Watch lots of TH-cam tutorials on how to build a PC then go for it. If you run into something that you can’t figure out then ask Google and look at TH-cam again for the specific problem. The hardest part for me was uploading the new Operating Software and setting up new Hardware such as Ram and M.2 hard drives. Getting the correct Bios onto a new Motherboard can be very scary, so watch tutorial videos before attempting that also. Honestly the best advice for someone wanting to build a PC, would be to buy a Prebuilt first and get to know all about how it works and updating the software etc etc, then build your own after that. That’s what I did and it helped me tremendously.
1 - TH-cam how parts go together / order of the build. 2 - Use PC part picker compatibility list to design parts. 3 - Ask Reddit and they'll fix it for you. 4 - order parts and build PC.
Also people need to know compatibility Ram to x board etc. Updating bios is some much easier now than ever dont need the CPU even in the board or HHD just power getting M.2 up and running isnt a problem either ? just plug them in to the Motherboard and boot install windows on one of them and all good. if you make sure the RAM is supported by the motherboard and you go with 2 sticks most of the issues go away too. I must admit when I've built a new build that first press of the on button still scares me and I am sooooo glad I watch youtube about the new AM5 boards and the Very long first boot other wise I would have been bricking it. the Bad this I think is the lack of info from the likes of intel and AMD at no point did they say make sure you have X bios, and install this chipset drivers for this X3d chip you purchased and set Game bar etc if I hadnt seen it on GN and hardware unboxed it wouldnt have booted. the fact that this was a completely new build except monitor and keyboard/mouse with new case PSU and Graphics card made it more scary
I'm stuck with ps4 and can't play newer games. Not planning to upgrade to ps5. I will just get stuck in ps5 ecosystem. I'm upgrading my old pc and starting adding parts little by little. The great thing about pc is choice.
Comes down to the budget of the individual. Are they single, have kids, what kinda job or debts. (Country too) I can certainly afford nice stuff being single, debt free, and a CDL trucker here in the US. But a vast majority aren't in my sort of financial scenario. I know many people personally, some relatives, that are in poverty. Got quite a few on my discord that are scrapping/recycling older systems they can get for cheap/free just to do a PC build out. Many just don't have the income to even afford a new budget or midrange setup unfortunately. The economy right now is crap, and doesn't help either.. I make good money as an OTR trucker, but even I have to make my own sacrifices. Only ever home once every 3-5 weeks for a few days to a week. Other than that I'm living on the road. I'm hunting for local work, but the job market is tight right now.. Everyone has their own "situations" to abide by.
the PS4 isnt exactly trash, so I wouldnt say youre "stuck". Nor is it ancient like the PS1 or 2. Lots of great games on the 4. Just be patient, prices drops & amazing bundles will eventually come
Another reason NOT to build your own, but instead buy your gaming rig pre-built would be warranty and support. If anything goes wrong with it, there is a single point of contact to get help. If you build yourself, you not only have to troubleshoot each aspect of your build but also potentially deal with the warranty on every single component you purchased. Yet another reason to buy a pre-built is if there is a particular component you want but it's not available (sold out, too expensive, etc.), when you buy a pre-build, sometimes you get a good deal on what you really wanted (like a specific GPU). PS: I personally enjoy building my own rigs, but I have also bought pre-built... and this is a worthy subject on the pros and cons. Thanks for the video!
I think pre-built and building your own is a topic unto itself. Many mass-produced pre-built machines (Dell/Alienware) use proprietary items, and any PC should outlive any warranty in all build cases. Handcuff yourself to Alienware and try to replace a power supply? Proprietary connector. System integrators avoid this pitfall, but the term 'prebuilt' is too broad here as you describe, but indeed worth a mention (with the caveats)!
Having a computer store build for you can be a good option, that's what I did way back when I got my first PC. Before starting it's a great idea to watch some videos on how to build a PC, pitfalls and get an idea of what PC you want to have built for you. There's also good tips out there of what to look out for, eg making sure they put both sticks of the matched DDR ram kit in your new PC, not just one (Ram runs faster with both). I recommend making sure the CPU and motherboard match what you need first of all. It tends to be more annoying to upgrade these later than other components. Another thing you can do is buying a Lower end GPU to start with, and then upgrade it later when you can afford to.
@@samsmith7532 at this point only Dell Alienware are the only ones who use proprietary parts. The likes of Lenovo and HP Omen are as standard as a DIY PC or built by some System Integrator like Maingear.
I would say the warranty / support is a double-edged sword for pre-built vs DIY depending on your knowledge. For example, if my RAM stops working, I could diagnose it and send just that part off for repair or replacement etc. Whereas a pre-built would require the whole system to be sent off.
@@Patrick-y4d1z I agree that happens sometimes, but other times perhaps not. I have both DIY and pre-built my house at the moment. One of my pre-built would not accept a BIOS update no matter what method. The tech support for the brand was good in addressing other problems I previously had. For the BIOS problem, believe it or not, the system needed a new motherboard. The same day they sent a tech to my house, replaced the mother board with a brand new one, and had my system up and running. and updated. I know that not all manufacturers have as good as support, but I was very pleased.
I've been building PCs for 25 years. So things like this happen about once a year. In my basement on my storage shelves: I have an old beige case from the late 90s. A 600-watt power supply. A Ryzen 3400G APU. An RTX 3050 GPU. A spare SSD inside another PC. All I need now is an AM4 motherboard with RAM and I have another PC. Refurbished MB with memory is on order. A new stealth gaming PC is coming up.
Honestly, the amount of Games PC has is incredible. I can't see myself going back to consoles. I learned how to build a PC a long time ago from Paul's NewEgg PC build tutorial and if it wasn't for Paul's tutorial, I wouldn't even have been here. To me, Paul is a Hero who got me into PC building and gaming.
I like the reasoning. Good job on the video. Kind of funny that I am starting the build for an ITX case I purchased two years ago but put off building since my old computer was still more than adequate.
I’m glad to hear that you are doing another PC building tutorial series. Your first series was key in helping my son and I build one for Xmas almost 5 years ago! Building a PC is like buying a classic car, more often than not it runs great, but occasionally you need to open the hood to do a little tinkering.
I'm in the gradual process of overhauling my entire room, while also looking for local CDL work. Been an OTR trucker for the last 10 years and gaming on a laptop in my cab. I've just been doing my next build/room setup gradually over the course of months, bit by bit. Right now waiting for Intel 15th Gen and their new motherboards to launch. Then still after that gotta wait for Nvidia 5090 most likely in early 2025. Getting local work is taking time too.. Job market it slow at the moment. 3 Job interviews over the past 8 weeks, and nothing yet. Too many applicants, not enough positions available.(Even with my 10 years experience) Probably gonna take awhile.. My inbox is getting blown up with OTR positions, but of course I'm only interested in local, already got a good OTR job.. Changing jobs can certainly be a pain.😅 As for my setup at home, I'm doing it quite a bit different. Ditched my desk and chair. Got a rolling table that goes over my bed for my peripherals. I'll be setting up a TV on a nice stand/console on the opposing wall from my bed. Probably gonna go with the 85" Sony Bravia 9, Mini LED no worries of burn in, and seen it in person next to OLEDs it looks great. OLED still has better contrast, but it's not that far off, LCD has improved leaps and bounds over the last 20 years or so lol. But yeah that'll be my setup in a nutshell, sit/flop on my bed, got a 66"x24" table for all my peripherals, and a more HTPC setup coming along. Gives me a lot more floorspace in my room, and a much more symmetrical layout in my room. Most expensive parts just being the high end PC and TV. All the furniture in my room combined is maybe $1800 (Queen mattress & frame, rolling table + custom top, TV Stand/Console, x2 Bookcases, Wall shelf) Last bit I'm still undecided on is Audio. Just want a basic 5.1 System under $1500. I've found a good AVR and Speakers I kinda like.. but it's difficult compared to the TV. There aren't many places I can go to experience home theater audio in the same way as TV's on display. For now I'm settled on the Klipsch Black 5.1 Theatre bundle for speakers about $399 unless I cat a sale, and Pioneer VSX 835 reciever at $349. I was eyeing the Logitech Z906 5.1 setup at $399, but wanted something with a bit better quality, a bit more oomph. So far I've done well catching most of the stuff on my list, on sale. I'll probably be paying a slight premium for PC components, namely GPU, but everything else isn't too bad. Not gonna worry about the extra little aesthetics like RGB lamps/lighting, posters, collectibles, ect.. till the setup is more or less complete. Rome wasn't built in a day... From start to finish this build/setup will take me about 8-9 months. Mainly just waiting on some stuff to release to the market. I've gone back to the drawing board multiple times, taking measurements, making tweaks so everything fits right, is organized, and functions as I've been planning out. Doing an entire room setup certainly takes time.. but the pay off when it's finally finished will be awesome.
