How easy is it to build a PC?

Buck

Buck

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I would say I'm not a complete technophobe but have never gone anywhere further with a PC thank swapping out a hard drive or installing more RAM

I am thinking about having a small form PC to run Zwift (cycling turbo trainer programme) but this requires quite a powerful graphics card/processor so my spare desktop won't cut it!

Their recommended specs are

Windows 7 or OSX10.7
Dual Intel Core i5 or AMD
2GB Radeon R9 200 series or NVIDIA GTX 650 I've seen the GTX970 working really well with this)
8GB RAM

Is it fairly easy to build such a spec and also relatively cheap - I don't want and can't justify an expensive/v high spec machine not doing much else!


Thoughts and advice appreciated on where to start etc.
 
Quite straightforward and as for keeping cost under control for a "simple" rig have a gander at bare bones starters

Here. http://www.novatech.co.uk/barebonebundles/

Talk to them about the extras to get to what spec you need :)

HTH

PS IMO the best SFF (small form factor) models are Shuttle but they carry a price premium
 
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The other thing that struck me was that W7 may be hard to get hold off....at least with the reassurance of be sure it is a legal copy. Maybe Novatech still have some???

Edit - they do list W7 Home Premium only.
 
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To be honest I would avoid a "bare bones" system

Instead source your parts from various sources, you should get more for your money that way

Legitimate copies of win7 can still be found at various outlets
 
Buck said:
Is it fairly easy to build such a spec and also relatively cheap - I don't want and can't justify an expensive/v high spec machine not doing much else!
Click to expand...
Yes. It's very easy to build PC these days. If it doesn't fit, don't force it in.

scan.co.uk and amazon are my usual sources, both offer competitive price and great customer services. But I personally favor second hand parts, like second and cars, they are cheaper and work just as well.

This one looks good, just add a graphics card: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Custom-ga...778983?hash=item3ab6c9c267:g:G6MAAOSw4UtWS36p
With ebay, avoid ones that are vague about the components. "i5 3GHz" doesn't tell you anything, you want to see "i5 2500k" and specifically the PSU model, 600w PSU means nothing if it's a cheap £10 unit. Never, ever go cheap/non-branded on PSU.
 
It is very easy to grab the components and throw them together. It gets a bit more interesting if you want to have it look nice, be power efficient, quiet, stable and quick.

@wuyanxu is right, a decent PSU will solve a lot of problems. Don't be taken by high power, but look at efficiency, otherwise you just be heating the room, use a lot of energy, and still don't provide stable power to the device.
 
My son and I built my own computer and took a lot of research believe me after deciding on how much to spend.I wanted one manly for photographic work against say a gaming machine or a bog standard use for everything one type.


First there was the computer case, some had side vents , not the ideal, and some had straight through vents, ie back and front so air flow did not get diverted. Also quiet cooling fans, nothing worse than having a computer next to you with noisy fans going all the time.


Next as the number of ports and type and position. We got one with USB3 ports on top as well as USB 3 and USB2 at the back.Then comes the motherboard- processor- power unit Hard drives(we opted for SSD ones)-graphics cards- sound cards -RAM etc etc the list is endless. I suppose in total it took about 3 months comparing one item against the next with upgrades going on all the time.

Have to admit my son did most of the work with me keeping his mind on the graphics side of things.

One thing about building your own, you know what quality of parts are inside, something you can't know from prebuilt computers.

WE also sourced most parts from SCAN computers who were very good
 
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I learnt by taking my own pc apart and rebuilding it - mind that was 30 odd years ago when there wasn't anywhere to take it when it broke! Dell 486sx25 :-) Things haven't changed much since then other than different cables and sockets really. Most motherboards come with instruction books specific to the board. If you are buying bits just make sure it fits the case, you get the right processor for the socket and the right ram - some use laptop ram and some full size ram. Check the spec of the mobo before you buy the ram and processor. Its probably easier than you think.
 
Cheers all.

I'll see if I can find some "how to" guides on building/upgrading PCs and then work out some prices and see where I go from there.

Thanks
 
If you have been OK with swapping out a hard drive and installing RAM I am sure you will be OK with building a PC from scratch

Loads of decent videos on YouTube that show you step by step as a way of reference

Also if you have any questions just come back and ask, I and I am sure others will be happy to help and answer questions
 
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not to hard unless you have a problem :)

scan do installation insurance cheapily, based on what u buy
 
As above it is pretty straight forward - the one area to be careful with through is installing your CPU to avoid bent pins (easy enough - just be careful / gentle) and then the thermal compound application before the heat sink is applied to the CPU (unless it comes pre-applied)

Other than that it's quite straight forward just take it slow, use some common sense and shout up here for help I you get stuck or aren't sure of something - also give Aria PC a look - they have some great deals, are usually competitively priced and I have always had great service from them :)

Good luck :D
 
Thanks all

So, I'm thinking I need to decide on what processor I want and what graphics card then get the relevant Mother Board and check, check and check again re compatibility.

