Rated: 66.67% (3 votes)
Loading ...Building a PC is as easy as putting together a Lego kit
Alex Watson
With Issue 48 of the magazine at the printers, we’re on to 49, and the main feature is going to be a hands on look at how to build the perfect PC - the nuts and bolts of putting together the… nut and bolts of a computer. People believe that building a PC is a very difficult task, but in truth it’s very much like assembling a Lego kit. That said, there’s doing something and there’s doing something with style. Check out this video of the Lego Millenium Falcon being built (opens in a new window): it’s a great demo of kit construction being done with panache.
The situation is similar with PCs: yes, you can throw together a working rig in well under an hour, but to get something tidy, good looking and that’s cool running with clean airflow takes more time and planning. Hopefully the feature will make it a little easier to make a great PC. I’m planning the piece at the moment, so if anyone has any PC building tips they’d like to share, do let me know!
Not bad ….
Just the Millenium Falcon? Where’s the Eban Hawk or an X-wing?
Hi Alex.firstly I would recommend mounting the PSU on rubber grommets or a gasket to reduce vibration.Using a modular PSU will also enable you to just use the cables you need which will help with airflow.Also use cable ties to bunch your cables together and use ties with an adhesive pad to secure any other cables to the case.I found the PSU calculator at extreme outervision’s website invaluable,it’ll take into account virtually any piece of hardware that’ll go into your case and even takes into account electrolytic capacitor ageing, which with cheaper PSU’s could sap it’s performance by 10% a year.So always buy a decent PSU - it’s a pain having to disassemble your pc to replace it !Love the mag - keep up the excellent work.
The only tip I have is to think cabling, cabling, cabling, because thats what takes time and its what makes a good build great. I recently came across a problem where my Seasonic 600W power supply didn’t have cables long enough to reach the connnectors on my motherboard, when it was installed in my Silverstone T107J case, because the motherboard is installed in that case upside-down. I had to buy cable extenders to get power to the motherboard!
Thanks for the tips Simon and Marc - cabling is definitely something I want to get right in this feature. And yes, I know what you mean about inverted cases being a pain Marc; I ended up using an Antec Nine Hundred case in the the Dell vs DIY feature in the new issue, and having the PSU at the bottom makes it really tricky to get neat wiring inside :S
Hi Alex. First of all I wish this feature was in CPC 48 as I am fast approaching my first custom build (parts arrive this weekend - all thanks to a nasty burglar stealing my old Dell Laptop). From my somewhat unique ‘virgin build’ perspective , the things that I am most worried about are:
1. What on earth do I do if it doesn’t POST - how will I be able to tell what part is kaputt or even worse, that I have incorrectly installed!?! Is there a simple troubleshoot you can use to identify the offending part(s)?
2. Which parts do I connect to which rails/cables/connectors on the PSU. Hopefully it really will be as easy as plugging everything into its own unique connector - I wish there was some sort of table for this stuff though.
Keep up the great work and may the Force of that Lego builder be with both of us… 
Good and informative blog, keep it up
My best tip would be keep spares! The number of times you want to swap out components to fault find and then realise you haven’t got a spare RAM stick or gfx card!
Hi Alex, Is there anyway i can get a copy of Issue #49? or can you tell me the release date of #61 as i hear both have How to build a custom pc guides.
I myself am buying parts to build my own custom pc this Friday and would like a guide just to feel a tad more confident.
@ElectricWizard88 - 61 does indeed have a massive guide, and it goes on sale tomorrow (Thurs 21st) - so just in time!
sweet thank you mate, i just bought #60 today haha,
any chance you could send me an email so i could send over the spec parts to get your overview on whether or not it sounds like a decent machine?