My first pc I got when I moved out was some Acer wasn't much of a pc gamer just wanted it for the internet. Afterwards I just built my own pcs. I don't even know very much about computers but I find it very simple and more satisfying to do it myself. I've built two so far and currently waiting for a mb coming Friday to finish my new one.
best thing about building your own is learning from it and the mistakes that come with it, sometimes costly but you will learn not to do it again. My first prebuilt was a gateway that fizzld a week after i got it because of me, went and bought a better insides for 1/4 the price but still had to pay off the gateway. been building ever since.
I HIGHLY recommend checking out Build A PC (BAPC) rather than PCMR. PCMR is okay if you basically want to chuckle at some memes, but I've never felt any REAL sense of community there. By contrast, BAPC is chok FULL of people of all skill levels who really just wanna chat and learn from each other and help each other. 😊 I've learned SO much from that sub! When I decided to build my very first PC from "scratch", I was the one asking questions that I felt were dumb... But there was never any judgement or even teasing when something wasn't going right. Instead, people were really helpful and friendly! With their help, I was able to successfully finish the build, and get a POST. 😊 And I've learned SO much more from just checking the sub at least once a day, eventually expanding my knowledge by a staggering amount. I learned so much (not ONLY from the folks there, but from the tech tubers they recommended, like GN and Paul's Hardware, and the wide variety of links to other resources, like the PSU tier list), that I became the person helping other people with their builds, from which parts to choose, to tips for first-time builders, to helping out when they had issues during or after the build. And I used what I'd learned about troubleshooting to help the many posters who came to that sub basically asking for tech support help. I loved paying it forward as often as I could. 😊
Dude, I was looking through my liked videos from when I was still in school to find your channel again because I might want to build a PC again in the near future and I forgot who I used to follow about that sort of stuff, but I must say; you haven't aged a bit! And the video I found you with is 8 years old, so well done!!
I opted for a prebuilt from SkyTech Gaming. 7800x3d, 4080 super, 64gb ddr5 5600 RAM. It's the Legacy 4. I paid $2300. The cost to build from new was about the same as the prebuilt, and I decided for the same money I'd rather have it built and warrantied. I'd love to hear your thoughts though.
Sounds like a good option. I built mine myself, but that's because I worked in electronics for years and was very comfortable, especially as this was build number five or six. I did prebuilts for a long time, and then built my own and got immense satisfaction from doing it.
(Super) Reason #6 - PC ports are, past graphics, superior overall. Choose your FOV, resolution, framerate cap > maybe dozens of other settings, no paying to play via Internet, aaaand the truest versions of mods.
@@Jodie-G198I guess, but theres a bad or godawful pc port of a popular game like once or more per year too. I mean Starfield for one, and the countless old or retro games that get hastily ported and never fixed (saints row 2 for example). Theres also massive issues with cheating and hacking online compared to console
Last time I built my current PC you were still working for New egg. When you left, I couldn't go back to New egg. BUT, my puter is still running. Thanks Paul for all the advice!
Paul's chair is the "Fractal Design Refine Gaming Chair (Fabric Light)". He did an unboxing about a week ago in his video "My Award-Winning Series is Much More Refined Now".
I've been customizing or building my own since the Commodore 64 Excellent pros and cons vid. Especially when you pointing out something I take for granted daily. I've never thought about a world where I could not play a game I'd played before. Even games that existed pre-Commodore. Thanks for taking the time.
Although it adds to the cost you also have System Integrators that can help you put together a machine from scratch if you don't feel confident in building your own, or you're physically unable to do so.
Came here expecting Intel and other company’s product issues to be one of the main reasons. Currently dealing with an RMA for my 13600 K, and feeling more like I’m dealing with a scammer, than a reputable large company. Their slow responses, lack of answering my questions, grammatical errors, insistence on trying to charge me more than retail value for the processor (though will be refunded after “cross ship”), etc. just all seem really shady. Biggest reason not to build… The companies you have to rely on.
Agree , and I got burnt by a retailer and I only just managed to , bypass them using the oem, however I would give up gaming if I could only play console games
Before the modern internets, who remembers building PCs in the late 90s from eBay auctions, PC Club, Fry’s, etc? Getting hold of a second hand compatibility parts list from some obscure third party source was hella interesting. What a time it was.
"Building" a PC is completely different from making one in the '80s, where we used to hunt for components at flea markets and test everything with oscilloscopes. EEPROMs were programmed with ultraviolet light, and the smell was fascinating.
A gaming monitor costing $200 is more than enough if you are okay with 1080p gaming - which for your records, is the professional Esports monitor resolution.
@@juhumamamam3768 eh, 1080p is more than good enough. If Esports professional players enjoy playing on that 7-10 hours a day without issues, you don't need 4k. That's overall. Also, 144 hz is old material now. Older than 1080p meta
@@trainerzard7sure. But esports players aren’t playing for the experience. They are playing competitively. 4K OLED gaming on ULTRA settings with a good FPS is a wonderful experience.
@@trainerzard7 I know, not everyone is playing fps. 1080p is a joke. I got a 280hz 1080p only for cs2, and my other one is for single player games etc. and when I look over to my 1080p I could vomit, its so fucking bad
Another 2 reason to build a gaming PC. 1) You can play older games, at least via GoG. I still play Sierra Adventure games, from the mid 80s, on my current rig. 2) You don't need to pay an expensive subscription service just to play with friends online.
You lightly touched on Customisation, which as a builder is one of if not the main point of building your own PC, otherwise you're better off going to a Computer Store (no, not a chain store) and buying a pre built system (in Australia somewhere like Scorptec or PC CASE GEAR). The other point in building a computer is the fun factor, yes, it's extremely satisfying building your own creation). The worst part is praying that it boots first go, especially if the memory is training.
I am glad you spoke about the cost of peripherals. So many people forget them, then say dumb things like "Just use the ones from your old PC" which isn't viable if you don't own a PC. People also forget that their time is valuable. Doing it "Right" can take hours. People who build them all the time can put them together in less time (like a decent length youtube video, with cuts and editing making it look even shorter) Personally, i can throw a whole system together in 20-30 min. Cable management takes another hour or so.
Your channel inspired me to build my first gaming PC a few years ago. It was interesting. I used an app to get a rough idea of what I needed to get going.
I built a new rig for the first time in over a decade in June. I got a 7800X3D (of course) for $349. I just checked right now and its either out of stock or $450+. I think I got really lucky with my timing.
@@ajanimandara9048 got mine for $200 ish from microcenter and my buds for around the same in a bundle before they removed custom bundles a few weeks ago
I am absolutely blown away at how they skyrocketed/vanished so fast. Got mine at the end of August from microcenter for 275 after combo stuff, but now you just cant find it in stock here.
@@joeykeilholz925 in America, if you had a microcenter by you, it was cheaper than the lower end ones at a normal store ranging from $200-250 if you got a mobo and ram with it. Not cheaper than the absolute low end ofc but its also sometimes better to save up a bit more. (Depends on your location ofc)
I built a gaming PC for it being a PC. It's useful for other things computers do, such as watching this video. 😁I wanted a desktop PC that isn't full of proprietary components that can't be replaced or upgraded easily. It was fun to purchase the components and build the PC.
PC building feels a lot easier than it used to be coming from my start during the Slot 1, Pentium II era. I still check component manuals for jumper settings to this day.
Gaming PCs also make great engineering workstations. Overclocking is nice for computationally intense tasks. High end graphics for visualization and 3D rotations and multi-screen display. RAID and ease of repair. And, lots of heat for when its cold outside. I skip the liquid cooling though. Great channel!
