In this debut of my blog, I’m gonna show off my first ever desktop PC build finished in July. Hope you find it helpful, especially if you are actually considering DIY a PC build.
If you would like to just look at the build, click here
Why DIY a PC?
These days, you can easily find those pre-built desktops sold by the PC part manufacturers with reasonable price tags(if you sum up the prices of CPUs, GPU, motherboard etc..). You get to see their specs, and you realize that it doesn’t get much cheaper and can even be the opposite!
So, if you are looking for a new PC, and you found a pre-built that exactly satisfies your needs and budget, you should seriously consider this option. Building a PC for a first timer requires significant time and energy on research.
I almost hit the purchase button to get the pre-built one - it is around $1200, an ATX tower with RTX 2060 SUPER and Intel 9700F
and of course that case is tempered glass and have RGB fans. With that one magic click, a new desktop will be in my house in less than a week.
But at the same time, it’s still more than a touch away from what I want and I need to make compromises: it’s a big rig and my gaming need probably is much less demanding. So I started to look at building my own PC, as an IT Pro but noob in PC build.
Where to start?
This is where first timers like me get lost and people just have different preferences. My take is to start with what you care most about this build. Can be CPU, GPU, motherboard or even the case(size, special look etc..). With a well-planned list for your computer parts, you’re gonna run into less issues during the installation.
For me specifically, since I am trying to build a smaller rig, I started with the motherboard – it has to be of ITX form factor. That enables me to choose the smallest cases. Since the motherboard needs to pair with compatible CPUs, I need to pick the CPU vendor. To me, AMD
is an easy win just because it offers lower cost per computing unit. Don’t forget to checkout those CPU+motherboard bundles offered by the stores.
Key takeaways
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Plan your part list well for compatibilities between parts. The only part that I had a churn on is the CPU cooler – although the dimension is within the range of case specifications, the tower style cooler I got is still not practical in my ITX case.
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If you going to build an ITX , use extra patience in getting the.
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The total price of your build depends on luck – even more so with the pandemic. I feel lucky overall for this build but getting parts NOW is always providing you value.
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Youtube videos are extremely helpful.