COMPUTER BUILDING TIPS FOR NEWCOMERS - TO THE WORLD OF COMPUTER BUILDING

[SURbit]

Just some Tips and Tools for New Computer Builders to resource as they may need,

also please do offer your building knowledge in to this Topic for a fuller field experience to

the inexperienced. Thanks....

Building computers can be a difficult process, especially if you’re new to it.
While there are plenty of great video tutorials and articles out there about how to
assemble your hardware, or how to buy it, ultimately you may find yourself wondering
“what are the tricks of the trade?”

Computer building isn’t just a skill or profession; it also has a community of enthusiasts.
Many people, enjoy building computers, so there are many tips and tools that your able to
find on the web and that are enabled to share content, knowledge, and experience with us.

Want to assemble a PC, have a rough idea of your budget, and don’t feel like doing all the
work required in making sure you’re getting the best componets and pricing for your money?
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Let's Start with a couple of Websites:

Logical Increments - http://www.logicalincrements.com/#!/
At Logical Increments if not done already for you, your able to select your Country for pricing
and compont information.

(Found at the right corner above the componets and price listing window is a country menu tab).

Logical Increments is a website that has a constantly-updating window of compatible parts,
making builds suitable for various price ranges, all logical increments listings progress

downwards in terms of power and pricing of the prior line.

(Meaning moving down the list, power and pricing increase and listings line change in color going
from cooler color tones to more of that in warmer color tones).
Hoovering on/over a speific item, pops-up a window with details of that current items information.

The downside of Logical Increments is that it favors all hardware equally in it's line lists.
So, for instance, if you have a game that is CPU-heavy, you could be seeing offered componets with
an expensive CPU and not that of a cheap GPU, something you need to consider on Logical Increments.
There’s also a lot of trending deals and combos that Logical Increments may not include in it's lists.
While it’s a great guide in knowledge to work off of, sometimes you may not be getting the absolute
best performance for your money, so when buying do shop around for currently offered sales.
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PC Part Picker – http://pcpartpicker.com/
PC Part Picker is a platform that allows you to compare hardware components at all different

price ranges, levels of performance and more.

It gives you prices of all the retailers that sell that product, as well, the price of the retailer that’s
selling it for the least, to ensure that you’re always getting the best possible deals on your hardware.

Unlike making a parts list, say, Newegg or Amazon, PC Part Picker has built in compatibility

issue checking, preventing you from buying componets that don’t actually work together.

It even includes an estimated wattage counter, includes mail-in rebates and combo deals,

and allows you to share your computer build anywhere on the Web also.

Start a System Build - http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/

View the Build Guides - http://pcpartpicker.com/guide/

Browse by Indivildual parts, this all has to be done from the websites tabbed tool bar,

making a selection first.

CPU - CPU Cooler - Motherboard - Memory - Storage - Video Card - Power Supply - Case

Cooling:
Case Fans
Fan Controllers
Thermal Compound
Software
Antivirus
Audio & Video
Backup
Design & Illustration
Internet Security
Office & Productivity
Operating Systems
Photography

Drives:
Optical Drives
External Storage
External Hard Drives
Displays
Monitors

Expansion:
Sound Cards
Wired Networking
Wireless Networking
Peripherals
Headphones
Keyboards
Mice
Speakers
Uninterruptible
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Hardware Guides:

https://www.maketecheasier.com/series/hardware-buying-guide/

Information on PC hardware:

• Buying an SSD: What to Look Out for
https://www.maketecheasier.com/buying-ssd-guide/

• Buying a Monitor: What to Look For
https://www.maketecheasier.com/buying-monitor-guide/

• Buying a Keyboard: For Work, Play, and Everything in Between
https://www.maketecheasier.com/keyboard-buying-guide/

• Buying a Mouse: DPI, Sensors and More
https://www.maketecheasier.com/mouse-buying-guide/

• Buying a Graphics Card: FPS, Benchmarks and More
https://www.maketecheasier.com/buying-graphics-card/

•

Buying a Processor: What You Need to Know
https://www.maketecheasier.com/buying-cpu-processor-guide/

