's say circa £500, I have honestly no idea what PC's cost these days.....

First question answer in first post.

Budget wise, I'd not even thought. Let's say circa £500, I have honestly no idea what PC's cost these days.....

 

A cheap system with Win7 64bit on it will cost less than £300, but that will be a very cheap and nasty case and psu. Yes, you can still buy OEM Win7 disks from many places.

 

I've just bought a NovaTech Vortex II case, and it looks VERY good for the money, but might be too big for you; whatever you chose, pay for build quality, not flashy LEDs, noisy fans and garish design (unless you drive a tooled up Corsa)

 

Be aware that many of the better cases DONT include a PSU, and the psu's you get in most cheap cases are VERY cheap.

 

AVOID downloading MINT for a while, their server and forums have been hacked, and malware injected into the MINT ISO on offer (Cinnamon)

 

Buy the newest format mobo you can (AMD or Intel), but get one of the budget cpus; you can always upgrade it late , when you have more money.

 

Many mobos have built in GFX; it isnt great, but enough for day to day stuff, so if you arent going to be gaming the latest chart hits, it should be fine - and will save you a bundle.

 

Dont over-spec the psu, but buy a known GOOD brand; for what you say you want, a 500Watt is more than enough, in fact unless you are going down the gaming route, 300W is enough, as the newest chipsets are very frugal on power usage. I have Fractal, Corsair and EarthWatts psus in my machines, the EarthWatts is nearly 10 years old and still going strong.

 

Sadly, a decent PSU can be hard to get at a PC fair.

 

If the budget looks tight, 8GB of RAM is more than enough if you arent gaming, but buy it in 1x8GB, so you can easily upgrade to 16GB later

 

DONT buy a Seagate HDD, Western Digital are OK, Toshiba (Hitachi) are reliable, an SSD for the system drive is fine, but dont trust family photos or irreplaceable data to it, they can die without warning and with no chance to recover data (happened to me a few weeks ago).

 

Above all DONT PANIC if something goes wrong, just go have a tea or coffee, then come back and analyse what has gone wrong/ask for help.

 

Remember to install the mobo drivers from the supplied disk as soon as Windows has finished installing, but watch out for "freebies", my wifes Gigabit (never again) came loaded with crapware labelled as system drivers.

 

Whatever you build, be prepared for hour after hour of Win Updates, I hope your ISP allow plenty of data. :-)

Having only ever owned PC world's finest, I quite like the idea and sense of achievement of building my own PC.

1. Is it something a novice can do with the right knowledge and some DIY know how?

2. Where do I start?

PC will be used for web, office applications and music editing/cleaning (think connecting a USB turntable or the like to digitise a substantial Vinyl collection)

All advice welcome

 

It's very easy if you take your time.

The hard bit is sorting out the spec which I see a few people have tried already.

 

I'll ditto a few things.

 

Get an SSD (even a small one) as a boot drive it will make the machine so much faster and nicer to use.

Then get a normal slow and big second hard drive for storage.

Then get an external drive or a second internal to back the first up to. As said SSDs can pop with no warning and they are very hard to recover data from. Beyond the means of most people. I have a 3 month old Sandisk SSD, it went pop two weeks ago. PITA but everything was backed up, twice.

Then get a second external drive for really irreproachable stuff like pictures, back it up once a month or so and then disconnect it and ideally hand it to someone you trust.

 

My other advice,

 

Don't worry too much about the case even the cheap ones are generally fine.

Do worry about the PSU. Get a decent one with more power than you need. You might well need to buy extension cables if the case is full sized. Make sure the PSU has all the connections you'll need.

 

Pick a side AMD or Intel (think Seat vs Audi).

 

Your demands sound pretty light with no gaming. Intel i3 is very good value and plenty powerful enough.

You will probably manage with the onboard gfx, easy to add a card later on if you want.

 

If you're into music and sounds you might want to research quiet PCs and spend a bit more money on a case and fan setup or even watercooling (which might be a little ambitious for a first build).

 

Take time especially with the motherboard, that's probably the hardest bit to put in.

If you can find a Computer Fair somewhere nearby, there are people who will talk you through the options and sell you everything you need. The only tools needed are a philips screw driver and some patience; the hard part is getting the software installed.

Just noticed your reply, GG,and then I spotted J5's locale. There USED to ba an EXCALIBER cOMPUTER FAIR at the motorcycle museum in Birmingham( Junction M42/A45), but it's been taken over by Premier,Computer fairs, which only show Wolverhampton. But the one at Motorcycle Museum was popular, so it might be worth looking out for it.

 

Again, another place to look for nearest-

http://www.unitedkingdomdirectory.com/index.php?t=sub_pages&cat=6428

 

BUT as said- spec a better PSU than you think you'll need now- amazing how much extra stuff you might add to reduce the slight margin on a standard PSU .

Edited 24 February, 201610 yr by VWD

Just noticed your reply, GG,and then I spotted J5's locale. There USED to ba an EXCALIBER cOMPUTER FAIR at the motorcycle museum in Birmingham( Junction M42/A45), but it's been taken over by Premier,Computer fairs, which only show Wolverhampton. But the one at Motorcycle Museum was popular, so it might be worth looking out for it.

 

Again, another place to look for nearest-

http://www.unitedkingdomdirectory.com/index.php?t=sub_pages&cat=6428

 

BUT as said- spec a better PSU than you think you'll need now- amazing how much extra stuff you might add to reduce the slight margin on a standard PSU .

