PC, Build Or Buy?

Dale.

Dale.

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Dale.
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The time has come, for a new PC. My current one is just about 8 years old, a decent spec for the time but it has now begun to creak, with frequent lock ups, slow downs, crashes and occasional BSODs.
I'm saving the pennies for a new one. My budget for the tower itself will be sub £800, hopefully. I'm hoping to get some peripherals on top of that, possible a new monitor, keyboard speakers etc.

The main tasks I use a PC for are processing (LR, CS , Topaz, Canon DPP4), browsing the web, YouTube etc. I listen to music too. I don't game but might be tempted to dabble. I feel I would need a minimum gaming level at least for processing.

I'm trying to figure out a way forward. I've put myself off buying something from the likes of Currys, Dell etc, although I am willing to be advised on that. I am thinking of maybe going to a local PC builder,( I know of 2 with good reputations), telling them my budget and see what they come up with.

I've been advised by a mate that maybe second hand components would be a way forward but I'd rather new.

The way I see my options are these,

1, buy an off the shelf gaming machine, (where from?)
2, get one built,
3, build one myself.

I'm not daunted by building one myself, I think I'm savvy enough engineering wise to build one. The problem for me would come if there were any problems, software/hardware conflicts or getting the system stable etc.

I'm also finding the variety of components daunting.

I'm thinking a spec as follows, there or thereabouts.....

16GB RAM, min,
AMD 5 or Intel i5,
500GB SSD to run things, with a piggy backed 2TB HDD for storage, as well as external back ups,
GeForce XTX 1660 Super Graphics (minimum),
AMD Ryzen Motherboard,
other required hardware to be advised, case, PSU etc,

If I do hunt and gather the needed components to build it myself, I'm not sure the best place to source and buy from?

If I buy off the shelf, I'm not sure where from?

If I decide to get one built, I have 2 options but of course, there's a labour cost on top, something I could use to upgrade a component of a self build.

Has anybody here built their own and how did it go? Where did you source your bits?

Any advice appreciated, as always.

thanks.


:)
 
Chillblast seem to have some ready to go for not much more than you are thinking.
They are based West Yorks now I have two from them been good really oldest now 12 years old still Ok for photo editing and general use like office work.
Though if you are editing 4K you need higher specs to avoid frustration IMO
 
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I’ve not built a PC for ages. I bought a late 2012 iMac 27 in 2013 to replace an old AMD Athlon Shuttle based PC that I’d put together some years earlier. Built a dozen, maybe more in the past, some for me, some for friends, family and neighbours. As you say, putting one together isn’t difficult. Hopefully Windoze is a bit easier these days

I’d still consider building a PC, and now that the Mac is getting a bit long in the tooth coupled with the direction Apple seem to be going (minimum spec, maximum prices), that may become an option.

Would need to do some real catch-up reading though to get my head around relevant specs and so on. But, I would certainly consider buying one ready built unless the cost saving for self-build was substantial.
 
I built mine in 2021, pretty much from scratch. It isn`t hard at all. Just go slow and steady etc.

I used a combination of Scan, CCL and Amazon (for the case, as it had the best price).

Go for it (y)
 
Had mine built by CCL six years ago and ts never missed a beat.
Give thm a ring and tell them what you want it for and lt them sec it.
 
I went for a Novatech about 12 years ago, although it has now been upgraded a few years ago.
(256 SSD more memory more storage )
You can pick what you want, off the shelf, and / or add stuff as extras.
I've no idea on their prices these days, though.
 
I think I paid around £350 for a rebuild from CCL Online. My spec was a a Risen 5600g, 16gb RAM, 500gb NVME, upgraded wifi and PSU. I removed the copy of Windows to save £100. I then added a RTX3060 that I purchased separately. Prices seem a touch higher since I had mine done.
But I was very happy with CCL Online and it came with a good warranty that you won't get with a self build.