I sense a new year project for me. Thanks for everyone's thoughts and suggestions - great stuff!
 
OK, as it is lunchtime, I have had a very quick scout around on www. scan.co.uk and come up with a few items. What do people think of this specification? Where am I missing a trick/over kill etc. I know this is probably not a "good" machine at present but I thought if I put some specs together I can then start to amend as I go then start looking for best prices etc.

As mentioned, my aim is to build a good value unit as it will only be used for Zwift and not an everyday machine so beauty is not essential but value is!!



Case
Silverstone GD09B Grandia Black HTPC ATX Case with USB 3.0 & Black Interior Scansure £55.99

Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-H170-HD3 DDR3, Intel H170, S 1151, DDR3/DDR3L, SATAe, M.2 (PCIe/SATA), 2-Way CrossFire, GbE LAN, USB3, ATX £73.40

Processor
Intel Core i5 6500, S 1151, Skylake, Quad Core, 3.2GHz, 3.6GHz Turbo, 6MB Cache, 1050MHz GPU, 32x Ratio, 65W, CPU Retail £157.38

GPU
2GB EVGA GTX 750Ti SC GAMING, PCIe 3.0, 5400MHz GDDR5, GPU 1176MHz, Boost 1255MHz, Cores 640, DP/HDMI/DVI-I £94.50
or
2GB Palit GTX 950 StormX, PCIe 3.0 (x16), 6610MHz GDDR5, GPU 1026MHz, Boost 1190MHz, Cores 768, DP 1.2/HDMI/DVI/DVI-I DL£116.34

HDD/SSD
240GB Kingston SSDNow V300, 2.5" SATA III 6GB/S SSD, MLC-Flash, Read 450MB/s, Write 450MB/s, 85000 IOPS £59.94

RAM
8GB (2x4GB) Corsair DDR3 Vengeance Racing Red, PC3-17066 (2133), Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 11-11-11-27, XMP, 1.5V £45.30

The above is c.£500

Is there anything else I would need (cables/PSU etc.) I am sure there is!!
 
This is the budget build I'd go for, loosely based on yours: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/wB2Hcf
Comes in at ~£540

Main differences:
Cheaper case - we currently use these BitFenix cases at work and they are brilliant for the dosh. Plenty of space to work in. Tooless removal and replacement of disks. Fairly good looking too.
DDR4 Memory
Smaller/faster SSD with a traditional HDD for big storage
Decent quiet/energy efficient PSU
 
afasoas said:
This is the budget build I'd go for, loosely based on yours: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/wB2Hcf
Comes in at ~£540

Main differences:
Cheaper case - we currently use these BitFenix cases at work and they are brilliant for the dosh. Plenty of space to work in. Tooless removal and replacement of disks. Fairly good looking too.
DDR4 Memory
Smaller/faster SSD with a traditional HDD for big storage
Decent quiet/energy efficient PSU
Click to expand...

Thanks for this and also for pcpartpicker - that really helps (y)

Is the R9 graphics card better than then GTX750/950 ones?
 
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In short, yes. Really you need to read some reviews. I was trying to hit the sweet spot on £££/performance.
 
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Very easy, but ... going against the forum grain here ...
on a basic machine it's a bit pointless 'cos you can always find good deals on ready-built machines around and that takes away the risk of cocking it up...

I have built and bought myself, depends on what you want in the end.
 
afasoas said:
This is the budget build I'd go for, loosely based on yours: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/wB2Hcf
Comes in at ~£540

Main differences:
Cheaper case - we currently use these BitFenix cases at work and they are brilliant for the dosh. Plenty of space to work in. Tooless removal and replacement of disks. Fairly good looking too.
DDR4 Memory
Smaller/faster SSD with a traditional HDD for big storage
Decent quiet/energy efficient PSU
Click to expand...


The problem is you don't know the quality of the parts used , build yourself and you can compare one part with another
 
Fairly easy but watch out on your spec at the graphics card, they have quoted a 650 to 970 they are massively poles apart in price and performance so I would be tempted to find out the ideal card. a 650 will cost you £80 a 970 over £250. Also the power requirements between them are huge and the heat produced also.

Looks very like a medium range gaming PC?
 
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Referring back to the OP, min spec looks like an AMD Radeon R9 200 or NVIDEA GTX650 which are broadly equivalent.

Buck said:
2GB Radeon R9 200 series or NVIDIA GTX 650 I've seen the GTX970 working really well with this)
Click to expand...


Benefits of building your own:
- Can make sure you get a decent case which matches the ATX standard as oppose to any OEMs variation
- Can ensure that pennies haven't been scrimped on fans + PSU
- You don't wind up with an OEM mobo which is difficult/expensive to replace when it goes wrong (see top bullet)
- You can also ensure cabling is well managed

I've wound up dealing with all of the above at one time or another.
It's generally cheaper too, except on occasion when you can pick-up older models on OEM builds on clearance etc.
 
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