I use the “wealthy benefactor” method when building a new PC. I usually use your recommended setups and add everything to my Amazon wish list for my birthday and Christmas since they are only a month apart. I usually end up only needing to by the GPU myself
I built my first 2 1/2 PCs through advice and build tutorials presented on Paul's Hardware. The 1/2 is that when I bought a custom built PC the first two were cannibalized into my secondary PC for surfing and other media. The custom PC is for Eve Online and Starfield; I'm in deep with both and don't have time for other games at the moment. November I'll be 64, I expect these PCs to be the last I'll need. Gaming in my 70s? Doubtful if I'm still on the right side of the dirt. But future proofed the new PC as much as I could afford and all she needs is a possible RTX 4070 Ti Super and a Zen CPU upgrade. Planning on both in 2025 and they should handle my needs through the end... of my gaming career so to speak.
I don't even game anymore but still build my own because I hate looking at someone elses spec sheet and wondering where they hid the shortcuts and cheapouts to save a buck. Well, that and I can often reuse still-good parts like drives, power supplies, video cards, etc when doing a cpu generational update.
I'm the family PC builder...I have no choice but to do this, lol. I love it though and as always you are a beacon in the night for good deals and what to avoid Paul, thank you so much for sharing your wisdom with us poor slobs, it's really appreciated 😊
I built my first PC with major help from Paul's series on Newegg. I've always gotten good advice, and confirmation that I'm not making any stupid mistakes, from using Pcpartpicker for my parts, and referencing Paul's videos. "Stable as a table." That's the way I like my computers.
Reason 6 (for me): flexibility with Moonlight and (if internet is good) home VPN setups like Wireguard for game streaming on what is typically the best display for most people, their phones.
I kind of enjoyed building my mini-ITX system with a GTX 1070 in 2016. For some reason building a new Macro-ATX system recently was very stressful and I hated it, although formally it should be easier. I guess that's hardly true. One or two reasons were that it's much heavier and harder to handle. Also the size difference actually seems to not help that much.
After my last AMD build which is delightfully configurable I decided to look at (2) off-lease Intel workstations. While not bleeding edge and not as configurable as an AMD machine I have been thrilled with quality and stability of the work stations. And the prices were less than half of a new gaming build. Just had to drop a better GPU in each one and that was it. One ame with 32GB and the other came with 64GB of ram. Did I mention the rock solid stability? Plus, built in handles so they are easy to move. Anyway, that's an option.
If you don't want to build your own PC, but you would still like to join the ecosystem, then some other options are: - Prebuilt Gaming or Mini PC's - Laptops - Handhelds like the Steam Deck or Allly X. Most prebuilts often cost a few hundred more than if you built it yourself - but generally have a warranty and support alongside them. Mini PC's, Laptops, and handhelds can also offer portability like that of a console.
Reason not to build a pc is the upkeep, making sure things are up to date and knowing all the various settings and configurations, how to update systems like the bios, gpu driver etc. Consoles for the most part simplify this process so its more automated but pc is getting better. Some people dont have the time or patience and just want to game now, this is where console is probably best. In PC gaming you should go into it expecting an adventure, it helps to have a good friend who has experience to help guide you.
Paul is the good friend to help guide me, along with Jay and Steve. I've been lucky so far, avoided some crap like the bogus Intel CPU's, and have had few issues. None that I couldn't overcome.
One of the cheapest (for me) is to buy parts in parts. I got the Mobo first, then bought the CPU 2 weeks later, etc. Not so much cash upfront, gives you a bit of breathing space.
After buying two very expensive office/gaming chairs that I hated I found a big boy executive office chair rated at four hundred and fifty pounds at the local goodwill store for three dollars and fifty cents. I covered it with duct tape an old afghan and an unused bed sheet. This is the best gaming chair I have ever sat in.
Paul, Thank you very much! This series and all that you do on your channel is very helpful! Looking forward to the "build your own PC" Series for 2024. All the best to you and your family.
I agree with the costs. I’m in the process of creating a new build for VR. There are meta verse worlds you can’t go into unless you are running a PC. Headset like the quest cannot handle the processing of some of them.
The few friends that I have that are console only, buy consoles because they just want to plug and play they don't want the headache of a PC, for them cost is not the big problem
I spent around 4 grand a year ago building mine from scratch. I've never been happy with a top of the line pre-built. I certainly don't want to game on a tiny ass phone or tablet screen. Forget that. I do own an xbox but some games just suck on a console. I built mine to run MSFS 2020 on three monitors.
I think a reason to build is passion. In the journey to become a Pc gamer, you have to love troubleshooting and tweaking. The long hours invested without playing, just to get some satisfying additional frames.
Another reason to buy one (which coincidentally is why I did it)- games are way cheaper than console. Games rarely if ever go on a deep sale on Xbox or PS' whereas on PC- you can occasionally pick up AAA games for 75-90% off. If you're a kid, it's way easier to convince your parents to spend $5 on a game vs. $60.
Including a chair even as a passing consideration for total price was funny. Consoles start to not be very cheap either if we include the cost of a couch not to mention a 4k TV in the price.
if someone is just trying to get their foot in the door I would recommend a used dell prebuilt. you can get one for a couple hundred that's mid tower and no proprietary bs. which means you can slowly upgrade as you have the time and money. but I couldn't imagine being stuck on a console. on a console you cant watch youtube whilst simultaneously playing snes games at 4k on a ps1 rom in retroarch through two layers of virtual machines. lol. with console you're just so constricted and as soon as your console is outdated then that's it. you're not upgrading it with the latest tech.
Its simple really - if money is tight then it comes down to whether you will make use of the PC for things other than gaming? If the answer is no then an xbox series S or switch..or even a PS4. Its amazing how many people just play COD or Fifa or a small number of popular games.
As someone who has been building PCs since the early 90's..... Physically building a PC is no harder than building a Lego Set......... BUT having a fully working PC at the end needs one or more of the following: 1. Luck 2. Knowledge/experience 3. A knowledgeable friend (who is actually willing to help) 4. Money to throw at someone else to fix it. When browsing a forum or asking for advice remember everyone has 'their way' which might match yours or not. People are different, I game on PC (both Windows & Linux), Mac (both native ARM and via Crossover) and both Xbox & PS5; they each have their advantages and disadvantages. Read the advice, look at other answers and decide what is right for you. Obligatory Star Wars quote: Ben Kenobi, "You must do what you feel is right" ABOVE ALL, HAVE FUN!!!!!
Another reason is that it is very addictive, I learned the hard way, also if build for family and/or friends you are now going to be called for EVERY problem.
The current two reason i have to not build a gaming pc is that the 5090 isnt out yet, and the ryzen 9000 series cpus were disappointing (and i dont want to get intel since my current one 13700k is unstable as hell but i cant rma it since i cant be without it for weeks.😢)
Great vid... really good comparison of the for and against! Would you be able to give some suggestions on the best emulators that you mentioned in the video? Thank you!
I've been sitting my 1060 for years now. It's outlasted a motherboard and a CPU. And man, I am due for a much-needed upgrade, but everything is so damn expensive now. I feel like I initially built my pc in the wrong product cycle.
Another plus to building my latest gaming PC is that I got to be a hero to my daughter by giving her my old one (Note: I'm retired, she's in her early 40's).
Compared to the late 80s and early 90s, is their any DIY pc building an more? ISA, IDE, VESA, manual IRQ management, 217 tiny jumpers. And, remember, no TH-cam or internet assistance...but we did have manuals written by engineers for engineers; tough reads for me as a middle schooler. But I got each build and upgrade working...eventually. LOL
Considering the price of the PS5 pro....why not save up for another month or two and build a $1k PC that is way better and does a ton more? Seems stupid to me NOT to build a PC. Especially so when you consider the modular upgrades over time that can be done to a PC that will make it more affordable than buy an entirely new console that barely does anything better.
my first gaming pc was a 750ti shoved into discarded dell optiplex sff I picked up from a trash hip at my university . early 2015. never looked back since. 75Oti was $100 on sale brand new. spent another $50 on eBay to replace original core 2 duo with a core 2 quad , and another $25 on 4gb ddr3 ram to take it to 8gb total. So for less than $200, I had a system that was better than base Xbox one and on par with ps4. The thing about pc building is that you to have some 'tech blood' in you. Without a background in computers or any experience, I am still not sure how i was able to put together such an intelligent build with no prior experience. But i have always been technically inclined. I learned very early that you figure most things with a google search.