This is £495 with no OS and no GPU. Edit: Use SANTA10 for £10 off so £485. Or £730 for above spec with a 1660 super. 3 year on site warranty too.
 

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With the right components, building a PC is little more challenging than Lego and it will save you money. However, choosing the right combination of components can be a bit of an art.

CCL did mine and if you avoid their busy periods I think they are excellent. Their last minute tests avoided a costly mistake with an incompatible board which possibly saved me a good fraction of their cost. Other names mentioned in this thread all get great reviews too.

Since you mention you like music, save some money for speakers. On advice I received here, I dodged "PC speakers" and bought some Edifier R1280DBs. Even the Teams "you have work to do" bong sounds great through them.
 
Thanks for the replies. (y)

I'd never considered Apple and the Minis. My mate has one and loves it.

I'm leaning at the moment to purchasing a ready built PC after looking at the recommendations here. I think I can get one to come in on, or near budget and have some wiggle room too.
Not 100% decided yet, unless this one blows up in the meantime, I will ponder things for a bit longer and I may decide by Christmas or by the New Year.

One thing is for sure, a new PC is a certainty soon.
 
Just as an alternative idea, how about upgrading your old machine? I have a 2012 Dell XPS into which I put a new 1Tb Samsing Evo SSD, and 1050Ti graphics card and uppped the memory, and it runs superbly, handling my usage of Capture One very nicely. The only problem is that it won't run Windows 11, so will hav to be replaced in 3 years time, but the upgrades have given it a real new lease of life.
 
Have used Overclockers for many years for all things PC.
Prebuilt with your configuration has always been my choice.
Recently purchased a couple of these:-

OcUK Gaming Kinetic H5M - Micro ATX Intel H510 Configurable Comet Lake Home PC

Sorry, a direct link didn't work!
 
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Dale. said:
Thoughts please?

Horizon 5M AMD RTX 3050 Gaming PC | CCL


Horizon Stryker Gaming PC | CCL

Intention would be to piggy back my own 2TB HDD.

Thanks. :)
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If you are looking to keep the system for a few years without doing much to it, then the Horizon Stryker is the better option as it's a better processor so worth it for the few £ extra. You can always upgrade to a 16 core 5950x at a later date if you need more cores, and a separate GPU.

However, I notice the Motherboard doesn't have any USB-C ports, so I'd be tempted to look for one which has at least one USB-C port for future compatibility. Pretty much all new phones, tablets, laptops etc are USB-C, and you can even connect and power some monitors through such ports.
 
IMHO - Having spent the last 20+ years building PC's for customers I suggest using a reputable local PC builder and look to get the best motherboard and processor you can afford on the basis that GPU, Memory and storage can always be added a later date.

For reasons of performance and reliability I tend to use Intel Systems based on Asus motherboards, with a good M.2 NVMe SSD (look carefully and R/W speeds for the OS and Software) and 2.5" fast SSD for online storage and several 2-4Tb Sata Drives for longer term storage.

With your budget in mind a 12th Gen i5 CPU (12600KF) on a ASUS B660 Mobo and 16Gb DDR4 memory and a 1Tb M.2 drive should be achievable.

PS Intel prefix K = overclockable & prefix F means NO onboard graphics (why pay for something you do not need if fitting a discrete GPU)

Good hunting and have fun !
 
I went through this dilemma last month. My PC (mobo) wasn't W11 compliant so it was time to upgrade. It was a 2016 build (6 years old).

When I looked at the bits, I had a perfectly good power supply, GPU, case, and a 1Tb M2 drive coupled with 2 500Gb SSDs. The main cost of a "new" PC was the GPU, so by making the decision to keep mine and upgrading the bits around it, I kept costs right down. Buying new would have actually meant a downgrade with my budget (£1k).