• Buying a Case: Drive Bays, Form Factor and More
https://www.maketecheasier.com/buying-a-case/

• Buying a Motherboard: Form Factor, Ports, More
https://www.maketecheasier.com/buying-a-motherboard/

• Buying Memory/RAM: What to Know
https://www.maketecheasier.com/buying-memoryram-what-to-know/

• Buying a Power Supply: Wattage, Efficiency and More
https://www.maketecheasier.com/buying-power-supply/

______________________________________________________________________________

Welcome to The Tech Buyer's Guru Guide to Assembling a Basic PC! We're not just going to tell

you how to build your own computer, we're going to show you how, every step of the way!

http://techbuyersguru.com/pc-builders-guides-assembling-basic-pc

I hope this will help you out in that of -
a lay out of a build or re-evaluate a build you may already have planned or started
and that of maybe with your thinking of upgrading your current computer.

CREDIT and INSRIRATION of my Thread Topic by:
Christopher Harper / Make Tech Easie

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CREATION and ASSEMBLY

Summary of an outline - plan of attack (general in direction)
_____________________________________________________________

Step 1: Size Up A Case - to your needs now and the future additions of components

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-your-own-pc,2601.html

Step 2: Select Your CPU

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-your-own-pc,2601-2.html

Step 3: Select Your Graphics

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-your-own-pc,2601-3.html

Step 4: Select A Motherboard

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-your-own-pc,2601-4.html

Step 5: Select Memory

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-your-own-pc,2601-5.html

Step 6: Select Storage

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-your-own-pc,2601-6.html

Step 7: Select A Power Supply

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-your-own-pc,2601-7.html

Step 8: Other Components

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-your-own-pc,2601-8.html

Step 9: Choose Your Vendor

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-your-own-pc,2601-9.html

Step 10: Preparing For Assembly

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-your-own-pc,2601-10.html

Step 11: Build The Platform (CPU, Cooler, And DRAM)

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-your-own-pc,2601-11.html

Step 12: Install Motherboard And Power Supply

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-your-own-pc,2601-12.html

Step 13: Install Cables, Cards, And Drives

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-your-own-pc,2601-13.html

Credit:Thomas Soderstrom / How To Build A PC: From Component Selection To Installation

...................................................................................................................................................

Here are some other tips for when you’re building your computer.

First, make sure that you know the order you’re going to be putting your parts in the case,

as not to crowd and restrict other component's.
Typically, it’s best to put the motherboard (and the motherboard’s IO plate) in 1st before anything else.

After that, mount the CPU, then the RAM, then the Cooler, then your Graphics Card.

Once you’ve done all these, it’s generally best to add your PSU and mount your Drives, and once you have everything

inside your computer case, it’s time to link them all up with power cables and wires to finish off your computer build.

Here are a few tips and gadgets for your assembly during building, maintaining and repairing computers.
They will all serve to make your life much easier and prevent possible issues from arising during your
building, upgrading, maintenance and/or in that of a PC hardware repairing process.

THERMAL GREASE:
Thermal Grease also known as Thermal Paste, Thermal Compound

A conductive substance that is used to transfer heat from one device to another.
For example, when a heat sink is attached to a chip, there is a huge number of microscopic gaps between the two surfaces.

The thermal grease helps bond the two surfaces and transfer the heat more effectively.


ANTI-STATIC / Wristband and Mat:
Antistatic wristbands and mats are a good investment and used for a reason - static electricy discharge.

Having an antistatic mat to place motherboards, graphics cards and other fragile electronics on when they are
not inside the computer is a good way to prevent them from potentially getting affected by a static electricy
discharge on the working surfaces you are using, countertop, desk, bench, etc.

An antistatic wristband is used to keep yourself grounded as well, when your making contact to these componets.
This is important during the building process, as well as points where you may be opening up your computer for
repairs or to install new hardware.

Static discharges on your components can damage or outright fry them – imagine spending hundreds of dollars on
your componets in the ideal PC, then having a built-up in static electricy zap the components, it does happen.


