When you need a new computer, there are two ways to go about it: simply go to the store to buy one or make one yourself.
Building your own PC may sound like a daunting task, but many people do it. In fact, it is a pretty fast and efficient way to create the perfect desktop computer for yourself, equipped only with what you want or need on your PC. Really, if you have the right skills and understanding, building your own PC absolutely from scratch is easier than you think.
For a professional or experienced person who has done this many times before, building a new PC from scratch doesn’t take more than a few hours. In fact, some people can build a PC in an hour or less if they have everything ready and at hand.
Is Building a PC the Right Step for you?
So the question is whether you should consider buying the new PC you need or try to build one. Both are viable options, especially if you already know how to build computers or if you’re already a little tech-savy and have some previously acquired knowledge at your disposal, though if you don’t know much it shouldn’t not a road block to your pc building *dream*.. or more realistically just something you’d like to try out.
Buying a new PC requires a lot of research, thinking, and deciding. For both buying a ready-made one or buying the components to assemble one, there are some things you should know to make this decision.
Storage Size:
Storage size refers to the numbers of files, programs or media you want to have stored in your computer, this is usually counted in terms of GB for short or Gigabytes which is equal to 1000 Megabytes or MB (2mb is about the size of one photo). The higher the number of GB your storage has, the more things you’ll be able to store in your computer. Storage can be upgraded any time you want to, by changing or adding an extra hard drive or SSD into your PC. However, it is still an important decision to make when you’re first building the PC.
Power of the GPU:
The GPU refers to the Graphics Card or Graphics Processing Unit; just how powerful your computer will be for tasks that require rendering of 3d and 2d visuals depends quite heavily on your Graphics Card, so choosing a good GPU for your needs is a priority. For the most part the higher the number of processing cores the GPU has, the more powerful the GPU is.
But it’s good to remember that not all people need a top of the line dedicated GPU, especially if you’ll just be doing a lot of web browsing, and some video conferences. In fact, for these less intense uses, it’s possible to get away with not having a dedicated GPU at all, by using the integrated graphics on your CPU instead.
(Note: if you plan to use integrated graphics as your only GPU, check whether your specific CPU actually has one built in.)
Though, for people who work with even slightly to moderately demanding applications (or play games on their breaks), a dedicated GPU can be essential in order to not have a buffer-y, laggy, and generally bad experience. Some applications may refuse to run or crash if the GPU isn’t powerful enough.
But any system, whether it’s going to be doing light or heavy work needs some sort of GPU, which can either be built into the CPU, or be it’s own dedicated card, because without one, the computer won’t be able to make anything appear on the screen.
Memory or RAM:
RAM refers to Random Access Memory or the part of the computer that stores your data for fast and frequent retrieval. This can also be upgraded, but your PC will initially need an adequate amount of RAM to run properly or install an operating system such as Windows. The more RAM your PC has, the more powerful and the smoother it will be when completing work. In fact, having a good amount of RAM means your PC will have an easier time working on things simultaneously.
So whether you’re building the PC yourself or buying a new ready-made one, these factors need to be considered. If you have some specific requirements regarding RAM, GPU or storage in mind for your purposes, it’ll be much better to build your own PC rather than to buy a prebuilt one.
Why Should you think about Building a PC from Scratch?
Although the job may seem daunting to a first-timer, there are a lot of advantages to building your own PC from scratch.
1. It’s Cheaper in the long run.
It might seem initially that building a PC from scratch costs more than simply buying one, because most shops order their components in bulk to assemble dozens of PCs simultaneously the cost is lower. However, PCS that have been personally built and put together at home tend to last longer and don’t need to be upgraded or replaced as often.
Though when the time comes, upgrading is a breeze compared to pre-builts that may be physically too small to upgrade as they had been designed with a specific assortment of parts in mind, or they may use proprietary connectors, sizes, and standards making it impossible (or janky) to upgrade. Compared to custom pc components and cases, which almost all use the same standards. As a result, its easy to upgrade specific parts as you need rather than buying an entire new machine, making it cheaper as time goes by.
2. They are easier to fix yourself.
When you’ve personally built your own PC, you’ll be more easily aware of what to fix, change or upgrade when your PC shows signs of age or problems. Additionally, as you’ll be more familiar with all your PC components beforehand, It’ll be easier to trouble shoot if the need arises.
3. They’ll have better quality overall.
If you build your own PC, it will undoubtedly contain all the best components you can afford at that moment. This’ll ensure that the performance is as best as it can be, because you’ll be able to handpick every single component yourself rather than having to deal with the unknown components that come with a prebuilt PC.
Parts such as the storage, cooling, power supplies, and a couple more components, tend to be always missing and never listed on the packaging of prebuilt pc, apart from a simple “500GB SSD” or an obscure marketing term such as “Turbo Cooling Fan” which gives barely any insight into specifications.
Combined with the fact a lot of people won’t likely ever look inside their pc’s or attempt to upgrade, manufacturers are able to *cheap out* and substitute lower quality and less reliable parts from obscure companies or even unbranded sources. In doing so, companies who manufacture pre-builts make a bigger profit at the expense of the user’s experience, who’s pc may run into issues or even fail, a short while after the warranty/guarantee ends.
What Do you need to Build your own PC?
To create a high-quality functioning PC, these are the core components that you need:
- A case & case fans
- A CPU
- The CPU Cooler
- RAM
- SSD (Solid State Drive) or a Hard Drive
- Power Supply
- Graphics Card (Often shortened to GPU)
How long does it take to Build a PC?
When you have the above-mentioned components handpicked, delivered, and ready to use, it’s time to start building your PC.
Of course, if you consider all the research you have to do for this, the time accumulates to a few weeks. Besides, you’ll also have to research each and every one of the components, order them and wait for delivery, which takes time, depending on where you are and the availability of those components.
Therefore, it can be safely assumed that it might take a couple of weeks between deciding to build your PC and starting to build it. However, after everything is at hand, even as a beginner, it might take a person a few hours to build their PC from scratch.
The assembling part isn’t too hard and doesn’t take that much time. For any experienced builder who has done it before, assembling a PC from scratch takes only 40 minutes to an hour. A novice might take three to four hours to do the same thing.
If any issues arise during or after building the PC, they may need a couple extra hours to be solved, but don’t worry, a lot of the time it’ll be as simple as plugging in a cable you forgot, and if it’s not a simple issue, theres always plenty of Youtube videos and forum posts to help you.
Conclusion
So if you’re wondering how much time it takes to build your own PC, the answer depends on your experience. All things considered, it won’t take more than a few hours for the entire process to be done with, having all the components and other tools ready and at hand makes it easier. Still, it is better to give yourself a relaxed deadline when building PCs from scratch if you want the job to be completed with no rush.