Build your dream PC

Posted at: Tuesday 19th December 2006 by Gareth Ogden

Building a high-end water-cooled Dream PC on your own is no easy task, but it can be done. Gareth Ogden shows you how.

Regular readers of Custom PC will know that we often run features that explain how to build great PCs. Usually, our aim is to show you how to do this for as little money as possible, such as our Build a Perfect PC for £396 feature (see Issue 32, p102), or to just give an expert guide to PC building in general, such as our Build a Better PC feature (see Issue 24, p102).

However, in the wake of our recent Dream PC Labs test (see Issue 37, p72), in which we reviewed four of the most audacious and luxurious PCs you can buy, we decided to step things up a gear this month and show you how, with your own fair hands, to put together a system that can rival any Dream PC.

We won't lie to you - building a Dream PC is much more of a challenge than building a standard, air-cooled system. However, the rewards are far greater. A Dream PC is more than simply a collection of components; a Dream PC has to be crafted, rather than merely assembled, and the end result is a unique combination of performance hardware and customisation that makes the PC something special. Put simply, owning a Dream PC is like owning a sports car; it places you in the membership of an exclusive club.

There are practical benefits too, of course. For example, a Dream PC uses high-end water cooling, with CPU, Northbridge and graphics card blocks, as well as multiple radiators. These will all allow you to overclock the system much further than is possible with powerful air cooling, and without the noise.

Dream PCs don't have to be extortionately expensive either. We used a mid-range 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo E6600 CPU in our Dream PC, and throughout the feature, we'll offer options at different price points to suit your pocket.

So, are you up for a challenge? Do you fancy building a PC that's so amazing even your mum will be impressed by it? Of course you do - that's why you're reading Custom PC.

PC building 101

We've already explained the basics of PC building in our previous Build a Better PC feature (see www.custompc.co.uk), but it's worth recapping the basic principles in case you're a bit rusty (or just a n00b).

First things first: you need to have the right tools for the job, as trying to make do with a crappy screwdriver and a blunt pair of kitchen scissors will make building any PC, let alone a Dream PC, an exercise in frustration. Before you start any PC-building project, make sure that you have a good No. 2 Philips head screwdriver (ideally a ratchet screwdriver with a magnetic tip), a pair of long-nosed pliers and a pair of wire cutters or sharp scissors. You'll also need some cable ties for basic cable management, and we advise that you buy spiral wrap in various sizes, as this helps to tidy up ugly-looking power cables and wires.

You'll also need to make sure that you have an uncluttered working area and, ideally, protection against static electricity, such as an anti-static wrist strap (£4.99 from www.maplin.co.uk). If you can't get hold of one, you can still take precautions against static electricity by frequently grounding yourself - for example, by touching the bare metal pipe of a radiator. Also, only hold components by their edges and avoid touching metal contacts or semiconductor components. Static electricity can easily kill computer components, so it's better to be safe than sorry.