CABLE MANAGEMENT:

An often-forgotten wisdom of building a computer, especially if you’re new, is taking the extra time required
to perform cable management.
Not only does cable management make everything look neater and helps to prevent restriction of air-flow, it also
helps prevent dust building up, with the use of some ties (twist, velcro, nylon), cable wraps (Flexible Split Loom)
you should easily be able to get all your cables routed out of sight and tied together so you have no other worries.


MAINTENANCE:
Computers seen to be a Dust Magnet. You do not want Dust living in your computer machine.

Once you’ve built your computer, or perhaps you already have an existing one, you’re going to need to dust it - in

semi-regularly periods using a vacuum cleaner or a can of compressed air.

Plus, if you go to long without dusting out your computer, Dust building up in a computer can cause overheating and

therefore losses in performance and potential hardware failures.
Dusting all areas even to catch the outside and inside perforated case areas where the fans intake and exhaust takes place, not forgetting the fan blades as well.


CONCLUSION
Knowing what order to tackle the assembly of your Computer Build,

using good Cable Management, and remembering to stay grounded,

as well as periodic maintenance.

You'll do good in your efforts and maintain a stable running clean computer.


CREDIT - Christopher Harper / Make Tech Easier

[SURbit]

Some more good articles on things to consider when DIY Builds and/or Repairing existing PC's.

* Be sure to check the comments section if offered after the main articles *

" 10 Things you should & should not do when building a PC "

When building a PC whether it is the first time or 10th time there is a lot to consider.

Some consideration points or do’s & dont’s come to mind quickly but others are not so immediate or

clear but are equally as important to keep in mind during the building process.

To try to make the building process as easy as possible here at PCDIY I have provide detailed guides

and checklists to help you along the PCDIY build experience.

The first in our checklist series is 10 things you should & should not do when building a PC.

While there will be more than 10 items covered in this post we will put the focus on the most important.

http://pcdiy.asus.com/2015/08/10-things-you-should-should-not-do-when-building-a-pc/

" Build your own Computer "

Why would someone go out and buy a computer from a manufaturer like Dell or Gateway, when they could

build a more powerful computer for less money? The answer, they do not know how to build it.

This may sound like a complicated process, but in all actuality, it is very simple.

This guide will help you build your very own computer.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-your-own-computer/?ALLSTEPS

" Essential PC Building Tips "

Time-tested tips for PC building that will help you avoid common pitfalls and enjoy a more fulfilling DIY experience.

Most experienced PC builders accumulate their knowledge through horrible mistakes, case scars and flesh wounds,

and the sorrow of having to completely take apart a machine they just assembled because a single, crucial step was

neglected at some point in the process.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

In an effort to spare you years of apprenticeship and trial-by-fire—we’ve assembled the very best PC building

tips we'veacquired over our years of building, including some choice pointers from the professionals.

http://www.maximumpc.com/essential-pc-building-tips/

" Build a PC " - Blueprints of many different Builds for every interest.

http://www.maximumpc.com/build-a-pc/

" Should you buy a pre-built PC or build it yourself? "

~ Hard Choices: The Great DIY Vs Pre-built PC Debate, Part 1 and Part 2 ~

To build or to buy. That is the fundamental philosophical, cultural, maybe even epistemological,

question for we PC lovers.

You’ll either gag at the thought of paying through the nose for an oily work-experience tick to inexpertly cobble your

PC together using whatever bits the system seller bought cheap that week.

Or you’ll wonder why anyone imagines the marginal savings of self build are worth the risk.

Is buying pre-built just paying the man? Let’s pick apart the pros and cons and have a proper powwow in the

comments below.

For part one, we’ll cover off the theoretical bases, the theories, assumptions and practical pros and cons.

In part two, I’ll wheel out some examples from both sides of the equation and get forensic with the cost comparison.

First, some the rules of engagement. We’re talking about full-function PCs built either from components or supplied

as turn-key systems ready to roll.

