Piecing together a computer can be a little daunting at first. There are a lot of things to consider. Buying parts and haphazardly assembling it isn’t enough. Many computers break down quickly because novice builders tend to go strictly by what others may say on forums, or what their ‘tech’ friend has advised them to get. There’s nothing wrong with that of course, but there’s the tweaking end of things and finding what parts go best with what and possible conflicts that may occur, and avoiding them.

Here are a few tips to think about:

Budget

The most important thing to consider before ever picking up a screwdriver is budget. A lot of people ask me, well how much should I spend? The answer is, it’s up to you. Providing an amount gives the builder (you or someone else) a base price goal.

Making this decision requires that you know what kind of computer you’d like to build. IE, Gaming PC, Workstation/Graphics PC, HTPC (home theater personal computer), or simply a computer that will check email and check things like Facebook or MySpace.

Simplified Budget Breakdown:
These are rough estimates for typical builds.

Cheap (upgrade): $200 average (mobo,cpu,ram)
Gaming PC: $1,000 average – $2,000+
Graphics/Workstation: – $800 minimum – $2,000+
HTPC (Home Theater): – $500 minimum – $1,500+
Average User PC: – $500 minimum – $800+

Buying vs. Building

If you made it to this page, chances are you’ve already decided on building your computer, but often times people are misled. It’s true that you save money by building your own computer. However, know that there is maintenance involved. Consider it like getting your car serviced; if you have a friend mechanic, then great, but if not you will have to go to a shop. Computer geeks will tell you that it’s not worth it purchasing the warranty at a store, sometimes it is.

My advice to people is, think about who can/will fix your computer in the event that it does break down. It’s not a question of if, but when.

If something breaks and is under warrant it’s easy to take it to a store and get it replaced. Custom built rigs often have to hassle with RMA (returns), service reps from overseas and/or manually dealing with having to replace things out. In the end it could be more costly than just simply buying a cheap computer with a warranty.

On the flipside, custom building a computer that will suit our needs is very satisfying. If you’re willing to put the extra time, you can do research and pretty much get the best parts for the money (or let sites like PC Tech do it for you, hahaha). It allows you to be in control of what it is goes into your computer vs settling for what’s on the specs sheet.

Another alternative is to order the computer directly from the manufacturer, sometimes their sites have order forms that let you customize what goes in it. However, be prepared to pay a premium. Not only will you be paying for parts at above cost, you will also be paying for the labor that may be built into the price. Boosting the price of your new PC upwards to $300 or more.