build your own computer

[red98]

Help needed please foccers, as some of you know I a complete numpty when it comes to anything to do with computers.......my son however is a big gammer,16 in feb and hes expressed an interest in a IT course at the local collage when he leaves school next year, results permitting.....hes mentioned on more than one occasion that he would like to build his own computer, with the collage course in mind and christmas coming up I thought I could kill two birds with one stone  :thumbup


problem I have I haven't a clue where to start, what I need or where to go....or if even if its worth it.....would I be better off going for a standard set up from PC WORLD and letting him swap parts over time ?.......how much is he going to learn from building his own ?


Any help greatly appreciated........keep it simple please foccers  :o

[NorthWestern]

I get my bits from scan as it's just up the road, not looked at prices at pc world but it used to be well worth building your own (cost wise), I believe scan have bundles / pre built systems etc now

[NorthWestern]

How much you learn is debatable really, nowadays you just plug and play everything, install the operating system, drivers and what not. I guess it makes it less intimidating once you have done it.

[Grayo]

I used to buy parts from computer fairs up until about 7 or 8 years ago. You used to save a lot of money by building your own computers but these days it's hardly worth it because there is so much choice out there.
My son still builds his own though just because he enjoys it and he likes to upgrade different bits and pieces when he can.

[chris.biker]

I did an open college course ''build your own computer'' and as already said it was a case of bolting the bits together, finishing with loading the Windows program. I would find a computer some one is ready to get rid of and let him work on improving that, also I think to study further he may need two computers.
Hope he gets on the course he is hoping for.

[NorthWestern]

Start with your budget.  

[Val]

Help needed please foccers, as some of you know I a complete numpty when it comes to anything to do with computers.......my son however is a big gammer,16 in feb and hes expressed an interest in a IT course at the local collage when he leaves school next year, results permitting.....hes mentioned on more than one occasion that he would like to build his own computer, with the collage course in mind and christmas coming up I thought I could kill two birds with one stone  :thumbup


problem I have I haven't a clue where to start, what I need or where to go....or if even if its worth it.....would I be better off going for a standard set up from PC WORLD and letting him swap parts over time ?.......how much is he going to learn from building his own ?


Any help greatly appreciated........keep it simple please foccers  :o

Building your own high spec gaming PC is definitely cheaper than buying some PC world outdated components.

You can get parts here: http://www.scan.co.uk/

He can learn a lot, because first he will learn how the components work in order to chose the best ones, second will learn about PC hardware assembly.

Note the danger here is not brake or mess something by trying to assemble parts before he has learn how to do that properly. Obviously if you assemble PC the warranty you have is for the parts only not for the whole PC.

Long story short  the graphic card is the most important part in gamer PC: http://www.pcgamer.com/the-best-graphics-cards/

You can get any help here in the process, just ask for anything he needs to know when he start the build and the training.

Scan have pre-configured Gamer PC systems with all parts chosen for you and they will build it for you too:

http://www.scan.co.uk/shop/pro-gaming

They cost anything between £600-£4xxxx

Here is one top range:

http://www.scan.co.uk/3xs/configurator/o...-carbon-ti

[slappy]

My son has built gaming spec computers for himself and a few of his mates, he always uses  Scan, he built his first one just using their bundles but now picks and chooses the particular parts.
I think they still do a guarantee that if you bugger something up when fitting they will replace the part, of course you pay extra for it but not a bad idea.

[Skippernick]

I used to use dabs.com 10 years ago. Everyone else have covered everything now.

[bigsteve]

  If your interested in parts for gaming computers  I've used overclockers for the parts  :eek

                https://www.overclockers.co.uk/


 

[PieEater]

Building a PC is pretty much a cross between Meccano and Lego its pretty difficult to go wrong as long as you apply common sense. On that basis I think the learning opportunities from assembling the parts are pretty slim but if your son does build his own PC he should get a good confidence boost and a sense of satisfaction. More of the learning would probably come prior to the build process from researching what parts are needed and why some are better than others and what makes them better as well as after the build should your son want to dabble in overclocking (good idea to find this out prior to buying parts for him). It isn't really the case anymore that you can build your own home PC for less than you can get one off the shelf, most self builders tend to be enthusiasts who know what parts they want to go into their machines either for aesthetics or maximum performance (or both).
For the base unit (not including monitor / mouse / keyboard) you will need;
Case
Power Supply Unit
Motherboard
Memory
CPU
CPU Cooler
Graphics Card
Hard Disk Drive
Optical Disk Drive
Windows License

If you’re on a budget then look at a build around an AMD CPU but the above is going to cost a pretty penny, certainly more than a basic £300 PCWorld machine.
If you want further advice then overclockers.co.uk have a forum where you could post what it is you want to achieve along with your budget and folks there will help you select the appropriate parts.

[red98]

wow......a big thanks to everyone whos posted  :thumbup........a great help and no pi$$ take  :lol

this is to be his main pressie from mum and dad, so we have to choose what to buy together, this could be harder than deciding what parts we need when knowing very little about them  :lol

so......had a chat to mrs red and had a quick look at all the links mentioned here and a visit to PC WORLD.....

we have decided to buy a package deal from pcw, tower, screen, keyboard and mouse,8gb memory,1tb hard drive , integrated graphics......no sure about the graphics !!!

we have an ageing family desk top PC which we will replace in the new year,he can use this to upgrade, build and learn....and have the advantage of choosing the parts himself, if the build goes horribly wrong we have not lost a lot

think that might just work  .....now, what do I get mrs red  :\

[PieEater]

If your son is a gamer then I'd suggest making sure that the PC you buy is capable of taking a full size dedicated graphics card and maybe drag another relative or two into buying one for him (£150+).

[kitcrazy]

hi red if he wants to play games as well an integrated card will only handle the basic stuff.

[red98]

Ah.........so I take it an integrated card cant be replaced then ?

[kitcrazy]

i think there soldered in place.

[kitcrazy]

Ive changed the card on my pc twice now for better graphics so if i can do it anyone can :lol

[red98]

Ok, cheers buddy.....looks like another trip to PCW , thanks for the info  :thumbup

[PieEater]

Ah.........so I take it an integrated card cant be replaced then ?

Modern CPU's have integrated graphics giving computers the ability to render graphics on a limited basis, this will be good enough for a casual gamer playing minecraft and The SIMS but not for the most popular titles which I suspect your son will be into. A computer with integrated graphics will be relying on the CPU rather an a dedicated graphics card, which obviously cuts costs. Also to cut costs / size some motherboards will not have the appropriate slot(s) for a dedicated graphics card and some power supply units may lack the required connectors to power the card. Worth checking on both accounts.

[BBROWN1664]

I would suggest not buying anything. That's right, not a thing.

Give him the budget of what you will spend and let him choose the parts he wants and then order them from the places he finds them. That way he gets exactly the spec he wants and is involved in the whole process.