Re the latter, the assumption is that we’re dealing with systems sold by outfits that at least pretend to understand

what enthusiasts and gamers want and need (on that note, suggestions of one or two Stateside purveyors and

sensibly priced, intelligently specced prebuilts would be appreciated).

Finally, there is no absolute right or wrong here. This is all about making informed decisions, not scoring points.

Hard Choices: The Great DIY Vs Pre-built PC Debate, Part 1

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/10/09/custom-built-pc-or-diy-pc/

Hard Choices: The Great DIY Vs Pre-built PC Debate, Part 2

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/10/16/custom-built-pc-or-diy-pc-2/

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RAM Memory Information: 

 

SDRAM memory evolved into DDR SDRAM memory, which is now up to DDR4 (2014).

Previous standards are DDR, DDR2, DDR3, which can still all be purchased new from sites

such as crucial.com by running its Memory Advisor.

 

Dual-channel and quad-channel memory is employed when two or four memory modules,

respectively, with identical specifications are installed in DIMM memory slots lots on the

motherboard that support dual-channel or quad-channel operations, which theoretically use

both or all four modules as a group, respectively, theoretically doubling their bandwidth,

but without adding much to performance - 5% to 10% at best.

 

The DIMM slots on the motherboard are usually colour-coded to show which ones support

multi-channel operation. The motherboard's user manual, which provides information on

which configurations and memory capacities can be installed, should be consulted to make

sure that the correct memory is installed in the correct slots to achieve the desired modes

of operation - single-channel, dual-channel, triple-channel and quad-channel modes.

 

RAM memory, which cannot retain its data, has not been replaced by flash memory,

which, as in a USB flash drive, can retain its data, because flash memory only has a limited

number of write cycles that will be reached relatively far more quickly if it were used as main

memory compared to how quickly it would be used in an SSD drive that also uses flash memory.

That is not the case with DDR memory, because it has an unlimited number of read and write cycles.

The older the computer the more difficult it is to buy the correct memory for it, not because it isn't available,

but due to the sheer profusion of different types and capacities and the support or lack

of it provided by the motherboards in which it is installed.

Having read the information provided here, you should have a good idea of how matters stand in

the world of memory.

A wide range of problems are dealt with separately in the RAM Memory Problems section of this website.

http://www.pcbuyerbeware.co.uk/RAM-Memory.htm

 

 

Tom's Hardware Links-

 

PC RAM Guide

 http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-1722156/ram-guide.html

 

T H Members help's

 http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2796793/ddr3-ram-guide.html

 

RAM Memory Buying Guide - How to Buy the Perfect Memory For Your New Computer

 

After choosing your CPU and your motherboard it is time to pick out some RAM memory

for your new computer build.

Different motherboards require different types of memory, so you have to make sure the RAM

you buy matches the specifications listed in your motherboard’s user’s manual.

The RAM (Random Access Memory) is the short term memory of your computer and is

used to temporarily store data and code instructions that are used frequently by the CPU.

The RAM is a key component of your system and it is very important to buy fast, high-quality,

reliable RAM or else the rest of the computer will be dramatically slowed down.

It is also important to install enough memory to supply all the programs you will have open at the same time.

4MB may be sufficient for most casual computer users, but 8MB is preferred.

Power users and extreme gamers may need even more.

http://computer-builder.com/parts-guide/ram-memory-buying-guide/

 

 

Experiments in RAM: Memory Myths Put to the Test

 

RAM, like water, is a commodity. And just as there’s a clear difference between putrid L.A. County tap water and

water choppered in from the peaks of Mt. Everest, the quality of RAM can vary wildly.

But quality is not the sole factor to consider when you’re trying to achieve optimum memory performance from your system.

These days, a user is faced with a plethora of options spanning different technologies, speeds, and capacities.

We’re here to help you make heads and tails of all that so you’re prepared when you configure your next rig.

Armed with a slew of RAM-based benchmarks, we set out to answer three of the hottest questions in memory today:

Is DDR3 for AMD’s new AM3 Phenom II CPUs worth the expense?

Should you pay for high-speed RAM or stick with the standard stuff?

