Hello World: The rewarding hobby of PC building.
It’s not rocket science… IT’S COMPUTER SCIENCE!
As easy as 1, 2, PC!
Did you know computers are really only made up of about eight parts? The GPU, CPU, motherboard, power supply, CPU cooler, RAM, storage device, case fans, and the case to hold all the pieces together.
You’ll need cables to power all of the separate components and accessories such as a mouse and keyboard (if you plan on actually using it), but with just eight parts the PC itself is finished. Perhaps in another post I’ll explain each component in detail — maybe I’ll call it Talon’s Tech Time — but for now I’d just like to gush about the process itself.
Like many hobbies, a large part of the fun is finding out what works best for you. Getting the color scheme of the parts just right to fit your style. Deciding whether you want to future-proof it, a process which involves purchasing the newest hardware to delay the need to replace parts in the future. Or, if you’d rather cut costs, buying a couple of older parts to save your dollars.
The truth is you don’t always need the latest and greatest for a computer to do what you need it to. If you’re only using it to watch YouTube and pay bills, older parts or even a Chromebook are perfectly fine. If you plan on playing GTA 6 at 4K resolution, 300 fps at ultra settings with ray tracing turned on … you may want to cash out on that shiny new GPU.
Know what YOU will be using your PC for, and if something is out of your budget or makes you feel uncomfortable purchasing, don’t get it. You can always upgrade to something else in the future.
My Experience
I built my own PC around this time last year and chose to future-proof all of my parts. Of course, I could have just purchased a pre-built PC for much cheaper, but I would have missed out on the hours spent meticulously sliding cables onto motherboard pins and trying to figure out if the crunching sound of my CPU locking into place was a feature or bug that would cost me a couple hundred dollars.
It’s a big commitment to build your own computer, so I understand why people get so into it. That’s the only way to get it done! There’s a feeling of ownership you get building it yourself that you may not find in popping a rig out of a box — researching parts, getting advice from your friends, buying parts for months until you finally have everything you need.
Then you spend hours following a guide on how to put it all together, hoping you didn’t miss a step or break something that’s worth more than you’d care to admit. And when it turns on for the first time, you can let out a sigh of relief that everything was worth it. It’s not just a computer, it’s your computer.
I fell in love with the experience of the build, but even if your thing isn’t computers, I implore you, find a thing. Photography, woodcarving, cars, finance, fashion, Beyblade — you name it. Whatever your thing is, make it yours.
I think life is best lived when you get the opportunity to be absorbed in your interests. Then, when you’re ready, i hope you tell the world how they can get into it too!