Love this channel. Would love to see you do a build geared towards music production. Idk what to prioritize over the other in this regard. Also doesn’t require a graphics card so it could be a cheaper build for some people . Plus a new video 😂
My biggest reason I'm not building one is I'm happy with my current setup. The hardware I have in my rig is plenty for my taste and my wallet and I don't really see a reason to spend oodles of cash for a new rig at the moment.
My reason that maybe building a gaming PC was not a good idea for me is that so far, I don't really spend a lot of time computer gaming. . Instead, I game in person, with people, mostly board games, card games, and pen and paper role playing games. I do hope to play some MMOs that are currently under development, but really, not actually much computer gaming right now. That said, I really enjoy having learned what I have about PC building, and it's kind of a game in itself.
I thought you'd mention one of the reasons not to build is support is on the user. Sometimes people get unlucky and they'll get a DOA part that they'll have a hard time troubleshooting and/or diagnosing. I've also seen funky Power Supply Units that slowly fry one part after another, and unstable power grids wreak havok on a PC. This is why its so offensive to see companies like Asus and Gigabyte take an adversarial approach to their Support and RMA processes. When a newbie asks about building a PC, I always tell them to buy all the parts at once then test the parts ASAP. The reason is it's so much easier to return a part to the retailer than it is to file an RMA with a company like Gigabyte. Yeah, with prebuilt PC's you get that one shot warranty, and the PC has likely been tested enough that the OS was loaded and set up. The only drawback is OEM warranties are only 1 year long whereas PC parts usually have a 2 to 3 year warranty. Some parts are covered for 5 years or longer.
Even a lower mid range rig built today will play games from several years ago and older at maximum settings in most cases and there are hundreds of good older titles available for under $5 or $10 when on sale from sites like Steam or Green Man gaming and also Humble Bundle can offer killer prices on popular franchise games. Keep the monitor resolution and refresh rate reasonable, a 1440p and 165hz refresh rate works fine for most people, looks really good and runs well with midgrade hardware. Lower end hardware stick with 1080p if you are building a really lower end bare bones system as it will be easier on your hardware to run and keep your hardware relevant for a longer time frame with newer titles. But honestly playing older titles is the secret sauce to cheaper builds and lower budgets and keeping gaming fun and affordable. The best part of this as far as actual gameplay and creativity most of the best games are now a decade or more older as compared to the stuff being released today which usually is trying to cash in on the much older titles success and the new stuff some which struggles to run on the best hardware available is released as a hot, overpriced, poorly optimized mess. Again with the older titles you are saving money and have years of updates and fixes that have taken care of the bugs, fixed balance issues and just generally got the game to a better polished smoother running final state than when it was newly released. I have gotten to where I rarely buy a newer game and those are limited to a few franchises I have followed for years and want to just more support the studio making it. The last two new games I pre ordered I waited about a year for all the bug fixes, balancing and polishing before I ever even played them for the first time!
Honestly it'd be worth just to upgrade to am5, micro center have fantastic bundels for Mobo/Ram/Cpu, that'll cost as much as upgrading to top of AM4(5800x3d)
Yes, but there might be TDP limitations to putting a 5000x3d on a 450m motherboard -- you might not be able to unleash the full capabilities of the x3d cpu.
i managed to build a fairly decent PC based around a 5700X for $644.32 total to replace my geriatric 4th gen i5 rig. though i had no choice but to use ol' reliable (a GTX 1060 6GB from Inno3D) for the GPU since holy fuck, GPU prices. though i'm saving up and looking around in the second hand market. because fuuuuck paying full price for a GPU worth a damn nowadays.
When you go for desktop PCs, the advantage of being able to pick and buy parts separately is huge. It makes it easier to commit to the goal if money is coming in slowly. You can build a "potato" PC with modern parts if it is urgent and set priorities to upgrade every few months or so. Ironically, tech influencers and social media are making the hobby harder for newcomers by telling them to always spend a bunch of money all at once and to not do small upgrades. People end up not having a functioning PC for years because the recommended options are either already old or again expensive.
another reason not to build or buy a pre-built pc is if you don't have the patience or want to do your own trouble shooting when something isn't working like it's suppose to.
While the popularity of desktop computers may wane in the face of portable technologies, they are unlikely to become obsolete in the foreseeable future. Their performance, cost-effectiveness, and ergonomic advantages keep them relevant in various applications, from professional environments to gaming and content creation. Keeping on building.
@gobbledygook5000 oh yeah . At the rate I’m going though, it’s looking like I’ll spring for the Nvidia 5000 series… I’ve got everything wishlisted but I’m open to tweaking it.
I need to know how much that gaming chair/toilet costs. The sound of games will be awesomesauce in the bathroom! I can just turn the fan on if there are issues. 😊
The number 1 reason, in my book, not to build a custom gaming PC is support and warranty. Yes, each individual part should come with both, at least for a bit. But it is such a pain to keep track of all of it and a lot of it may not be very good. If you buy a pre built or even stick to a console, you have one point of contact for everything. And a lot of pre built manufacturers offer extended warranties and premium support.
I don't game but still prefer you and JTC over LTT and I am Canadian. How about building an inexpensive desktop PC that will run Davinci Resolve Studio?
I've built a few PC's in my time, I'm an old fart, and what is holding me back right now are the GPU price issues. I want the 4090 but the price is outrageous. I may compromise with a 4070 series but I want to get those life like mods for 2077 and other games and the holy grail, GTA6.
Three 'Not' reasons for me: - Dozens of games in my console library. - Living room with couch, cabinet, game controller (no keyboard or mouse), TV, and Home Theater. - I would rather upgrade upgrade my workstation than build an additional computer just for gaming. That goes without saying that I don't need a 4K monitor for work.
Paul -- this is a PC enthusiast channel and suggesting getting a console or game on a phone = diablo immortal "is this a joke" (youtube it is not aware, hilarious) context (I have PS5, very decent gaming rig etc) cant say state of PC hardware is exciting tease days, but still. Good old PC build is almost a classic on youtube. Similar to a car guy working on the engine - kinda pleasant to watch you know
Watch lots of TH-cam tutorials on how to build a PC then go for it. If you run into something that you can’t figure out then ask Google and look at TH-cam again for the specific problem. The hardest part for me was uploading the new Operating Software and setting up new Hardware such as Ram and M.2 hard drives. Getting the correct Bios onto a new Motherboard can be very scary, so watch tutorial videos before attempting that also. Honestly the best advice for someone wanting to build a PC, would be to buy a Prebuilt first and get to know all about how it works and updating the software etc etc, then build your own after that. That’s what I did and it helped me tremendously.
1 - TH-cam how parts go together / order of the build.
2 - Use PC part picker compatibility list to design parts.
3 - Ask Reddit and they'll fix it for you.
4 - order parts and build PC.
Also people need to know compatibility Ram to x board etc. Updating bios is some much easier now than ever dont need the CPU even in the board or HHD just power
getting M.2 up and running isnt a problem either ? just plug them in to the Motherboard and boot install windows on one of them and all good.
if you make sure the RAM is supported by the motherboard and you go with 2 sticks most of the issues go away too.
I must admit when I've built a new build that first press of the on button still scares me and I am sooooo glad I watch youtube about the new AM5 boards and the Very long first boot
other wise I would have been bricking it. the Bad this I think is the lack of info from the likes of intel and AMD at no point did they say make sure you have X bios, and install this chipset drivers for this X3d chip you purchased and set Game bar etc if I hadnt seen it on GN and hardware unboxed it wouldnt have booted.
the fact that this was a completely new build except monitor and keyboard/mouse with new case PSU and Graphics card made it more scary
"Watch lots of TH-cam tutorials" If you have to watch more than one, you might want to consider a visit to your local computer store.
@ Not every TH-cam Tutorial on building PCs cover everything from start to finish and many of them are vague on some important issues.
I'm stuck with ps4 and can't play newer games. Not planning to upgrade to ps5. I will just get stuck in ps5 ecosystem. I'm upgrading my old pc and starting adding parts little by little. The great thing about pc is choice.
exactly, choice. 👍
There's nothing wrong with being in the PS5 ecosystem too.
I have a PS5, PC and Switch - each have their merits.
