Have you ever built a gaming PC?

[Jayson]

Have never tried it! Don't really have much a desire to. However, though, I do find it interesting - and I can see why certain people might want to.

Anyhow, who has tried this? How did you do it? How would you rate your creation? Also, how would you compare your gaming PC or others to store bought stuff?

 

[Martin Berisford]

I've recently done it, I needed an upgrade on my old 5 year-old PC and I wanted something that was capable of playing GTA V/PUBG etc. without dropping frames down to about 2fps because why not. I was actually quite scared starting out and worried about spending the money and wasting it when I dropped the core into its socket and stuff like that. But I watched a lot of videos online, prepared myself for it and worked out how I wanted to do it and in all honesty, the most annoying part was the fact it took 3 hours to do. An hour of that was moving the dang wires about.

In short, it's actually quite easy, you get to control what's in there and that's more worth it for me. At least I know how to update it now at least when a part goes out of date!

 

[Nerdface]

I've never tried it as I previously didn't feel confident enough with my hardware skills to do it..

Now that I'm working as an IT Technician and have done various hardware repairs, I reckon I could give it a decent go. Unfortunately I just don't have the spare funds right now. Perhaps in a year or two..

 

[Martin Berisford]

I've never tried it as I previously didn't feel confident enough with my hardware skills to do it..

Now that I'm working as an IT Technician and have done various hardware repairs, I reckon I could give it a decent go. Unfortunately I just don't have the spare funds right now. Perhaps in a year or two..

Haha, funds was the biggest barrier for me! In all honesty, I wouldn't worry about your skills with hardware. I was worried constantly about that but the reality is, it is all plug and play. The hardest part of my assembly was getting one or two screws to go in and sorting out the wires. It fairly painless, and especially so after you've dropped the core into place, that's the scariest part!

 

[blaqdu]

Anyhow, who has tried this?

yeah!! it the cheapest way to own your own powerful pc than buying already build pc

 

[Nova]

When building the custom PC and the laptop, you'd understand that you should be considering the specs like the graphics card and the RAM that can last few more years like say 16GB RAma and 4-6GB graphics card can be a good start.

 

[Gopnik]

16GB RAma and 4-6GB graphics card can be a good start.

Aww, you definitely don't choose the graphics card by its virtual memory size. If the chipset is weak (and being a weak one would mean probably being an old one too) the more VRAM on the older chipset wouldn't do anything to over-perform a new chipset with less VRAM. Mhm, not sure how clear the explanation is, lol.

 

[LividJay]

I built my current PC back in 2012. It wasn't initially going to be a gaming PC, but rather powerful enough for software development. A little over a year ago I started updating it for PC gaming by adding more RAM, installing a proper video card, and installing an SSD.

 

[MeowsePad]

I'm still using my build from 2013. I've only done three upgrades to it: GPU, memory, and SSD.

The original specs in 2013:
Intel Core i7-3770k
AMD Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition
8GB DDR3-1333
120 GB Mushkin Chronos SSD

Current specs:
Intel Core i7-3770k
NVidia GeForce GTX 1060 3GB
16GB DDR3-1333 (was 1600, but I let my dad borrow some of my 1600 memory and swapped it out for 1333 memory)
240GB ADATA SP550 SSD

I would love to upgrade to a Ryzen build, but I just don't have the money to do so right now.

 

[Creaky]

Built a number of systems over the years, building your own you get to choose the parts you actually want to use and not what the manufacturer decides for you.

 

[MeowsePad]

Built a number of systems over the years, building your own you get to choose the parts you actually want to use and not what the manufacturer decides for you.

This is huge, especially considering that proprietary systems usually come with trash power supplies that can barely power the system, leaving no room to upgrade.

 

[Martin Berisford]

This is huge, especially considering that proprietary systems usually come with trash power supplies that can barely power the system, leaving no room to upgrade.

The last computer I had, which is ironically the last computer I will ever have that I haven't built myself, came with all the components I chose but also came with a handy dose of hot glue which was joyfully pipped around a lot of my components. Naturally, this was done to ensure I came back to the shop or something I suppose if I wanted to upgrade my bits. This proper annoyed me when one of my bits failed out of warranty so I took to it with a screwdriver and managed to get a bit off so I could replace the faulty component but it was just pointless as hell. From then on, build it myself all the way.

 

[Joshua Farrell]

Have you ever built yourself a gaming computer? If so, is your current computer one?

I have never done a complete custom built gaming computer, but I have upgraded several computers of mine in the past, to be able to handle upper end games that need better hardware to run. I always find it interesting how each company that builds a tower, sometimes would not include a port for a piece of hardware, and I would have to go and purchase a new motherboard with the appropriate connection for the hardware I want to use.

 

[Jayson]

I have no clue about building/or repairing computers. However, I'm not totally in the dark. In fact, a friend of mine wanted to start a repairing business - so I studied the repairman exam (forgot the name) for at least a few weeks I think. Anyhow, he was full of it, lying to me - so it was all wasted. However, though, not really - as I have a good grasp on basic computer repair terminology.

Anyway, I would like a gaming computer, for sure. I am into 3D art and - maybe a homemade computer - is way cheaper than store-bought. Well, it seems that way - and I simply don't have a large income right now.

So do you all think learning to make your computer is within reach - or just for the talented?

 

[Martin Berisford]

Yeah my most recent computer is a fully custom one. Picked all the parts myself (with the help of PCPartPicker), bought them all and then sat down for a building session. I thought it would take like several days but actually only took about two hours and I had it on and ready to go. I was quite surprised actually. It's a great feeling though to have put it all together yourself, ensure all the wires are where they should be and then to hear it boot up, the fans whirring and the screens coming alive with the Windows logo. It's a feel alright.

 

[Nova]

I also have custom PC, though a bit outdated in terms of the config. And it may not play the games after 2018 obviously. As the demand for some of the new games especially on the graphics side is not fitting. But its always a good experience with building the computer with custom config.

 

[Ash]

I have no idea about how I would go about researching or even building my own gaming PC. It's something that I would like to try one day in the future but for the moment, I'll just stick to buying a console and not having to worry about anything

 

[Martin Berisford]

I have no idea about how I would go about researching or even building my own gaming PC. It's something that I would like to try one day in the future but for the moment, I'll just stick to buying a console and not having to worry about anything

Honestly mate I was exactly the same in that department but it was much simpler than I thought it would be. I used a website called PCPart Picker which does what it says on the tin really. Allows you to pick all the parts of your PC but also tells you if X isn't compatible with X so you're not left spending £300 on a core to find out your motherboard doesn't take it which was my big worry. From there, it's a simple case of having a couple hours aside to screw in some stuff, slap on a bit of gel onto your core and slot the rest in.

 

[Cmdr Data]

I've done a lot of research on components and what goes into making an effective gaming rig. However, I've never built one myself. I have, however, installed extra fans to keep a pre-built rig cooler.

 

[Barida]

Being able to build my PC games is what I have always looked at, however, this is something that is not easy to do. This is because it takes a lot of coding processes to be able to get things right. As for making computer upgrade, I take it to my repairer.