Finally, just how much memory is enough? We test three common amounts of RAM for Intel’s Core i7 to identify the sweet spot

.http://www.maximumpc.com/experiments-in-ram-memory-myths-put-to-the-test/#!

 

 

How Much RAM? 4GB vs. 8GB vs. 16GB Performance

 

Keep in mind there is little point in "future-proofing" your system with extra memory now

as adding more down the trackis always a more economical option, provided you have

the empty DIMM slots.

 

Today's modern games and many productivity applications can consume upwards of 4GB,

so there's little argument for not going with 8GB.

However, the need for 16GB of memory is a hotly debated subject, so today we are going see

if and where this much memory might be useful for desktop users.

 

After spending a few hours going through several popular applications and workloads,

it was difficult to find any commonly used program that required 4GB or more system memory

on its own.

Case in point, while working on a Windows 10 desktop machine, with a couple of web browsers

open and over a dozen tabs between the two, Postbox email client, Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Word and

Excel, a couple of IM clients, Sublime Text, an SFTP application, Plex Server, Dropbox, OneDrive, Malwarebytes,

and other system tools running in the background and multi-tasking between programs,

RAM usage would max out at around 70%.

 

Once you have 'enough' memory for all your applications to run, having more memory won't

increase performance any further.

And in this case, what that means is that for regular desktop work, you'll be hard pressed to

find any tangible performance difference between 8GB and 16GB of system memory.

http://www.techspot.com/article/1043-8gb-vs-16gb-ram/

 

 

 

  Foot-Note:

 

People are always in pursuit of magical spells to improve the performance of their systems. On a single search, you can get thousands of answers to enhance your PC’s performance. No doubt, these answers may influence your concerns, to some extent.

This refers to the Memory Management features of household PCs to a certain extent.

The speed of a computer majorly depends upon its memory.

 

As the computer has two basic types of memory, Primary and Secondary, both have unequal role in the promptness of actions.

 

Primary memory, because of being the ready memory, is directly proportional to the speed of your computer. Due to the limited capacity, held by it, Primary memory (RAM) continuously exports data to the Secondary memory (Hard Drive), called Paging. This behavior is adapted, when RAM does not use this data for a specific time span. The overall process of such relocation is called Memory Management. Moreover, many system crashes result due to the disruption in the same Memory

[SURbit]

ADDING More RAM Memory to Your Computer

1.Turn off your computer, unplug it from the power supply.

If you have plenty of room on your desk, you can work on it there leaving the computer accessories hooked up.

If not, then go ahead and unhook all of the cables and move the computer to a suitable location.

2.Remove the side cover from your computer.

Depending on what kind of computer you own, it’ll either be attached via screws or clips.

You should check your manual to see how the cover comes off.

3.Put on a ground strap or touch the metal of the computer case.

This will get rid of any static you might be carrying, you don’t want to ruin any of your computer’s components with a static shock!

4.Locate your RAM slots.

If there are wires in the way, check to see if you can move them without unhooking them.

If you do have to unhook any, make sure you hook them back up in their proper place once you installed the new memory.

5.Open your new RAM that you have bought.

Keep in mind that you should always hold memory by the edges and never by the pins or the surfaces.

6.If you are replacing the old RAM with the new RAM, look at your RAM slots in your computer.

You should see little tabs on the sides of the RAM. Push those down and the memory should pop up and come loose.

Remove the old RAM from the machine.

Take your new RAM and place it in the spot were the old memory was. Push down on each side and the tabs should rise up.

You know you have it in place with the tabs click and you see that the tabs are in the little groove holes of the memory’s sides.

*An important note to consider is if you see different colored slots (2 sets of blue or black) then install
the memory into the same colored slots unless you have more sticks of RAM.

7.If you are adding on more memory, locate a free slot(s). Take your new RAM and place it in that free slot.

Push down on each side and the tabs should rise up. You know you have it in place with the

tabs click and you see that the tabs are in the little groove holes of the memory’s sides.

*An important note to consider is if you see different colored slots (2 sets of blue or black) then

install the memory into the same colored slots unless you have more sticks of RAM.