Comes down to the budget of the individual. Are they single, have kids, what kinda job or debts. (Country too)
I can certainly afford nice stuff being single, debt free, and a CDL trucker here in the US. But a vast majority aren't in my sort of financial scenario. I know many people personally, some relatives, that are in poverty.
Got quite a few on my discord that are scrapping/recycling older systems they can get for cheap/free just to do a PC build out. Many just don't have the income to even afford a new budget or midrange setup unfortunately. The economy right now is crap, and doesn't help either..
I make good money as an OTR trucker, but even I have to make my own sacrifices. Only ever home once every 3-5 weeks for a few days to a week. Other than that I'm living on the road. I'm hunting for local work, but the job market is tight right now..
Everyone has their own "situations" to abide by.
the PS4 isnt exactly trash, so I wouldnt say youre "stuck". Nor is it ancient like the PS1 or 2. Lots of great games on the 4. Just be patient, prices drops & amazing bundles will eventually come
Might aswell start from scratch
Another reason NOT to build your own, but instead buy your gaming rig pre-built would be warranty and support. If anything goes wrong with it, there is a single point of contact to get help. If you build yourself, you not only have to troubleshoot each aspect of your build but also potentially deal with the warranty on every single component you purchased. Yet another reason to buy a pre-built is if there is a particular component you want but it's not available (sold out, too expensive, etc.), when you buy a pre-build, sometimes you get a good deal on what you really wanted (like a specific GPU).
PS: I personally enjoy building my own rigs, but I have also bought pre-built... and this is a worthy subject on the pros and cons. Thanks for the video!
I think pre-built and building your own is a topic unto itself. Many mass-produced pre-built machines (Dell/Alienware) use proprietary items, and any PC should outlive any warranty in all build cases. Handcuff yourself to Alienware and try to replace a power supply? Proprietary connector.
System integrators avoid this pitfall, but the term 'prebuilt' is too broad here as you describe, but indeed worth a mention (with the caveats)!
Having a computer store build for you can be a good option, that's what I did way back when I got my first PC.
Before starting it's a great idea to watch some videos on how to build a PC, pitfalls and get an idea of what PC you want to have built for you. There's also good tips out there of what to look out for, eg making sure they put both sticks of the matched DDR ram kit in your new PC, not just one (Ram runs faster with both).
I recommend making sure the CPU and motherboard match what you need first of all. It tends to be more annoying to upgrade these later than other components.
Another thing you can do is buying a Lower end GPU to start with, and then upgrade it later when you can afford to.
@@samsmith7532 at this point only Dell Alienware are the only ones who use proprietary parts. The likes of Lenovo and HP Omen are as standard as a DIY PC or built by some System Integrator like Maingear.
I would say the warranty / support is a double-edged sword for pre-built vs DIY depending on your knowledge.
For example, if my RAM stops working, I could diagnose it and send just that part off for repair or replacement etc. Whereas a pre-built would require the whole system to be sent off.
@@Patrick-y4d1z I agree that happens sometimes, but other times perhaps not. I have both DIY and pre-built my house at the moment. One of my pre-built would not accept a BIOS update no matter what method. The tech support for the brand was good in addressing other problems I previously had. For the BIOS problem, believe it or not, the system needed a new motherboard. The same day they sent a tech to my house, replaced the mother board with a brand new one, and had my system up and running. and updated. I know that not all manufacturers have as good as support, but I was very pleased.
The build is a large part of the fun. Installing/playing games after that is (almost) only a justification of the PC you just slapped together.
I've been building PCs for 25 years. So things like this happen about once a year. In my basement on my storage shelves:
I have an old beige case from the late 90s.
A 600-watt power supply.
A Ryzen 3400G APU.
An RTX 3050 GPU.
A spare SSD inside another PC.
All I need now is an AM4 motherboard with RAM and I have another PC. Refurbished MB with memory is on order. A new stealth gaming PC is coming up.
Honestly, the amount of Games PC has is incredible. I can't see myself going back to consoles. I learned how to build a PC a long time ago from Paul's NewEgg PC build tutorial and if it wasn't for Paul's tutorial, I wouldn't even have been here. To me, Paul is a Hero who got me into PC building and gaming.
same, learned so much from Paul during his time at Newegg. he seems like a good dude.
I like the reasoning. Good job on the video. Kind of funny that I am starting the build for an ITX case I purchased two years ago but put off building since my old computer was still more than adequate.
I’m glad to hear that you are doing another PC building tutorial series. Your first series was key in helping my son and I build one for Xmas almost 5 years ago!
Building a PC is like buying a classic car, more often than not it runs great, but occasionally you need to open the hood to do a little tinkering.
I'm in the gradual process of overhauling my entire room, while also looking for local CDL work. Been an OTR trucker for the last 10 years and gaming on a laptop in my cab. I've just been doing my next build/room setup gradually over the course of months, bit by bit. Right now waiting for Intel 15th Gen and their new motherboards to launch. Then still after that gotta wait for Nvidia 5090 most likely in early 2025.
Getting local work is taking time too.. Job market it slow at the moment. 3 Job interviews over the past 8 weeks, and nothing yet. Too many applicants, not enough positions available.(Even with my 10 years experience) Probably gonna take awhile.. My inbox is getting blown up with OTR positions, but of course I'm only interested in local, already got a good OTR job.. Changing jobs can certainly be a pain.😅
As for my setup at home, I'm doing it quite a bit different. Ditched my desk and chair. Got a rolling table that goes over my bed for my peripherals. I'll be setting up a TV on a nice stand/console on the opposing wall from my bed. Probably gonna go with the 85" Sony Bravia 9, Mini LED no worries of burn in, and seen it in person next to OLEDs it looks great. OLED still has better contrast, but it's not that far off, LCD has improved leaps and bounds over the last 20 years or so lol.
But yeah that'll be my setup in a nutshell, sit/flop on my bed, got a 66"x24" table for all my peripherals, and a more HTPC setup coming along. Gives me a lot more floorspace in my room, and a much more symmetrical layout in my room. Most expensive parts just being the high end PC and TV. All the furniture in my room combined is maybe $1800 (Queen mattress & frame, rolling table + custom top, TV Stand/Console, x2 Bookcases, Wall shelf)
Last bit I'm still undecided on is Audio. Just want a basic 5.1 System under $1500. I've found a good AVR and Speakers I kinda like.. but it's difficult compared to the TV. There aren't many places I can go to experience home theater audio in the same way as TV's on display. For now I'm settled on the Klipsch Black 5.1 Theatre bundle for speakers about $399 unless I cat a sale, and Pioneer VSX 835 reciever at $349. I was eyeing the Logitech Z906 5.1 setup at $399, but wanted something with a bit better quality, a bit more oomph.
So far I've done well catching most of the stuff on my list, on sale. I'll probably be paying a slight premium for PC components, namely GPU, but everything else isn't too bad. Not gonna worry about the extra little aesthetics like RGB lamps/lighting, posters, collectibles, ect.. till the setup is more or less complete.
Rome wasn't built in a day... From start to finish this build/setup will take me about 8-9 months. Mainly just waiting on some stuff to release to the market. I've gone back to the drawing board multiple times, taking measurements, making tweaks so everything fits right, is organized, and functions as I've been planning out. Doing an entire room setup certainly takes time.. but the pay off when it's finally finished will be awesome.
My first pc I got when I moved out was some Acer wasn't much of a pc gamer just wanted it for the internet. Afterwards I just built my own pcs. I don't even know very much about computers but I find it very simple and more satisfying to do it myself. I've built two so far and currently waiting for a mb coming Friday to finish my new one.
best thing about building your own is learning from it and the mistakes that come with it, sometimes costly but you will learn not to do it again. My first prebuilt was a gateway that fizzld a week after i got it because of me, went and bought a better insides for 1/4 the price but still had to pay off the gateway. been building ever since.
The PCMR subreddit and 'friendly' don't belong anywhere near each other. I have never met a kind person in that cesspool of a subreddit.
I honestly loved PCMR more as a meme, not the community itself.
I don't know what you expected. Sounds like peasant talk.
I HIGHLY recommend checking out Build A PC (BAPC) rather than PCMR.
PCMR is okay if you basically want to chuckle at some memes, but I've never felt any REAL sense of community there.