So I went from an i7-6700 to an i7-13700 (needed a new cooler) and 32Gb DDR5 RAM as well as a couple of 2TB WD Blue M2s (Scan.co.uk were having a deal on them). With the Z790-P motherboard it all came in just over a grand. The only future things I'll need will be another couple of 16Gb sticks in the new year and a GPU maybe next summer. With everything on M2s now there are barely any cables inside so it looks neat too. Added bonus was that my original copy of W10 activated fine and upgraded happily to W11 (despite this being pretty much a new computer). I've just sold the CPU and Memory from my "old" PC on eBay which recouped just over £100. If I'd been more careful recovering the motherboard, I could have sold that too.

Had a hairy moment when it wouldn't boot due to me not being forceful enough inserting the ram, but after that, it was nice to have a quick PC again and be able to update to Win11. And I'm no PC builder.
 
only this last few days my son built this for me

My existing computer is 10 and a half years old and started having a few issues so time for an upgrade and was a self build. won't take windows 11

Apart from canniblising the 750w PU and graphics card plus a few other bits an d pieces
This is first look at components for a self build.

1= [be quiet! Pure Base 600, Black, Mid Tower Computer Chassis, 140/120mm Fans, USB 3.0, ATX/Micro-ATX/Mini-ITX]

2_Noctua NH-U12S SE-AM4 Ultra-Quiet Slim CPU Cooler, 1x 120mm NF-F12 PWM Fan, Copper Base/Heatsink, Aluminium Fins, AM4

3= 32GB (2x16GB) Corsair DDR4 Vengeance LPX Black, PC4-28800 (3600), Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 18-22-22-42, 1.35V

4=[Windows 11 Home Edition, 64-bit, English International, USB

5=ASUS ROG STRIX B550-F GAMING WI-FI II, AMD B550, AM4, DDR4, PCIe 4.0, SATA3, Dual M.2, 2.5GbE, 2x2 Wi-Fi 6E/BT5.2, ATX

6 =AMD Ryzen™ 7 5800X, AM4, Zen 3, 8 Core, 16 Thread, 3.8GHz, 4.7GHz Turbo, 36MB Cache, PCIe 4.0, 105W, CPU

7=1TB Samsung 970 EVO Plus, M.2 (2280) PCIe 3.0 (x4), NVMe SSD, MLC V-NAND, 3500MB/s Read, 3300MB/s Write, 600k/550k IOPS]

just under £1000
 
My father and I have bought computers (and one laptop) from PCSpecialist based in Yorkshire. We can't fault them.
 
Nikon f1.8 said:
does it have to be a windows machine ???? the Mac Minis's are a great computer and silent as well, no fans blowing all the time, and economical as well.
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I was thinking this, for the budget involved, and the specs desired this isn't a bad option at all.

If a PC is the way, www.scan.co.uk for one of the prebuilt systems would be my choice or https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/ if they are still going.
 
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I've been looking around for a few days now, got close to biting and buying a few times. It's a bit mimdboggling to begin with, I've not looked at PC specs for years.

I'm still undecided, build or buy. I get to a stage where I decide to hunt and gather components, price it all up and it comes out roughly what a pre built would, maybe slightly less. I'm not sure it's worth the potential pitfalls of hardware/software conflicts for a self build but I wouldn't mind the experience of building one. Then I spec a pre build with the configurators and change my mind. :LOL:

My spec has changed a little too, I'm going for a 'better' GPU, probably the GeForce RTX 3060.
 
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Dale. said:
I've been looking around for a few days now, got close to biting and buying a few times. It's a bit mimdboggling to begin with, I've not looked at PC specs for years.

I'm still undecided, build or buy. I get to a stage where I decide to hunt and gather components, price it all up and it comes out roughly what a pre built would, maybe slightly less. I'm not sure it's worth the potential pitfalls of hardware/software conflicts for a self build but I wouldn't mind the experience of building one. Then I spec a pre build with the configurators and change my mind. :LOL:

My spec has changed a little too, I'm going for a 'better' GPU, probably the GeForce RTX 360.
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Let us know what you decide. In theory self build should be cheaper, but the last time I checked, the difference was minimal as the manufacturers had access to the components at lower prices and they also offered a warranty.
 