8.Now that the RAM is in place, hook any cables that you might have unhooked getting to the RAM.

9.Take off your grounding strap and put the cover back on the computer.

10.Hook all of your computer cables back up and plug it back in.

If you were successful, the computer should boot up like normal.

To check to see if the new RAM was installed correctly, go to the Start menu,

click Settings, and then click Control Panel.

Click System and then select the General tab. At the bottom of the page you should see

the amount of RAM.

With the additional RAM you have installed, you’ll notice that the machine will run faster

and certain games, programs may respond better.

[fbforums1]

Nice thread, and thanks for the guide! I already built my computer and the satisfaction was enormous! 

 

I don't wish to insult you/be a d*/ungrateful, but I honestly believe when it comes to building computers, a video guide speaks a lot more words than text.

 

 

[Sandivisi]

nice info, iam have plan to buy origin pc next month, i hope that is the best choice

[nickyooh]

love this thread very interesting

[SURbit]

On ‎12‎/‎12‎/‎2015 at 3:04 AM, fbforums1 said:

Nice thread, and thanks for the guide! I already built my computer and the satisfaction was enormous! 

 

I don't wish to insult you/be a d*/ungrateful, but I honestly believe when it comes to building computers, a video guide speaks a lot more words than text.

 

 

Oh totally agree with you there, if you have some links to video posts of basic to advanced topics - then by all means feel

free to post the links here in this thread. I'm sure they will be used by someone.

Please make sure they are of quality and kindly do not include youtube related = revenue generated views, thank you.

 

I think that everyone helping each other out and adding to the thread - could make this a HUB for a vastness of knowledge.

 

Some times videos are not an all purpose instructional venue to understanding when a monitor or related software isn't

available though. Just like everything there's Pro's and Con's and really boils down to what works best for you.

 

Often I find that going to a website that has great content and instructions and then converting the website to a PDF for later

offline viewing really helpful to referring back to special helps and information.

[SURbit]

On ‎12‎/‎12‎/‎2015 at 5:49 AM, Sandivisi said:

nice info, iam have plan to buy origin pc next month, i hope that is the best choice

 

@Sandivisi  prebuilts referring to desktop computers, purchasing a computer is often a trying,

expensive affair, especially if you aren’t sure what to look for.

The deceptive tactics of marketers, typically result in you spending too much money on what ends up being weak hardware for the asking price.

This especially applies if you aren’t familiar with the price of the components in question –

most people who are - simply don’t bother purchasing prebuilt computers.

 

I think it really comes down to one's comfort level and then your purchasing ability.

It's easier to make a few hundred dollar mistake than opposed to a few thousand dollar

mistake. One has to get their feet wet somewhere along the line as a computer user/owner.

So if this is where you are now, do know, you can only go up from here.

I'd like to give you some help with this.

 

Before we get into the benefits of ordering your own rig and either building it yourself or having someone else build it for you, let’s talk about some areas where prebuilts will usually come out

on top.

 

Priced low.

The cheapest prebuilt desktops you can find typically sell for a couple hundred bucks.

These models are typically a few years old and are out of active rotation but end up available

at what’s actually a really good price for the performance.

Even so, be sure to inspect the specs before buying to make sure you aren’t being cheated.

 

Easier warranty, repairs and replacement.

When you purchase individual parts for a PC, all of your parts come with long warranties.

However, this means whenever you have a problem with a custom-built PC, you have to diagnose what’s causing the issue yourself and go through the process of contacting the company you bought it from and maybe even performing what’s called a return merchandise authorization (RMA). Have a problem with a prebuilt and you only have to contact the company that manufactured it as opposed to one per component.

 

Convenience.

Despite the drawbacks of prebuilt desktops, it usually is more convenient to just buy a computer knowing that it’s going to work, and that if it doesn’t you can just get it warranty replaced.

There’s more to this than it seems, but I'll go into that later.

 

~ Now that's covered the benefits of prebuilt desktop computers –  let’s go into the points of why you shouldn’t buy one. ~

 

*Overpriced for Components, Especially at Higher Price Ranges (Very True for current models - more so with high end units)

safer (If you buy a New unit that's a year or two older model).