By contrast, BAPC is chok FULL of people of all skill levels who really just wanna chat and learn from each other and help each other. 😊
I've learned SO much from that sub! When I decided to build my very first PC from "scratch", I was the one asking questions that I felt were dumb... But there was never any judgement or even teasing when something wasn't going right. Instead, people were really helpful and friendly!
With their help, I was able to successfully finish the build, and get a POST. 😊
And I've learned SO much more from just checking the sub at least once a day, eventually expanding my knowledge by a staggering amount. I learned so much (not ONLY from the folks there, but from the tech tubers they recommended, like GN and Paul's Hardware, and the wide variety of links to other resources, like the PSU tier list), that I became the person helping other people with their builds, from which parts to choose, to tips for first-time builders, to helping out when they had issues during or after the build.
And I used what I'd learned about troubleshooting to help the many posters who came to that sub basically asking for tech support help. I loved paying it forward as often as I could. 😊
Maybe I'm just thinking of Pedro
Already have ... Cable management is a PITA 😆.
Cable management? Never heard of it. 😂
@@dauntae24 🤣
Best solution for cable management is to use a case with solid side panels - if you can close the side, then you've done a good enough job 😀
Dude, I was looking through my liked videos from when I was still in school to find your channel again because I might want to build a PC again in the near future and I forgot who I used to follow about that sort of stuff, but I must say; you haven't aged a bit! And the video I found you with is 8 years old, so well done!!
I opted for a prebuilt from SkyTech Gaming. 7800x3d, 4080 super, 64gb ddr5 5600 RAM. It's the Legacy 4. I paid $2300. The cost to build from new was about the same as the prebuilt, and I decided for the same money I'd rather have it built and warrantied. I'd love to hear your thoughts though.
Sounds like a good option. I built mine myself, but that's because I worked in electronics for years and was very comfortable, especially as this was build number five or six. I did prebuilts for a long time, and then built my own and got immense satisfaction from doing it.
Reason #5: PC versions of games often look better than their console counterparts.
(Super) Reason #6 - PC ports are, past graphics, superior overall. Choose your FOV, resolution, framerate cap > maybe dozens of other settings, no paying to play via Internet, aaaand the truest versions of mods.
Always Look Better*
@@Jodie-G198I guess, but theres a bad or godawful pc port of a popular game like once or more per year too. I mean Starfield for one, and the countless old or retro games that get hastily ported and never fixed (saints row 2 for example). Theres also massive issues with cheating and hacking online compared to console
@@Jodie-G198 you forgot the cheating problem
Only if you've got the hardware for it, which you don't at all entry lvl price.
Last time I built my current PC you were still working for New egg.
When you left, I couldn't go back to New egg.
BUT, my puter is still running.
Thanks Paul for all the advice!
I need that chair
Im sure that chair belongs to the CEO of Intel
@@BRB499 He surely has the luxury variant. You know, the one with a hose attached to the seat and breathing mask.
That actual chair? Creepy.
Paul's chair is the "Fractal Design Refine Gaming Chair (Fabric Light)". He did an unboxing about a week ago in his video "My Award-Winning Series is Much More Refined Now".
You get NOTHING
I've been customizing or building my own since the Commodore 64
Excellent pros and cons vid.
Especially when you pointing out something I take for granted daily.
I've never thought about a world where I could not play a game I'd played before. Even games that existed pre-Commodore.
Thanks for taking the time.
Although it adds to the cost you also have System Integrators that can help you put together a machine from scratch if you don't feel confident in building your own, or you're physically unable to do so.
Came here expecting Intel and other company’s product issues to be one of the main reasons. Currently dealing with an RMA for my 13600 K, and feeling more like I’m dealing with a scammer, than a reputable large company. Their slow responses, lack of answering my questions, grammatical errors, insistence on trying to charge me more than retail value for the processor (though will be refunded after “cross ship”), etc. just all seem really shady. Biggest reason not to build… The companies you have to rely on.
Agree , and I got burnt by a retailer and I only just managed to , bypass them using the oem, however I would give up gaming if I could only play console games
Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, all now just as shady and bleeding with compromise
My European ass just goes to the store I bought the product show them the warranty and leave them to deal with Intel/AMD/ASUS/whatever.
Before the modern internets, who remembers building PCs in the late 90s from eBay auctions, PC Club, Fry’s, etc? Getting hold of a second hand compatibility parts list from some obscure third party source was hella interesting. What a time it was.
"Building" a PC is completely different from making one in the '80s, where we used to hunt for components at flea markets and test everything with oscilloscopes. EEPROMs were programmed with ultraviolet light, and the smell was fascinating.
A gaming monitor costing $200 is more than enough if you are okay with 1080p gaming - which for your records, is the professional Esports monitor resolution.
1080 p Gaming is so 2005 style. 4K is where it’s at. I got a 4K 144 hz monitor, never looked back
@@juhumamamam3768 eh, 1080p is more than good enough. If Esports professional players enjoy playing on that 7-10 hours a day without issues, you don't need 4k. That's overall. Also, 144 hz is old material now. Older than 1080p meta
@@trainerzard7sure. But esports players aren’t playing for the experience. They are playing competitively. 4K OLED gaming on ULTRA settings with a good FPS is a wonderful experience.
@@trainerzard7 I know, not everyone is playing fps. 1080p is a joke. I got a 280hz 1080p only for cs2, and my other one is for single player games etc. and when I look over to my 1080p I could vomit, its so fucking bad
@@trainerzard7 also you wont find many monitors in 4k, 32inch with more than 144hz, my monitor cost me around 800 euros.
Another 2 reason to build a gaming PC. 1) You can play older games, at least via GoG. I still play Sierra Adventure games, from the mid 80s, on my current rig. 2) You don't need to pay an expensive subscription service just to play with friends online.
built my own PC based on your guide and with upgrades is still running
You lightly touched on Customisation, which as a builder is one of if not the main point of building your own PC, otherwise you're better off going to a Computer Store (no, not a chain store) and buying a pre built system (in Australia somewhere like Scorptec or PC CASE GEAR).
The other point in building a computer is the fun factor, yes, it's extremely satisfying building your own creation).
The worst part is praying that it boots first go, especially if the memory is training.
I am glad you spoke about the cost of peripherals. So many people forget them, then say dumb things like "Just use the ones from your old PC" which isn't viable if you don't own a PC. People also forget that their time is valuable. Doing it "Right" can take hours. People who build them all the time can put them together in less time (like a decent length youtube video, with cuts and editing making it look even shorter) Personally, i can throw a whole system together in 20-30 min. Cable management takes another hour or so.
Your channel inspired me to build my first gaming PC a few years ago. It was interesting. I used an app to get a rough idea of what I needed to get going.
I built a new rig for the first time in over a decade in June. I got a 7800X3D (of course) for $349. I just checked right now and its either out of stock or $450+. I think I got really lucky with my timing.
Def dont build one right now with 7800x3d prices lmao. Hope stuff settles down soon
I got mine for 425 but with some credit rewards it was 285. Fuck that I’m building me a pc. 7800 x3d and 4070 ti super build
@@ajanimandara9048 got mine for $200 ish from microcenter and my buds for around the same in a bundle before they removed custom bundles a few weeks ago
I am absolutely blown away at how they skyrocketed/vanished so fast. Got mine at the end of August from microcenter for 275 after combo stuff, but now you just cant find it in stock here.
That is asswater but not everyone is building with that somewhat high end cpu.
@@joeykeilholz925 in America, if you had a microcenter by you, it was cheaper than the lower end ones at a normal store ranging from $200-250 if you got a mobo and ram with it. Not cheaper than the absolute low end ofc but its also sometimes better to save up a bit more. (Depends on your location ofc)
I built a gaming PC for it being a PC. It's useful for other things computers do, such as watching this video. 😁I wanted a desktop PC that isn't full of proprietary components that can't be replaced or upgraded easily. It was fun to purchase the components and build the PC.
PC building feels a lot easier than it used to be coming from my start during the Slot 1, Pentium II era. I still check component manuals for jumper settings to this day.
Gaming PCs also make great engineering workstations. Overclocking is nice for computationally intense tasks. High end graphics for visualization and 3D rotations and multi-screen display. RAID and ease of repair. And, lots of heat for when its cold outside. I skip the liquid cooling though. Great channel!
