How To Build A PC Pt 1: Choosing Parts
So as you may know one of my goals back in July was to build a PC. It seemed like such a daunting, expensive task and there were so many components to consider that it was easy to drag my feet. But I knew I had to just push through all that and just do it.
And so I did.
Building a PC isn’t as hard as it may seem and it’s actually a lot of fun! And based on my Instagram poll last week, you guys seem interested in learning about the process. So in this post I’ll outline the first step of building a pc: how to pick the parts.
I’m going to preface this by saying that this is by no means
everything you can ever know, so I’ll do my best to leave links to places where
you can learn more about things to supplement what I talk about. Tech is also
constantly changing and evolving so keep in mind that depending on when you
read this, some of these things might not be the newest anymore. I’m also going
to be focusing on my build specifically and the parts I used.
So with that out of the way, let’s get started!
I’m going to start off with the different components and a
baseline of what they do. To build a PC you only really need 7-8 things:
- Motherboard: This connects all the different parts together to make everything run. This needs to be compatible with all the other components of your build.
- GPU (Graphics Card): This is the component that handles all the graphics based things for your computer. For gaming or video editing, it’s especially important.
- CPU (Central Processing Unit): This is responsible for interpreting and executing the commands you give your computer. So the more cores and threads your CPU has the faster your computer can compute everything.
- CPU Cooler (optional): Depending on the CPU you’re getting and the workload you’re putting it under, you might be able to use the stock cooler that comes with some CPUs, so you need to buy a CPU cooler to make sure your CPU doesn’t overheat.
- RAM (Random Access Memory): This is what stores the computer’s working memory. So if you have more RAM the computer will be able to process more things at once.
- PSU (Power Supply): This supplies power to your whole system.
- HDD (Hard drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive) or both: This is the storage on your computer. Hard drives, or traditional spinning drives tend to have more storage but are more easily broken if you bang it around. Solid State Drives are also storage, but they don’t have any moving parts like the hard drives so they’re faster and more stable but usually more expensive. I’d recommend having both if your budget allows for it.
- Chassis (case): This is the case that your components are going to live in. Beyond aesthetics it’s good to make sure your case is big enough to house your parts, if it has any fans and what the ventilation is like.
- Cooling solutions: Your pc will get super hot and there are many ways to cool it. Fans, AIOs, water cooling. To keep things simple I’ll just focus on fans, since that’s what’s on my build. You need at least three fans, two in the front as an intake and one in the back as an exhaust, but may need more depending on your parts.
Okay, so those are the main parts and a little about them. This is by no means an exhaustive explanation and you should do more research and reading on these parts. (I'll be attaching links to articles that further explain all this in the next part).
Alright, so now lets get a little deeper into it!
CPU:
There are two main companies to buy a CPU from: Intel (which
I’m sure is a familiar name) and AMD. I would say that at this point, both are
pretty comparable. Intel is generally more expensive, and AMD is cheaper and
usually offers more cores and threads. (Here is a link that explains cores and threads: https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-a-cpu-2618150
)
Basically, the more cores and threads the faster the CPU
will run. So I went with an AMD CPU. Specifically the Ryzen 5 3600x. Let me
explain those numbers.
Ryzen is just the name of the CPU, 3600 means it’s the 3000 series for AMD (the higher the series the newer CPU). Ryzen 5 has six cores and 12 threads. You can go higher and get the Ryzen 7 3700x which has 8 cores or go down and get the Ryzen 3 which has 4 cores.
But for me I went middle of the road with the newest series
that was out at the time because not only did it give me 6 cores and 12 threads
but it was cheaper than Intel. The Ryzen 5 3600x also can run with the stock
CPU cooler that comes with it, especially if you aren’t doing anything crazy
with it, so I didn’t have to buy a CPU cooler the way I would have had to do if
I went with a Ryzen 7.
Here are some links explaining Ryzen and Intel CPUs:
https://www.windowscentral.com/amd-ryzen-which-processor-best-you
GPU:
Nvidia is one of the biggest companies that makes graphics
cards (AMD is the other big one). Currently, the latest series are the Geforce
RTX 2000 series, RTX 2040 (lower end), RTX 2060 (middle of the road) and RTX
2080 (super powerful) and the RTX 2080ti (even more powerful).
Nvidia makes the graphics chip and then other companies
incorporate that into their own designs to make a GPU. In my case EVGA is the
company and one of the GPUs they have for the RTX 2060 is the KO Ultra which I
chose cause it was compact and had good reviews.
It’s really beneficial to look at tech reviews for
components like the GPU since there are multiple companies making them and they
all have their own quirks.
I chose the RTX 2060 because it’s powerful and can handle a
lot of gaming and rendering but I’m also not overclocking or doing anything too
intense so it didn’t warrant the more money an RTX 2080 would have cost.
Links:
https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/gpu
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gpu-buying-guide,5844.html
RAM:
I chose the Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB DDRR RAM at 3200MHz.
DDR4 RAM is the newest kind of RAM you can get. I have links below that explain more about DDR4.
16GB is a sweet spot for how much RAM you’re generally going
to need. 4GB and 8GB are a bit low (Windows needs 4GB just to run) and 32GB is
obviously better but usually overkill for most people.
32000MHz is the frequency of how fast the RAM can run. A RAM
at 1.6MHz or 2.6MHz is not as fast as 3.2MHz, which is why I chose it.