 

Let me just say this right off the bat: if you’re buying a gaming rig, it will always be far cheaper to buy a machine of equivalent specifications than to buy a prebuilt from a company like Alienware.

 

Make a visit to any PC-gaming community, and you’ll see plenty of people’s ugly sides whenever

Alienware is mentioned.

This ranges from outright spite, or in most cases an outpouring of sympathy for the newbie who bought an Alienware and didn’t know that he was actually wasting a fair amount of his money in

doing so.

In addition to the problems that l'll be discussing later, expensive prebuilt gaming PCs tend to be overpriced for their specifications.

Sometimes, this can be innocent – a $20 or $50 margin – in which case it’s actually a good deal. Other times, this gap can be in the hundreds of dollars, sometimes up to a thousand.

 

In addition to being overpriced for their specs, many high-end prebuilts also don’t perform as well

as they should, at least not in games.

For instance, many “gaming” PCs are shipped with Intel Core i7 processors alongside a weak graphics card.

Not only is an i7 a huge overkill for most titles you’ll throw at it (a line of processors best used by professionals, streamers and video editors), but it’s also significantly more expensive, doesn’t offer a performance boost compared to an i5 in most titles, and is bottlenecked by the rest of the

computers components.

[In computing, a bottleneck is when something is preventing a component from performing to its

fullest potential. An i5 is good enough to power all but the very best GPUs.]

Pairing a weak GPU with a strong processor doesn’t make much sense in terms of performance, but unfortunately it happens all the time.

 

*Poor Build Quality/Power Supply Issues - Price/performance is my main issue with prebuilt

desktops, but there’s more to it as well.

Many prebuilt desktops come with poor build quality and bad power supplies

(and “bad” power supplies can be disastrous in the long run).

Not only does this make the desktop easier to break and harder to maintain, a manufacturer

skipping in important areas like system cooling and the power supply can result in overheating,

performance bottlenecks, failure of hardware or even actual real fires.

 

Also, as noted a PC can suffering from a variety of issues beyond just being ugly and overpriced. While it's actual specs aren’t poor, the quality of the PSU, the presence of only a single cooling fan, and the usage of a low-end motherboard all dampen the experience significantly.

The other components being no-name cheapo components is especially bad because while the core components of the PC are indeed very powerful, low-end hardware can and will fail, especially when put into a case that has very poor airflow and cooling.

 

In addition, many prebuilt computers can be difficult to perform maintenance on and upgrade.

The PC you buy, for instance is a small form, it certainly wont fit a second graphics card or leave room to account for water-cooling, and prebuilt PCs with special small form factors can be a

particular headache to deal with while working on the inside of them.

 

~ So to sum it up ~

 

 Some prebuilts might not have the best build quality, many of them may be overpriced for their hardware, but what about convenience and peace of mind?

Why can’t I just buy a prebuilt desktop and enjoy using my computer?

 

The truth is you can. However, I’m of the belief that things like computers and smartphones

are investments, not just items for personal entertainment.

In fact, even if used exclusively for personal entertainment, why pay more for less?

 

As for the actual hard, scary part? The building? Let’s say you’ve looked at tutorials, and it

seems too difficult for you, or you simply don’t have the time or the inclination to build your own PC.

You can still buy the parts – PC Part Picker will ensure compatibility, and Logical Increments will too – and take them to a local computer shop or tech guy to have them assemble it all for you.

You might not even do that if you have a friend who’s experienced with computer hardware,

building and repair.

They’d probably love to help you!

 

I'd say at least give these links a click on and explore a little and see if something there clicks

within you - friend.

I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors, and anyone else in this same area. 

 

From the OP:

http://www.logicalincrements.com/#!/

http://pcpartpicker.com/

 

Just Added:  PC Enthusiast Communities

https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc

https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace

https://forum.teksyndicate.com/

http://linustechtips.com/main/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SURbit]

Thought I'd pass on to ya all an email I received from Logical Increments-

 

Happy Holidays! There are a lot of good PC hardware buys right now, but also some things you should wait on.