I use the “wealthy benefactor” method when building a new PC. I usually use your recommended setups and add everything to my Amazon wish list for my birthday and Christmas since they are only a month apart. I usually end up only needing to by the GPU myself
I built my first 2 1/2 PCs through advice and build tutorials presented on Paul's Hardware. The 1/2 is that when I bought a custom built PC the first two were cannibalized into my secondary PC for surfing and other media. The custom PC is for Eve Online and Starfield; I'm in deep with both and don't have time for other games at the moment.
November I'll be 64, I expect these PCs to be the last I'll need. Gaming in my 70s? Doubtful if I'm still on the right side of the dirt. But future proofed the new PC as much as I could afford and all she needs is a possible RTX 4070 Ti Super and a Zen CPU upgrade. Planning on both in 2025 and they should handle my needs through the end... of my gaming career so to speak.
I don't even game anymore but still build my own because I hate looking at someone elses spec sheet and wondering where they hid the shortcuts and cheapouts to save a buck.
Well, that and I can often reuse still-good parts like drives, power supplies, video cards, etc when doing a cpu generational update.
I'm the family PC builder...I have no choice but to do this, lol. I love it though and as always you are a beacon in the night for good deals and what to avoid Paul, thank you so much for sharing your wisdom with us poor slobs, it's really appreciated 😊
I built my first PC with major help from Paul's series on Newegg. I've always gotten good advice, and confirmation that I'm not making any stupid mistakes, from using Pcpartpicker for my parts, and referencing Paul's videos. "Stable as a table." That's the way I like my computers.
Reason 6 (for me): flexibility with Moonlight and (if internet is good) home VPN setups like Wireguard for game streaming on what is typically the best display for most people, their phones.
Can't find the "Gaming Commode," in the merch store.😜
I kind of enjoyed building my mini-ITX system with a GTX 1070 in 2016. For some reason building a new Macro-ATX system recently was very stressful and I hated it, although formally it should be easier. I guess that's hardly true. One or two reasons were that it's much heavier and harder to handle. Also the size difference actually seems to not help that much.
The best part is shopping around for the components you want and figuring out the look you want for your pc 😁
I'm still rocking my build from 2013. Intel 3570K, Z77m4-pro from Asus, MSI GTX 760 4G, 16g G.Skill Sniper ddr3 1333
After my last AMD build which is delightfully configurable I decided to look at (2) off-lease Intel workstations. While not bleeding edge and not as configurable as an AMD machine I have been thrilled with quality and stability of the work stations. And the prices were less than half of a new gaming build. Just had to drop a better GPU in each one and that was it. One ame with 32GB and the other came with 64GB of ram. Did I mention the rock solid stability? Plus, built in handles so they are easy to move. Anyway, that's an option.
If you don't want to build your own PC, but you would still like to join the ecosystem, then some other options are:
- Prebuilt Gaming or Mini PC's
- Laptops
- Handhelds like the Steam Deck or Allly X.
Most prebuilts often cost a few hundred more than if you built it yourself - but generally have a warranty and support alongside them.
Mini PC's, Laptops, and handhelds can also offer portability like that of a console.
Reason not to build a pc is the upkeep, making sure things are up to date and knowing all the various settings and configurations, how to update systems like the bios, gpu driver etc. Consoles for the most part simplify this process so its more automated but pc is getting better. Some people dont have the time or patience and just want to game now, this is where console is probably best. In PC gaming you should go into it expecting an adventure, it helps to have a good friend who has experience to help guide you.
Paul is the good friend to help guide me, along with Jay and Steve. I've been lucky so far, avoided some crap like the bogus Intel CPU's, and have had few issues. None that I couldn't overcome.
One of the cheapest (for me) is to buy parts in parts. I got the Mobo first, then bought the CPU 2 weeks later, etc.
Not so much cash upfront, gives you a bit of breathing space.
After buying two very expensive office/gaming chairs that I hated I found a big boy executive office chair rated at four hundred and fifty pounds at the local goodwill store for three dollars and fifty cents. I covered it with duct tape an old afghan and an unused bed sheet. This is the best gaming chair I have ever sat in.
Paul, Thank you very much! This series and all that you do on your channel is very helpful!
Looking forward to the "build your own PC" Series for 2024. All the best to you and your family.
I agree with the costs. I’m in the process of creating a new build for VR. There are meta verse worlds you can’t go into unless you are running a PC. Headset like the quest cannot handle the processing of some of them.
The few friends that I have that are console only, buy consoles because they just want to plug and play they don't want the headache of a PC, for them cost is not the big problem
I spent around 4 grand a year ago building mine from scratch. I've never been happy with a top of the line pre-built. I certainly don't want to game on a tiny ass phone or tablet screen. Forget that. I do own an xbox but some games just suck on a console. I built mine to run MSFS 2020 on three monitors.
I think a reason to build is passion. In the journey to become a Pc gamer, you have to love troubleshooting and tweaking. The long hours invested without playing, just to get some satisfying additional frames.
Another reason to buy one (which coincidentally is why I did it)- games are way cheaper than console. Games rarely if ever go on a deep sale on Xbox or PS' whereas on PC- you can occasionally pick up AAA games for 75-90% off. If you're a kid, it's way easier to convince your parents to spend $5 on a game vs. $60.
man I have paid for Skyrim so many times lol
Me, too. 😅
Buyrim, again and again
@@Jodie-G198😂😂
Including a chair even as a passing consideration for total price was funny. Consoles start to not be very cheap either if we include the cost of a couch not to mention a 4k TV in the price.
if someone is just trying to get their foot in the door I would recommend a used dell prebuilt. you can get one for a couple hundred that's mid tower and no proprietary bs. which means you can slowly upgrade as you have the time and money.
but I couldn't imagine being stuck on a console. on a console you cant watch youtube whilst simultaneously playing snes games at 4k on a ps1 rom in retroarch through two layers of virtual machines. lol. with console you're just so constricted and as soon as your console is outdated then that's it. you're not upgrading it with the latest tech.
Well you talked me into it Paul
Its simple really - if money is tight then it comes down to whether you will make use of the PC for things other than gaming? If the answer is no then an xbox series S or switch..or even a PS4. Its amazing how many people just play COD or Fifa or a small number of popular games.
The lure of those old Fry's Combo deals was too great and I caved from the pressure of my pocket
excellent!
As someone who has been building PCs since the early 90's.....
Physically building a PC is no harder than building a Lego Set.........
BUT
having a fully working PC at the end needs one or more of the following:
1. Luck
2. Knowledge/experience
3. A knowledgeable friend (who is actually willing to help)
4. Money to throw at someone else to fix it.
When browsing a forum or asking for advice remember everyone has 'their way' which might match yours or not. People are different, I game on PC (both Windows & Linux), Mac (both native ARM and via Crossover) and both Xbox & PS5; they each have their advantages and disadvantages. Read the advice, look at other answers and decide what is right for you.
Obligatory Star Wars quote: Ben Kenobi, "You must do what you feel is right"
ABOVE ALL, HAVE FUN!!!!!
Another reason is that it is very addictive, I learned the hard way, also if build for family and/or friends you are now going to be called for EVERY problem.
can you review a mini-pc + Oculink + egpu build please.
We have the same phone, Paul. Good video!
My GPU cost as much as my PS5. It's the most I've ever spent on a single PC component.
The current two reason i have to not build a gaming pc is that the 5090 isnt out yet, and the ryzen 9000 series cpus were disappointing (and i dont want to get intel since my current one 13700k is unstable as hell but i cant rma it since i cant be without it for weeks.😢)
Great vid... really good comparison of the for and against! Would you be able to give some suggestions on the best emulators that you mentioned in the video? Thank you!
I've been sitting my 1060 for years now. It's outlasted a motherboard and a CPU. And man, I am due for a much-needed upgrade, but everything is so damn expensive now. I feel like I initially built my pc in the wrong product cycle.
not sure the 3rd point is a negative, not for me I love it
Another plus to building my latest gaming PC is that I got to be a hero to my daughter by giving her my old one (Note: I'm retired, she's in her early 40's).
A gaming system also may require some way for producing sound especially if you are not very good at reading lips.
Any chance these will ever be in stock? 8-Bit Grayscale Collage | Full-Zip Hoodie. Thanks!
