If you want something done properly, do it yourself. Gareth Ogden and Valens Quinn don their overalls to make a DIY dream machine.
Here at PC Authority were constantly testing the
If you want something done properly, do it yourself. Gareth Ogden and Valens Quinn don their overalls to make a DIY dream machine.
Here at PC Authority were constantly testing the latest and greatest in PC hardware, effectively sorting out the wheat from the chaff to help you choose the products that best suit your needs. However, despite the range of systems we review and Labs test, there will inevitably be some items bundled with our Recommended and A-List PCs that you dont need or wont use. One way around this is to take the plunge and build your own system. This isnt as daunting a task as it may seem, although to anyone whos never built a system its an undeniably unnerving prospect. All you really need is a set of screwdrivers and a lot of patience. Experience and a working knowledge of PC hardware obviously help, but with a little research theres no reason why you cant knock together
a stunning PC worthy of a place on our A-List.
The question youre probably asking is, why? Why, when you can flick through the pages of PC Authority to find the latest PCs with varying specifications and price tags, would you want to take on the hassle of building one for yourself? There are a couple of answers to this question. Customisation is the first, and possibly the strongest, argument for building your own system. Every user has different requirements and by building your own you get exactly what you want. While its true that vendors save money through bulk buying, their systems often come with hardware that you have no use for.
You can simply omit these items, potentially saving money. The other main reason is upgradeability. In the fast-moving world of PC hardware this is a vital consideration. No matter how much you spend on a PC now, the fact remains that in just 12 months it will be severely dated. The best way to counter this is to look ahead and plan for the future. You may not currently need 30GB of hard disk space, but in a years time you might. Some components age better than others and its worth spending extra on them rather than paying over the odds for the latest and greatest processor, only to find it superseded (and much cheaper)
a few months later.
Despite being technically feasible, building a PC takes planning and has many potential pitfalls, which this feature will try to help you avoid. Well start with budgeting and sourcing - an area where the growth of the Internet can help you immensely. Unlike many areas of retail, PC hardware isnt universally priced, and there are plenty of bargains to be had, providing you know where to look. First, well see how to get the best price, and then well look at each individual component, focusing on the key requirements that will not only make you system fast, but also reliable. Finally, well look at actually assembling the PC, focusing on some of the problems that can arise and how best to configure the system for optimum performance.
For our PC, we set a budget of $4,000 to build a powerful multimedia system capable of effortlessly handling all of todays office applications (see Shopping list). We also wanted it to be capable of more elaborate functions, such as graphics design or DTP, while packing enough punch to handle 3D applications too.