Aside from Black Friday, Christmas and the holiday season is typically the next best time of year to buy PC hardware. Between Christmas sales and retailers selling off end-of-year loss leaders, there are ample opportunities to score on upgrades or new builds.

["Loss leaders" describes the concept that an item is offered for sale at a reduced price and is intended to "lead" to the subsequent sale of other items, the sales of which will be made in greater numbers, or greater profits, or both.]

With that in mind, we want to provide some insight on what's a good purchase for Christmas 2015, and what you should hold off on purchasing.

Good buys right now

Intel's Haswell CPUs: With the release of Skylake CPUs this past summer, the Haswell generation of Intel CPUs has seen some decent price drops and discounts. You can find great CPUs from the Haswell generation that nearly match the performance of Skylake CPUs, but for a fraction of the price. The i5-4690K ($210) can almost rival the i5-6600K ($295), while the i7-4790K ($300) gives the i7-6700K ($495) a run for its money.

SSDs: Storage prices historically fall over time, and SSD prices fell quite a bit in 2015. You can now find 120 GB drives like the SanDisk SSD Plus selling for as little as $40, making SSDs a no-brainer purchase for even the lowest budget builds. With 500 GB models of the SanDisk Ultra II and Samsung 850 EVO selling for $140-150, it also makes sense to upgrade your laptop's storage to an SSD if you're still using a clunky old hard drive.

AMD 200-series GPUs: AMD's 300-series of GPUs has been out since the summer, but they're only a small upgrade from the 200 series. In fact, their graphical processing horsepower is essentially identical. But right now you can find the 200-series equivalents for considerably less money than the 300-series. The R9 280x, R9 290, and R9 290X can all be found on discount right now as they're slowly phased out. These are still great graphics cards.

GPUs in general: One of the most common questions we're asked is, "Should I buy a graphics card now, or wait until the next generation?" Assuming there aren't delays, we still have until at least summer 2016 for new graphics cards to hit the market with NVIDIA's Pascal, and AMD's Arctic Islands will hopefully come out before the end of the year. That's a long time to wait for a new graphics card if you're due for an upgrade. GPU prices are reasonable right now, with some great cards available for the price. There will always be a new generation of graphics cards on the horizon, so our advice is to buy now if it's upgrade time.

DDR4 RAM: Prices for DDR4 are finally coming down into reasonable territory. In fact, they've already dropped by 40 percent in the last six months. They should no longer be a hurdle if you're looking to upgrade to a new chipset.

1440p and 4K screens: High-resolution screens are usually one of those luxury items reserved for the most hardcore PC gearheads. But some high-res monitors have fallen into seriously affordable territory. You can get a good 1440p monitor for as low as $250 (the Acer G257HU), and a 4K screen for $500 (the Dell P2715Q).

What to wait on

Skylake CPUs: The prices of these CPUs are not reasonable right now in relation to Haswell CPUs that are nearly just as good.

What about Pascal and Arctic Islands? Should I wait for those?

As mentioned above, the upcoming generations of GPUs from NVIDIA (Pascal) and AMD (Arctic Islands) are still a ways away. We'll see Pascal in summer 2016 at the earliest, and AMD is hoping to release Arctic Islands before the end of 2016. If you're hurting for a new graphics card, don't wait around. There will always be a new generation on the way, so we recommend upgrading whenever you feel it's necessary.

With that advice, we at Logical Increments wish you a wonderful holiday season. May your CPUs stay cool and your CUDA cores busy.

 

What else are we working on?

We recently published a guide to Building a PC for VR Gaming (Oculus Rift & HTC Vive). If you're planning to prepare your PC for virtual reality, this guide covers everything you need to know.

[SURbit]

 Hey all thought you might be interested in this found elsewhere in the nsane forums-

 

Upgrading and Repairing PCs, 22nd Edition - EPUB / shared by Joe13

 

Link: Upgrading and Repairing PCs, 22nd Edition - EPUB