Compared to the late 80s and early 90s, is their any DIY pc building an more? ISA, IDE, VESA, manual IRQ management, 217 tiny jumpers. And, remember, no TH-cam or internet assistance...but we did have manuals written by engineers for engineers; tough reads for me as a middle schooler. But I got each build and upgrade working...eventually. LOL
Yep. And people still think that building modern PCs is super complicated.. They have no idea.
Considering the price of the PS5 pro....why not save up for another month or two and build a $1k PC that is way better and does a ton more? Seems stupid to me NOT to build a PC. Especially so when you consider the modular upgrades over time that can be done to a PC that will make it more affordable than buy an entirely new console that barely does anything better.
my first gaming pc was a 750ti shoved into discarded dell optiplex sff I picked up from a trash hip at my university . early 2015. never looked back since. 75Oti was $100 on sale brand new. spent another $50 on eBay to replace original core 2 duo with a core 2 quad , and another $25 on 4gb ddr3 ram to take it to 8gb total. So for less than $200, I had a system that was better than base Xbox one and on par with ps4.
The thing about pc building is that you to have some 'tech blood' in you. Without a background in computers or any experience, I am still not sure how i was able to put together such an intelligent build with no prior experience. But i have always been technically inclined. I learned very early that you figure most things with a google search.
Love this channel. Would love to see you do a build geared towards music production. Idk what to prioritize over the other in this regard. Also doesn’t require a graphics card so it could be a cheaper build for some people . Plus a new video 😂
My biggest reason I'm not building one is I'm happy with my current setup. The hardware I have in my rig is plenty for my taste and my wallet and I don't really see a reason to spend oodles of cash for a new rig at the moment.
2:00 I need that chair
My reason that maybe building a gaming PC was not a good idea for me is that so far, I don't really spend a lot of time computer gaming.
.
Instead, I game in person, with people, mostly board games, card games, and pen and paper role playing games.
I do hope to play some MMOs that are currently under development, but really, not actually much computer gaming right now.
That said, I really enjoy having learned what I have about PC building, and it's kind of a game in itself.
I thought you'd mention one of the reasons not to build is support is on the user. Sometimes people get unlucky and they'll get a DOA part that they'll have a hard time troubleshooting and/or diagnosing. I've also seen funky Power Supply Units that slowly fry one part after another, and unstable power grids wreak havok on a PC.
This is why its so offensive to see companies like Asus and Gigabyte take an adversarial approach to their Support and RMA processes.
When a newbie asks about building a PC, I always tell them to buy all the parts at once then test the parts ASAP. The reason is it's so much easier to return a part to the retailer than it is to file an RMA with a company like Gigabyte.
Yeah, with prebuilt PC's you get that one shot warranty, and the PC has likely been tested enough that the OS was loaded and set up. The only drawback is OEM warranties are only 1 year long whereas PC parts usually have a 2 to 3 year warranty. Some parts are covered for 5 years or longer.
Even a lower mid range rig built today will play games from several years ago and older at maximum settings in most cases and there are hundreds of good older titles available for under $5 or $10 when on sale from sites like Steam or Green Man gaming and also Humble Bundle can offer killer prices on popular franchise games.
Keep the monitor resolution and refresh rate reasonable, a 1440p and 165hz refresh rate works fine for most people, looks really good and runs well with midgrade hardware.
Lower end hardware stick with 1080p if you are building a really lower end bare bones system as it will be easier on your hardware to run and keep your hardware relevant for a longer time frame with newer titles.
But honestly playing older titles is the secret sauce to cheaper builds and lower budgets and keeping gaming fun and affordable.
The best part of this as far as actual gameplay and creativity most of the best games are now a decade or more older as compared to the stuff being released today which usually is trying to cash in on the much older titles success and the new stuff some which struggles to run on the best hardware available is released as a hot, overpriced, poorly optimized mess.
Again with the older titles you are saving money and have years of updates and fixes that have taken care of the bugs, fixed balance issues and just generally got the game to a better polished smoother running final state than when it was newly released.
I have gotten to where I rarely buy a newer game and those are limited to a few franchises I have followed for years and want to just more support the studio making it.
The last two new games I pre ordered I waited about a year for all the bug fixes, balancing and polishing before I ever even played them for the first time!
I have a Ryzen5 2600 w/ a B450m mb / Can you tell if a 3D cpu will work for an upgrade plz
What motherboard do you have? 5800x3d beats 7700x in the occasional game. Still an amazing CPU.
Honestly it'd be worth just to upgrade to am5, micro center have fantastic bundels for Mobo/Ram/Cpu, that'll cost as much as upgrading to top of AM4(5800x3d)
Yes, but there might be TDP limitations to putting a 5000x3d on a 450m motherboard -- you might not be able to unleash the full capabilities of the x3d cpu.
i managed to build a fairly decent PC based around a 5700X for $644.32 total to replace my geriatric 4th gen i5 rig. though i had no choice but to use ol' reliable (a GTX 1060 6GB from Inno3D) for the GPU since holy fuck, GPU prices.
though i'm saving up and looking around in the second hand market. because fuuuuck paying full price for a GPU worth a damn nowadays.
RDNA4 Q1 2025 is your savior, or a cheap used 3070
@@jkteddy77 yeah i'm leaning on a used 3070/3070 Ti tbh
When you go for desktop PCs, the advantage of being able to pick and buy parts separately is huge. It makes it easier to commit to the goal if money is coming in slowly. You can build a "potato" PC with modern parts if it is urgent and set priorities to upgrade every few months or so. Ironically, tech influencers and social media are making the hobby harder for newcomers by telling them to always spend a bunch of money all at once and to not do small upgrades. People end up not having a functioning PC for years because the recommended options are either already old or again expensive.
another reason not to build or buy a pre-built pc is if you don't have the patience or want to do your own trouble shooting when something isn't working like it's suppose to.
Ready for some home improvement videos!
While the popularity of desktop computers may wane in the face of portable technologies, they are unlikely to become obsolete in the foreseeable future. Their performance, cost-effectiveness, and ergonomic advantages keep them relevant in various applications, from professional environments to gaming and content creation. Keeping on building.
I’m gearing up to build a new gaming rig right now actually… just gotta scrape up some 💸💸💸💸. Come hell or high water , I **am** getting it done 😜
Good time to wait. New stuff just around the corner. Save your money and buy/build in January
@gobbledygook5000 oh yeah . At the rate I’m going though, it’s looking like I’ll spring for the Nvidia 5000 series… I’ve got everything wishlisted but I’m open to tweaking it.
I need to know how much that gaming chair/toilet costs. The sound of games will be awesomesauce in the bathroom!
I can just turn the fan on if there are issues. 😊
The number 1 reason, in my book, not to build a custom gaming PC is support and warranty. Yes, each individual part should come with both, at least for a bit. But it is such a pain to keep track of all of it and a lot of it may not be very good. If you buy a pre built or even stick to a console, you have one point of contact for everything. And a lot of pre built manufacturers offer extended warranties and premium support.
I agree with the first reason not to, the cost !
2:16 not to mention having to buy an OS which is also pricy unless you're into less than legit methods
I don't game but still prefer you and JTC over LTT and I am Canadian. How about building an inexpensive desktop PC that will run Davinci Resolve Studio?
I've built a few PC's in my time, I'm an old fart, and what is holding me back right now are the GPU price issues. I want the 4090 but the price is outrageous. I may compromise with a 4070 series but I want to get those life like mods for 2077 and other games and the holy grail, GTA6.
I want that Chair!!!!!!
Three 'Not' reasons for me:
- Dozens of games in my console library.
- Living room with couch, cabinet, game controller (no keyboard or mouse), TV, and Home Theater.
- I would rather upgrade upgrade my workstation than build an additional computer just for gaming. That goes without saying that I don't need a 4K monitor for work.
That gaming chair looks nice. Herman Miller?
Yo.....where's the sponsor link to that chair?
Paul -- this is a PC enthusiast channel and suggesting getting a console or game on a phone = diablo immortal "is this a joke" (youtube it is not aware, hilarious)
context (I have PS5, very decent gaming rig etc) cant say state of PC hardware is exciting tease days, but still. Good old PC build is almost a classic on youtube. Similar to a car guy working on the engine - kinda pleasant to watch you know