 

That must be recent, I remember getting the email ad for the Motorcycle museum not too long ago. It has gone now?? That is a bummer, I found Excaliber very useful; yes you can buy the stuff on-line - half the stallholders seemed to be reselling stuff they bought from Aria; but the advice was priceless, as well the cables guy and the 2nd hand systems guy.

 

The fair was in a downward spiral though, they kept trimming back on venues and reducing the number of fairs; Worcester used to be every month, then 2 months, then 2-3 times a year, and then they dropped it, Birmingham was TWICE weekly (Weds evening and 10-2 Saturday).

 

My advice on PSUs stands, if you over spec the power requirements too much they lose efficiency, some of them quite badly. I ran a 5 HDD, 2 DVDRW AMD set up with a power hungry AMD 3800 series gfx card on a 350watt Corsair psu for years. Unless you are going top of the range CPU and similar GFX then 500W is still more than plenty, you will have perhaps 50-60% peak load, and a lot less in normal operation.

 

I currently run a 6 core AMD, R265 GFX and SIX HDD/SSD on a 750W Fractal; this is an older, power hungry 6 core (140w TDC), and the R265 likes its juice as well, the Fractal doesnt even get warm.

Edited 25 February, 201610 yr by GentleGiant

As a Linux user I spend so (too) much time tweaking software, so personally I'm happy picking the hardwre from the shelf... but I can well understand the fun of building the hardware  (think Lego).

 

Should I ever try, I may take a look at the Raspberry Pi for starters...

Compared with the situation of 15-20 years ago, when information on compatibility of components was hard to obtain (Online information hadn't surfaced then), it is relatively easy today, as long as you do your research.

 

From memory, built my first homebuild in 1996, using a AMD K5 processor and an Asus board.

 

I always used Asus  Motherboards boards and ATi graphics cards. I have found Asus motherboards always trouble free, whereas the high performance ATI cards nearly  always have compatibility problems, even today but that's mitigated by the fact that ATI (Now part of AMD) are now more forthcoming with regular software fixes.

 

To start off with, I just read-up as far as I could in the then Personal Computer World (Tom's hardware guide + You Tube might be a good substitute nowadays), which was then one of the leading published sources of info, took some of their suggestions as to kit that was compatible and then bought the parts on-line or more often than not, over the phone.

 

If it didn't work first time (It rarely did), just kept on re-configuring boards (Mainly using manual board jumper settings) until it did work - I can't ever remember having to send back a component or add-on board because it was incompatible. A couple were sent back because they were faulty. Mind you, the set-up process, including installing the Operating System could take 1-3 days.

 

Nowadays, I can do the whole setup, hardware and software, including applications software, in a day and 99 times out of 100 without problems.

 

You just got to  carry out the selection, purchase and assembly in an ordered and systematic way.

 

First, get an idea of what type of system you want (Your  statement of requirement in business lingo) e.g.  bog-standard home use desktop, or a machine that's going to be capable of supporting business applications  and VPN from your work or a high power gaming machine.

 

Research the requirement you have set your heart on. Determine the components required to do the build. Obtain previous users opinions as to build-quality and compatilibity - usually the absence of adverse reports on line in response to the Google query "Problems with component X, Y Z, " is good enough for me.

 

Choose the components you think at first pass will be compatible and long-lasting (If that's what you require).

 

Choose a manufactuer for each component and check, from their website, which other components they are compatible with upstream or down stream.

 

Compare prices between sellers and select a supplier. As a long-stop, I always double-check from previous buyers reports on the suppliers website whether there are any notable problems, especially those without workarounds.

 

Get your plastic out and do the business.

 

Wait for the postie to deliver

 

 

Nowadays, my experience is that its all pretty straightforward after that.

 

 

Postscript

 

Might be an idea, as its your first project, simply to copy a hardware combination which one of the hardware sellers has already bundled on their website for sale as a finished unit - that might guarantee a minimum of compatibility problems. Or do as I did in 1990, buy a pre-nade unit and after the guarantee has expired take the lid-off and spend the next 6 years upgrading the hardware and software. And view a few you-tube vids for tips and tricks on assembly and configuration.

 

I've never been to any computer fairs, but my understanding of the Ham Radio equivalent was that it sometimes presented an opportunity for sellers to unload  faulty or end-of-line kit on unwary newbies.

 

 

Nick

Edited 25 February, 201610 yr by Clunkclick

+1 for Asus.

 

Never had a problem with them.

Last few I've purchased (albeit a while back) were from Dino PC - you can choose one of their standard systems or choose upgraded components to suit yourself - they then build for you at a competitive price.

Mainstream hardware compatibility is pretty much 100% these days; you do sometimes get issues with new stuff that wasnt around when your other components were designed ( usually stuff like the 8GB RAM chips mentioned earlier); but I havent had ANYTHING refuse to work together in the last 10 years except a Netgear Dongle that would ONLY work with a NetGear router.

 

My current main PC Mobo is a 2008 "top of the line" Asus board that originally only spec'ed for 4GB RAM modules, but 8GB ones work fine; I too have had lots of Asus mobos over the years; and only had issues with one, another (budget), board getting long in the tooth, where a SATA header came off when unplugging a cable.

 

I have just received its replacement (another Asus), and will be transferring ALL of the components from the old one, as the mobo is the only thing left in there that is over 2 years old; the old mobo has taken everything I have thrown at it and worked flawlessly, but it is having a few recent issues with high capacity SSDs, so I am finally retiring it.