Dale. said:
I've been looking around for a few days now, got close to biting and buying a few times. It's a bit mimdboggling to begin with, I've not looked at PC specs for years.

I'm still undecided, build or buy. I get to a stage where I decide to hunt and gather components, price it all up and it comes out roughly what a pre built would, maybe slightly less. I'm not sure it's worth the potential pitfalls of hardware/software conflicts for a self build but I wouldn't mind the experience of building one. Then I spec a pre build with the configurators and change my mind. :LOL:

My spec has changed a little too, I'm going for a 'better' GPU, probably the GeForce RTX 3060.
Click to expand...

what little I know about all this is that software is increasingly using GPU more, that’s certainly how DXO software works
 
Might have been mentioned I’ve only scanned (see what I did) the thread.

Always uses to build back in the 90s when getting everything to work - motherboard jumpers and boot disks (3.5” not cds) were needed to install the OS. It’s much much simpler now but such an array of components it can be baffling. Just choosing the right SSD slot is hard enough!!!

As a result in recent years I’ve used scan’s pre built bundles of mainboard, ram, cpu and heat sink/cooling. By doing this you get the bones of the system andare free to sort your video card, hdd, etc around that. When I last upgraded in 2017 it didn’t work out much more expensive than buying the components insividually


I can absolutely vouch for scan’s customer service too. Been using them for 20 plus years and in 2018 my SSD manged to fail and they replaces no problem. The main board also failed and took the RAM, video card and CPU with it. Again they were super helpful and replaced new for old at no significant cost. I think I paid a little bit to get a slightly better than equivalent GeForce rtx card but all in all they were fantastic help.
 
LCPete said:
what little I know about all this is that software is increasingly using GPU more, that’s certainly how DXO software works
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Even Adobe is now relying on GPU quite heavily so it is quickly moving from want to have to absolutely must have component.


A_S said:
Just choosing the right SSD slot is hard enough!!!
Click to expand...
It should not be! There is pretty much one option that splits into very fast and all sorts of slower and cheaper. Let's make it easy and particularly if you want to migrate old setup just go for Samsung 990 pro, or slightly older 980 pro

Ram is annoying little component. Or should I say motherboard. Some combinations just don't play nicely together for no apparent reason. If there is one reason to get prebuilt (or copy the setup) it's this and hope they got it really right. Another would be those stupid CPU socket pins that some people just insist on bending.
Reasons not to get prebuilt are clearly potential rubbish cases and coolers they install, and any other low end component like nvme that you would later regret and want to replace. They will also typically force on some completely unnecessary items like noisy 1tb hdd. When I look at options I pretty much only like 2.5k + ones and my own build somehow was half that. It probably helped I got some bits like case and PSU on eBay with significant savings
 
LongLensPhotography said:
Even Adobe is now relying on GPU quite heavily so it is quickly moving from want to have to absolutely must have component.



It should not be! There is pretty much one option that splits into very fast and all sorts of slower and cheaper. Let's make it easy and particularly if you want to migrate old setup just go for Samsung 990 pro, or slightly older 980 pro

Ram is annoying little component. Or should I say motherboard. Some combinations just don't play nicely together for no apparent reason. If there is one reason to get prebuilt (or copy the setup) it's this and hope they got it really right. Another would be those stupid CPU socket pins that some people just insist on bending.
Reasons not to get prebuilt are clearly potential rubbish cases and coolers they install, and any other low end component like nvme that you would later regret and want to replace. They will also typically force on some completely unnecessary items like noisy 1tb hdd. When I look at options I pretty much only like 2.5k + ones and my own build somehow was half that. It probably helped I got some bits like case and PSU on eBay with significant savings
Click to expand...


I have considered used for some bits, but not GPU, PSU etc.

I'm at a place now where I know my original budget isn't going to cut it.
 