Corsair Vengeance LPX is the name of the brand and type of
RAM I got. Corsair is a pretty well-known brand and the RAM was rated well, but
there are many other companies that make this. Again, I recommend looking into
reviews.
Links:
https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-random-access-memory-ram-2618159
https://www.lifewire.com/types-of-ram-4150713
HDD:
Links:
https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-a-hard-disk-drive-2618152
SSD:
I also decided to also put a SSD in my build. I’d recommend
getting both an SSD and HDD if your budget allows because you can have a bulk
of your storage on your hard drive but install your operating system on your
Solid State Drive so that everything will boot up and run faster.
I chose the Western Digital M.2 500GB NvMe SSD. Western
Digital is a good brand, 500GB is a good amount, especially since I also have
an additional 2TB of storage and NvMe is faster than a SATA connected SSD.
Links:
https://www.lifewire.com/solid-state-drive-833448
https://searchstorage.techtarget.com/definition/M2-SSD?amp=1
https://www.partitionwizard.com/partitionmagic/m2-ssd-vs-sata.html
https://techterms.com/amp/definition/sata
Motherboard:
I went with the MSI B550 Gaming Edge with WiFi motherboard for my build. Now firstly, this motherboard is compatible with my AMD Ryzen 5 CPU. Secondly, it comes with wifi, which is important to me since I don’t have access to an Ethernet port where my PC is. Thirdly, B550 means that this board is compatible with PCIe Gen 4 connections, so I’m accounting for the future. Now PCIe Gen 4 isn’t the standard right now, but it will be in the future and basically it just means that connections are going to be faster.
Here is a link explaining what PCIe Gen 4 is:
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/pcie-definition,5754.html
It was also rated pretty well by tech reviewers. Once again,
I highly recommend looking into reviews especially with a motherboard since so
many brands make them and it can be hard to figure out what you want.
Things to keep in mind: make sure your motherboard is
compatible with your CPU. Make sure that there’s at least two SATA ports for
your HDD and SSD. If you’re going to use an M.2 NVME SSD make sure that there’s
room on the motherboard for that. Motherboards come in three sizes or form
factors: ATX, Micro ATX and Mini ATX. Make sure that whatever size it is, it
will fit into your case. Also, make sure your motherboard has ports for any
connections on your case (like USB ports).
Links:
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/motherboard-buying-guide,5682.html
PSU:
The power supply I chose was the EVGA BQ 600 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply. EVGA is the name of the brand and BQ is what EVGA calls this version of PSU.
Wattage is important and I chose 600W because it’s a 100W
more than what the GPU requires, that’s a good rule of thumb to follow. You
never want to be under the required wattage.
You also want to choose a power supply that has some 80+ certification.
In my case it’s bronze but even just 80+ is better than nothing and obviously
silver or gold is even better.
The last part of that name is the Semi-Modular. PSUs can be
completely modular, semi-modular or not modular at all. And what that really
means is how many connections are already built in and how many you need to
make yourself. I chose Semi-modular because I just preferred it and it was
easier than making all the connections myself.
Links:
https://www.wepc.com/tips/full-semi-vs-non-modular-power-supply/
https://techguided.com/how-to-choose-a-power-supply/
Case:
Finally, we come to the case. I chose a Phanteks Eclipse P400A. Things I was looking for: a mesh front panel for proper ventilation, a PSU shroud (so you cant see the PSU on the bottom, a tempered glass side panel (cause I like the look) and thee fans.
I didn’t want to buy any extra fans and this not only came
with 3 fans but 3 RGB fans. (RGB just means it as pretty rainbow lights). All
three were installed in the front so all I did was remove the bottom one from
the front and put it on the back as an exhaust fan. It saved me some money and
now I have matching RGB fans.
The case is also ATX form factor, which is also the size of
my motherboard so I knew it would fit. There are two USB ports on the case and
my motherboard has USB ports so I can connect the two. It also fit my GPU and Power Supply.
Always look at the specifications sheets for all the
components your buying to get the sizes to make sure everything will fit.
Links:
https://www.pcworld.com/article/3226748/how-to-buy-pc-case.html
And that’s how I chose all the parts for my build. I know there’s
a lot that goes into it, but it’s not too bad if you have some guidance.
Here is a link to an extremely helpful video on choosing
parts and how everything connects:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiVWQthb-20
My budget was roughly $1,000 through by no means do you have
to spend that much on a PC. I’ve seen builds for $500 dollars that are still
awesome. But given my budget, these were the parts that worked for me.
Here’s a link to a very helpful video on different parts
list at different price points:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93SwSYQL9D4
I learned all of this from watching the videos I have
linked. Three channels in particular taught me everything I needed to know,
I’ll link them here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCftcLVz-jtPXoH3cWUUDwYw
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXuqSBlHAE6Xw-yeJA0Tunw
https://www.youtube.com/user/paulshardware
The website I used to create my parts list (which also has
some good resources):
This blog post has gone on long enough, so I’ll stop it here and do another post on the actual build part because that was also quite an experience. Stay tuned for that to see how all the parts I’ve mentioned came together in the build!
Please share your thoughts! I’d love to hear your
experiences or questions!
And as always, thank you for taking the time to read this!
See you in the next one!
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