I am just curious....?

Has anyone in here ever built a p.c from scratch, like buying separate peripherals and putting them together to produce well functioning processing machine with full system functionality?
Is it expensive to build your own p.c than buying a new fully functional p.c?

If you have built or tried to build one can you please share the outcomes of your project i am really interested in such projects i would also like to build my own p.c if it is possible.

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Comments

kalnoky

I've built 2 from scratch now and even though I don't have my A+ yet,The stuff I have learned from studying helped a ton when i built them. The only minor problem I had was cabling. The first computer I build from scratch I did thoroughly and made sure everything was fine and the end result was just what I wanted. The 2nd computer I just tried to do it a lot quicker and ended up plugging some cords into the wrong area. (sata cable going from hdd to disc drive) Just make sure you take your time :P

Snow.bros

That's a winning formula and i guarantee when you book for your exam you will pass first thing. Keep up the good work.

So is it cheaper to build a p.c from scratch than buying?

xenodamus

It's generally cheaper in dollars, but there can be a significant time investment. Personally, I worked in a PC repair shop for years and built over 1000 custom systems during my employment there. If you know a little about hardware it's not that difficult. Just ensure the components you buy are compatible (i.e. check the motherboard manual to determine what CPUs and RAM types it supports).

Snow.bros

xenodamus wrote: »

Just ensure the components you buy are compatible (i.e. check the motherboard manual to determine what CPUs and RAM types it supports).

Do all motherboard and peripherals that connect to it support interoperability e.g a power supply made by IBM and a motherboard that is manufactured by intel, the power supply has the throughput that is compatible with the motherboard can the PSU supply power to the motherboard?

--chris--

Snow.bros wrote: »

Do all motherboard and peripherals that connect to it support interoperability e.g a power supply made by IBM and a motherboard that is manufactured by intel, the power supply has the throughput that is compatible with the motherboard can the PSU supply power to the motherboard?

PSU's have a standard form factor(s) (link here explaining them), so yes in most cases XXX manufacturer does not matter, as long as its the correct form factor. The biggest concern is that its rated to handle the draw (wattage), and that you have enough connectors to power everything. Second considerations would be if its modular or not (its nice to have in a higher end system, needing more efficient cooling or in a system that may have a lot of cabling).

Some manufacturers use proprietary MOBO's that only work with there systems (Dell Vostro line for example). I think some still use a standard form factor (ATX), but you should check with someone else on that. Also they will be expensive, and limiting all at the same time compared to something similar from a brand like ASUS, ASRock, MSI, etc...

It is a little time consuming to build your own stuff (properly). You should check all hardware manuals of potential pieces to make sure everything works together, and also to make sure it will have the features you want.

There is a chance you get a bad part from the get go (I had a bad ASRock MOBO last year, no USB ports would work) and that can delay you for a week or two during the RMA process.

jvrlopez

Snow.bros wrote: »

Do all motherboard and peripherals that connect to it support interoperability e.g a power supply made by IBM and a motherboard that is manufactured by intel, the power supply has the throughput that is compatible with the motherboard can the PSU supply power to the motherboard?

My PC has an Asus motherboard, Corsair power supply, generic made in China DDR2 RAM, Zotac PCI x1 video card, MSI PCI x16 video card, WD hard drive, Toshiba hard drive, Lite-On DVD drive, Syba USB 3.0 PCI x1 card and is all housed inside a Cooler Master case.

As said above, there are several 'guidelines' or standards (known as form factors) which allow for mixing and matching. As long as the separate parts meet the needed specifications and form factors, you can mix and match all you want.

NotHackingYou

Yes, this happens a lot. I would venture that most people on this board have done this.

srabiee

Many, many times. I almost always recommend building your own PC if you're into gaming. Also, enthusiasts generally tend to build their own PC's as well.

Here's a downside to consider though. If you build your own PC from parts that you order from something like Newegg or Amazon, only the individual parts are covered under warranty (and sometimes the warranty period for these parts is very short).

If you purchase a PC from something like Dell, the entire PC is covered under warranty. You simply have the PC itself repaired under warranty without the extra headache involved of ripping the PC apart and sending individual components back to the manufacturer. Depending on the user's level of expertise, this may or may not be a deal-breaker.

Just some food for thought.

Polycosm

Yeah, you will save a ton of money building on your own, but it is a significant time investment when you're first learning. Although... if you've been studying for A+, you already know most of what you need to know to build a custom PC. The curriculum on CPU models and whatnot may be a bit out of date, and you may need to do deeper research on GPUs if you're building a CAD or gaming machine, but otherwise an A+ student should be pretty well-equipped to build his or her own machine.

Speaking of A+, I found my PC building experience to be extremely valuable for the exams. A couple of the simulation questions would have absolutely blindsided me if I had never built a system up from scratch before. Experience is not necessarily required but it sure helps!

sratakhin

I don't think you can save a lot of money by building your computers if you factor in the cost of the OS, unless you use Linux.
However, you can choose better components and you can get exactly what you want.

Snow.bros

That info is enough to paints a clear picture about building your own thanks for advising guys appreciate it.