I used a build site - possibly pc part picker - last year when I did my build. It was all very simple, though I have done many builds and mods in the past too.
 
The Overclockers forums are a good place to put your spec or requirements out there and they should keep you right with compatibility etc. link

The RTX 3060Ti FE is an excellent card for the money if you can catch it in stock. Even better with a wee under volt that will not only save a few extra pennies on the electricity bill but also run it much cooler. Link
 
LongLensPhotography said:
Even Adobe is now relying on GPU quite heavily so it is quickly moving from want to have to absolutely must have component.



It should not be! There is pretty much one option that splits into very fast and all sorts of slower and cheaper. Let's make it easy and particularly if you want to migrate old setup just go for Samsung 990 pro, or slightly older 980 pro

Ram is annoying little component. Or should I say motherboard. Some combinations just don't play nicely together for no apparent reason. If there is one reason to get prebuilt (or copy the setup) it's this and hope they got it really right. Another would be those stupid CPU socket pins that some people just insist on bending.
Reasons not to get prebuilt are clearly potential rubbish cases and coolers they install, and any other low end component like nvme that you would later regret and want to replace. They will also typically force on some completely unnecessary items like noisy 1tb hdd. When I look at options I pretty much only like 2.5k + ones and my own build somehow was half that. It probably helped I got some bits like case and PSU on eBay with significant savings
Click to expand...

I think you miss understand, i mean the socket/bus, and size, half size, full size NVME vs half size, etc etc. What I am saying is its not as simple as it being an IDE HDD or SATA HDD as there are several different form factors and thats before you get to the 2.5" SATA ones.

The point being that if you didn't really know what your doing and were looking at these things for the first time I am sure its all quite overwhelming.

I've had several people ask me to price up PCs over the years or compare to pre-built as they don't understand the language or complexity.
 
A_S said:
I think you miss understand, i mean the socket/bus, and size, half size, full size NVME vs half size, etc etc. What I am saying is its not as simple as it being an IDE HDD or SATA HDD as there are several different form factors and thats before you get to the 2.5" SATA ones.

The point being that if you didn't really know what your doing and were looking at these things for the first time I am sure its all quite overwhelming.

I've had several people ask me to price up PCs over the years or compare to pre-built as they don't understand the language or complexity.
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That's a load of talking.
Basically you get Samsung 990 pro 1-2tb unless you run some antiquated build. End of discussion
 
Sorry? What? That’s a load of talking? There is no need to act like an arrogant know it all.

I’m simply describing the available options. Form factors differ depending on age of system, system type (laptop/desktop) and if you were to go onto a website to spec out a pc you’d be met with all those choices and that can be confusing to those without much experience - your closed ended statement is of no help to them what so ever and I’m sure their retort would be ‘well what does that mean’

I.e It maybe simple to you but to others, like my friends or perhaps the OP then it’s not quite that simple, but if you are that closer minded then indeed it is the end of the discussion,
 
I always worry when customers start giving me a specification for their new PC and then state individual parts they want. I have been building PC's since the Nascom 1 Zilog Z80 CPU so whilst I may not be the best I do have many (too many) years of experience !

Manufacturers always have a list of CPU/Memory/Other Devices that they support on each motherboard and experience has shown it is always best to check compatibility before purchase.
Just because its the 'best' CPU, memory or SSD does not guarantee compatibility and may well lead to issues later - I have made a reasonable living for 20+ years witnessing this !

I learnt very early in life that everybody else's profession is easy until you try it !

IMHO If your are not and do not intend to become an 'expert' in building PC's it is best to go to someone who is and get them to build the entire system, if for no other reason that you have a chance of getting a solution if things go wrong.

PS Before any one who has contributed to this thread reads my comments as a slight against them individually - it is not !
 
