Learning How to Build Your Own Computer

Building your own PC can be a fun and rewarding experience. It will also save you a lot of money, as buying your own PC components and putting them together costs far less than buying a pre-built PC from Dell, HP or some other computer vendor.

Of course, building a PC does come with a downside - you have to actually build a PC. This can be intimidating for those who have not previously dealt with computer hardware. The good news is that building a PC isn’t as difficult as you’d think. Even a beginner can build a new computer. It is a learning process, but the end result is a better, less expensive PC than what you can find in stores.

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Because the power supply is big and boxy - and usually is installed in a rather inaccessible part of the case - you’ll probably want to install your power supply first. To learn how to do this, read our article “How to Install a Power Supply.”

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The motherboard is also a very large component. This, combined with the fact that all other components plug into it, means that installing it early is a very good idea. There is some flexibility in the timing of installing the motherboard, however. You may very well want to install the processor and expansion cards, as it might be easier to place them on your motherboard before it goes into your computer’s case.

For more on how to install a motherboard read our guide “How to Install a Motherboard.”

Now you are well on your way to learning how to build a computer. The next component to worry about is your computer’s processor, or CPU. The CPU’s job is to handle all the heavy math which is required in a computer’s operation. It goes a long way towards determining the overall power of your computer, and is also usually one of the more expensive components.

Installing a CPU thankfully is one of less difficult tasks you’ll encounter while learning how to build a computer. The CPU fan which cools the processor, on the other hand, can be a bit finicky. To learn more read our article “How to Install a Processor.”