Building a PC for some is a far fetched idea. The thought that one can make something so incredibly complex and powerful is quite mind-boggling. Custom PCs are so common and affordable that some may argue it hardly makes sense to build one yourself.

But I'm an engineer and if so many people can do it why can't I? That's what I thought when I first started, and honestly, in hindsight, don't hype it up so much. It's more assembly than engineering. It's a tried and true process that doesn't really take a great deal of thinking to get right. However, saying that it is not a lot of work is certainly an understatement.

Why???

Why even build a PC in the first place? Well, my initial goal was two-fold.

  1. save money.
  2. learn something new.

However, there are quite a few more reasons to build one yourself:

  1. You can upgrade the PC as needed without having to buy a whole new system.
  2. You pick every component, even the ones that prebuilts cheap out on to cut costs.
  3. You can customize the PC to your liking.

As someone who sees themselves needing a performance PC for years to come, this seemed like a worthwhile investment.

Step 2: PC Part Picker

Anyone and everyone will tell you the same thing: Use PC Part Picker. PC Part Picker (PCPP) is a website where you essentially select the components you want to use for your PC, and it cross-checks for compatibility and best pricing. PCPP was a fantastic resource to understand the different components of building a PC. Some of this I learned from other sources, but this is the part of the blog where I drop what I have learned:

  • CPU - There are two choices: AMD and Intel. Intel has better performance for the price tag, but AMD is better overall.
  • Motherboard - Base this off of your CPU. AMD and Intel both connect differently, so an AMD motherboard won't work for an Intel CPU. If you need wifi, make sure to buy one that has wifi capability.
  • RAM - 16GB for most uses, 32GB for high performance. There are specific slots in the motherboard that get filled in first, so pay attention to that.
  • GPU - Honestly didn't pay much attention to this, but you need this for your monitors to plug into. I got 12GB but this is mainly important for gaming. I would have gotten 8GB, but there was a solid deal on a 12GB.
  • Case - Make sure it's compatible with your motherboard. Also important for water cooling is to understand whether your case is compatible with a 240 or 360MM AIO (2 fans or 3 fans).
  • Memory: I think I got like a 1TB or something but make sure you get M.2 and plug it into the right spot.
  • CPU Cooler - I went with water-cooled. My case was 360MM compatible.
  • Power supply - I went with Gold 80+; whatever that means. Just get one from a reputable brand, and that feels good. A nice one isn't too expensive.
  • Fans - IDK, my case came with all the fans.

That's pretty much it. I'm not sure what everyone else does, but PCPP helped give me a good idea of what I needed.

However, a problem came up, and this led me down a rabbit hole that ended up being extremely beneficial. I really wanted a CPU cooler with a screen and was having a hard time filtering for one in PCPP. I decided to search on Amazon and found a nice one for a good price. The problem is that it was not listed in PCPP at all. That's when I realized that maybe PCPP doesn't have everything that I need.

Step 3: RAMPOCALYPSE

This is peak RAMpocalypse time. RAM prices are sky-high and absolutely unprecedented. My PC build is much more expensive than I anticipated as a result. This wasn't going to cut it, and I needed a way to cut the price down significantly.

I started looking at Costco prebuilts, cheap PCs on Facebook Marketplace that I could upgrade, and DDR4 RAM.

And in the darkest of nights, the king was crowned.

Step 4: The King

Micro Center. I'd never heard of the place before moving to Houston. I visited once out of curiosity but had no idea how much time and money I would one day spend in Micro Center.

In the wake of RAMpocalypse, I visited Micro Center to get a better understanding of the components I needed to build a PC, how to pick a case that would fit everything, and how to know what was compatible.

And that's when one of the representatives introduced me to Micro Center bundles. An instant $200 savings on my PCPP list with the purchase of a bundle. This is exactly what I was looking for. I got my quote, sat down at my laptop, and started browsing the Micro Center website.

Micro Center actually has some incredibly competitive pricing. They also have their own PCPP interface for the products they sell. I moved my entire PC list into the Micro Center UI and found that well-priced GPU. When I went back into the store, the representatives helped me pick out a power supply and memory. With the bundle taking care of the CPU, Motherboard, and RAM, and then the purchase of the GPU, memory, and power supply as well, I was most of the way to completing my bill of materials. A couple of Amazon orders later, the case and CPU cooler were ordered.

Step 5: Boxes

There are a lot of boxes. I think it drove my girlfriend a little mad. Thankfully, I got really good at stacking them neatly. If it's your first time, give yourself 6-8 hours. The experts will tell you 3-5, but the issue is that every system is a little bit different, and it takes some extra digging to make sure you are doing the right thing.

Step 6: Assembly

There are a ton of guides out there, and I'm not gonna be another one, but my workflow was basically:

Install CPU on Motherboard > Install RAM on Motherboard > Install Memory on Motherboard > Install CPU cooler mounting bracket onto Motherboard > Screw the Motherboard onto the Case > Plug in case cables > Install power supply > Plug in power supply cables > Install CPU cooler and mount fan(s) > Install GPU.

Why did this take so long? These components don't click into place easily, so I was afraid of damaging them. Also, plugging in the wires was a bit confusing, and I had to rearrange them a couple of times for cable management.

Once everything was together, it was time to make sure it booted into the BIOS. Then you gotta make sure the BIOS settings are optimal and updated.

Then you gotta install the operating system (Windows), which takes some time but worked. Kinda boring. I had to use my girlfriends usb-c mac air and it took like an hour to download Windows onto a flash drive from that. She was napping the whole time tho lol.

And just like that it was done! Here are the final parts:

  • CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus
  • Motherboard: Gigabyte Z890 EAGLE WIFI7 PLUS
  • RAM: Corsair VENGEANCE RGB 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR5-6000
  • Memory: Lexar NM790 1TB 3D TLC NAND Flash PCIe Gen 4 x4 NVMe M.2 Internal SSD
  • GPU: ASRock Intel Arc B580 Challenger Overclocked Dual Fan 12GB GDDR6
  • Power Supply: Seasonic USA FOCUS V4 GX-850 850 Watt 80 Plus Gold ATX
  • Case: Lian Li V100-ATX Mid-Tower PC Case-White-V100RW
  • CPU Cooler: PCCOOLER DT360 360mm AIO CPU Cooler with 3.4-Inch LCD, White