Compuwight said:
Manufacturers always have a list of CPU/Memory/Other Devices that they support on each motherboard and experience has shown it is always best to check compatibility before purchase.
Just because its the 'best' CPU, memory or SSD does not guarantee compatibility and may well lead to issues later - I have made a reasonable living for 20+ years witnessing this !
Click to expand...

Yup, this is exactly what worries me. I would enjoy the experience of building one and the satisfaction involved too but the pitfalls of a self build for somebody like me who hasn't done it before are begining to swing me towards a pro built PC.


Compuwight said:
IMHO If your are not and do not intend to become an 'expert' in building PC's it is best to go to someone who is and get them to build the entire system, if for no other reason that you have a chance of getting a solution if things go wrong.
Click to expand...


This is sage advice and probably about where my thoughts are just now. It makes sense, I should be guaranteed system stabilty and a warranty too.

I am struggling with pro builds in that there does seem to be a compromise somewhere in the build, like weak cooling or power supplies. I'm sure though with some digging, I can aleviate that. (y)
 
Dale. said:
Yup, this is exactly what worries me. I would enjoy the experience of building one and the satisfaction involved too but the pitfalls of a self build for somebody like me who hasn't done it before are begining to swing me towards a pro built PC.





This is sage advice and probably about where my thoughts are just now. It makes sense, I should be guaranteed system stabilty and a warranty too.

I am struggling with pro builds in that there does seem to be a compromise somewhere in the build, like weak cooling or power supplies. I'm sure though with some digging, I can aleviate that. (y)
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At the end of the day, you are a photographer and building it for a purpose. Photo editing. I doubt otherwise you'd be considering building one or using anything other than a basic laptop for your IT needs. If I wasn't a photographer, my computing needs would be met by a £160 chromebook.

You'll get infinitely more satisfaction from a working, warrantied machine and getting your images right out in the field, and in post, than you will assembling a box of parts you barely even have a passing interest in that you might not even assemble correctly and have 0 after sales support with if you bodge the build or choose components that are less than 100% compatible.

Just get there the quickest, easiest and most cost effective way to meet your needs. A custom pro build machine or a Mac Mini seems a logical way to go.
 
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Dale. said:
Yup, this is exactly what worries me. I would enjoy the experience of building one and the satisfaction involved too but the pitfalls of a self build for somebody like me who hasn't done it before are begining to swing me towards a pro built PC.





This is sage advice and probably about where my thoughts are just now. It makes sense, I should be guaranteed system stabilty and a warranty too.

I am struggling with pro builds in that there does seem to be a compromise somewhere in the build, like weak cooling or power supplies. I'm sure though with some digging, I can aleviate that. (y)
Click to expand...

I fully get this, I felt the same before building my first computer. YouTube videos etc made it significantly easier though but even now I still have to do my research thoroughly before committing.

Compatibility isn't a huge issue as it can be overcome by researching prior to build.

My biggest concern here was the Ryzen 5 processor and the x570 motherboards. The motherboards didn't support this processor line out of the box at the time due to it being so new, so a BIOS firmware update was required and I had to learn about doing a BIOS update before being able to even boot the computer up and any pitfalls here. Fortunately, it went super smooth for me, but I did read about many others having problems but it often transpired that they didn't follow the guides precisely. I don't think this is an issue now though as I'm sure it's all caught up.

Another compatibility concern was the M.2 SSD and whether or not my motherboard would properly deal with PCIe 4.0 so I had to investigate that. There's also making sure your motherboard supports the type of RAM you want, but that's a pretty easy check to do. Worth remembering that sometimes the motherboard won't run the RAM at full speed and you need to enable the full speed profile in BIOS.

With the build itself, there's the case and making sure you get one that will suit your build, especially if loading up with hard drives or wanting to ensure good thermals. I like this area because I spend a lot of time considering fan locations, quantities and air flow etc. You may not get the same attention to detail here if not doing it yourself. Cable management is also important here to minimise airflow restrictions. It can all add up to a cooler and quieter computer with components that will last longer, although the latter is probably a minimal issue.

Another consideration is the thermal paste on the processor and fan and what method, volume etc to use. Do you trust someone else to use the correct amount? Too little or too much and also poor application can cause overheating problems further down the line but some temp monitoring software would quickly reveal this.

I've bought many computers where I just specified the key components and let them get on with it because I didn't have the time to build them - but it was just for standard business use. However, I would find that outside of the components that I specified the rest would be cheap budget stuff and cooling would always be a weak point. However, if you can specify all the components that that shouldn't be a problem. You can also delve into extra cooling afterwards once the warranty has expired. On this point, I would look for a motherboard that has plenty of 4-pin PWM fan connections rather than the more rudimentary 3 pin voltage control type. Then you can add more fans later if you want. It's nice to have the option.

Oh, this post is starting to ramble on...

I think ultimately what I would do is watch a few YouTube videos on building a computer (without water cooling! lol) and if you feel confident and have the time (plus another computer or laptop to access during the build) then go for it as the satisfaction makes it really worthwhile in my opinion and if you take your time it is actually pretty difficult to do any damage.

If you don't feel confident, then don't risk it, but I suspect from your posts above you are more than capable and will probably really enjoy it in the end. Plenty of quick support on here as well.
 
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gman said:
I fully get this, I felt the same before building my first computer. YouTube videos etc made it significantly easier though but even now I still have to do my research thoroughly before committing.

Compatibility isn't a huge issue as it can be overcome by researching prior to build.

My biggest concern here was the Ryzen 5 processor and the x570 motherboards. The motherboards didn't support this processor line out of the box at the time due to it being so new, so a BIOS firmware update was required and I had to learn about doing a BIOS update before being able to even boot the computer up and any pitfalls here. Fortunately, it went super smooth for me, but I did read about many others having problems but it often transpired that they didn't follow the guides precisely. I don't think this is an issue now though as I'm sure it's all caught up.

Another compatibility concern was the M.2 SSD and whether or not my motherboard would properly deal with PCIe 4.0 so I had to investigate that. There's also making sure your motherboard supports the type of RAM you want, but that's a pretty easy check to do. Worth remembering that sometimes the motherboard won't run the RAM at full speed and you need to enable the full speed profile in BIOS.

With the build itself, there's the case and making sure you get one that will suit your build, especially if loading up with hard drives or wanting to ensure good themrals. I like this area because I spend a lot of time considering fan locations, quantities and air flow etc. You may not get the same attention to detail here if not doing it yourself. Cable management is also important here to minimise airflow restrictions. It can all add up to a cooler and quieter computer with components that will last longer, although the latter is probably a minimal issue.

Another consideration is the thermal paste on the processor and fan and what method, volume etc to use. Do you trust someone else to use the correct amount? Too little or too much and also poor application can cause overheating problems further down the line but some temp monitoring software would quickly reveal this.

I've bought many computers where I just specified the key components and let them get on with it because I didn't have the time to build them - but it was just for standard business use. However, I would find that outside of the components that I specified the rest would be cheap budget stuff and cooling would always be a weak point. However, if you can specify all the components that that shouldn't be a problem. You can also delve into extra cooling afterwards once the warranty has expired. On this point, I would look for a motherboard that has plenty of 4-pin PWM fan connections rather than the more rudimentary 3 pin voltage control type. Then you can add more fans later if you want. It's nice to have the option.

Oh, this post is starting to ramble on...

I think ultimately what I would do is watch a few YouTube videos on building a computer (without water cooling! lol) and if you feel confident and have the time (plus another computer or laptop to access during the build) then go for it as the satisfaction makes it really worthwhile in my opinion and if you take your time it is actually pretty difficult to do any damage.

If you don't feel confident, then don't risk it, but I suspect from your posts above you are more than capable and will probably really enjoy it in the end. Plenty of quick support on here as well.
Click to expand...


Thanks for that........not rambling at all. Appreciated. (y)
 
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