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[Type_Raver]

Consider me part of the first option. While troubleshooting some faulty components after the fact wasn't fun, actually setting the entire thing up via the motherboard, attaching the it to the case.... All that was so fun... except for connecting the front USB headers. That was a bitch.
I wouldn't mind building another one. Or two. Or three... I think I found my new job!

Been building my own PC's since the late 90s, i remember it was a Celeron 300A overclocked to 450Mhz.

Its MUCH easier these days to do it, with no need to think about which one was the ground/power lines. Things have notches these days, so theres only 1 way things can plug in.

 

[Crayon]

Building a PC is not difficult. The lack of being able to do so shows a weakness in their ability to read instructions, planning and then applying it. Handiness plays no part, you're just screwing nails and plugging things in with the only thinking being what order to do (going back to planning stage). Expecially with tower PC's, which will have little variation in installation besides the PSU position/direction and thinking about positive/negative airflow

I didn't say it was a broadly difficult task. I said that if somebody finds it difficult, that doesn't say anything about them except that they they might not have come in with much mechanical experience. People aren't born knowing how to feel when a screw is cross threading, or what is too much or too little pressure to put on different connections or materials, etc.

Maybe I'll put in another way. I can tell you to go pull the CV joint out of your car. It's just four bolts. YouTube it. If you have any trouble at all, you have some sort of weakness following instructions. You shouldn't feel proud of yourself if you complete the job perfectly perfectly because it's so easy that any dumbass can do it.

You don't have to agree with me, but I think this attitude is terrible and would make someone not even want to try it.

Instead, I would say that some people find it easy and some people find it kind of tricky. I think you can do it. Call me if you have any problems.

 

[Elder Legend]

I've built 3 PCs in my lifetime. In 2012, 2016 and 2019. Tike is coming up again, but honestly I think I might just buy a pre-built. Too lazy.

 

[Ceadeus]

I did and I liked it very much. It had a 970 , i5 4590 etc.. Pretty easy to build , the longest was to find the best deals , it took a while.

As for today, I wouldn't do it again because how big, cumbersome and how unclean it looks with all its wires.

Right now I'm looking to change my laptop for the upcoming, rumored iMac M3 or M1 Pro/Max.

One 5K screen, incredible integrated speakers, no noise, one câble, no fuck around.

 

[Krathoon]

I just buy pre-built now. You can usually upgrade them a little bit.

 

[Dirk Benedict]

I will keep building my own PCs till it becomes infeasible.

 

[Sir Vilhelm]

Last PC I built I used the 3dfx voodoo 2? The card with 4 chips, don't remember the exact name. Had a blast with it. Haven't built a console since the 360 came out but planning to soon

 

[LaughingStock]

I've been building and rebuilding my PC since 2008. My first GPU was a GTS 8800. It came with a Crysis DVD.

 

[The Fartist]

Just waiting on my 5900x to arrive so I can pop that sucker in and put my 3700x into my daughter's first build, she's getting my 2070 OC, too as I recently upgraded to a 3070.

I'll post pics when it's done because I know ya'll are dying to see it

 

[lh032]

3 gaming PC

I odnt think i will build another one, i hardly use the latest one.

 

[Garibaldi]

this is why i stick with air cooled or at most AIO. custom tubed PCs look like complete hell to maintain and set up when AIOs give you similar performance at half the cost and even less maintenance

Yeah, largely I've found its absolutely breathtaking to look at but after that I'm like ok what is it offering me beyond the aesthetics? It's very quiet in general usage but the rad fans quickly ramp up when the 3090 gets up to speed and is pumping 400w or more heat into the coolant.

I've done it now and done it well (imo) so that's enough. Next will be a AIO.

 

[Grechy34]

Used to upgrade & build all the time. Almost religiously I couldn't handle having an inferior GPU. Until I had a kid, mortgage and bills.

 

[The Fartist]

Used to upgrade & build all the time. Almost religiously I couldn't handle having an inferior GPU. Until I had a kid, mortgage and bills.

I'm the opposite, never built. I would party and play console games, then I had a kid in 2014 and built my first PC in 2018, I'm on the third major upgrade for my rig and building my daughter's first. I'm hooked.

 

[Soosa]

If parts would be free, yes

I used to game on pc from 1996 till 2012, so I did build 4-5 setups.

Back then parts were much cheaper, like high end cpu did cost 400-500€ max and high end gpu did cost 400-600€, mobo 80-150€ and so on, roughly.

So low-end - mid-range parts were affordable and most of the time all CPUs were overclockable, so you could buy like 60-100€ CPU and overclock it to be near or above the high end cpu@stock.

Now it is 1000€ for high end cpu, 2000€ for gpu, 500€ for mobo kind of situation, and setup that costs 600-800€ total including everything is just shitty and worse than consoles.

So, I just use high quality laptop (huawei matebook x pro which is still like new after 4 years and is snappy) for non-gaming stuff and have ps5+sxs for gaming

 

[adamosmaki]

Build 7-8 so far and will do it again. Not only is easy but it's a relatively fast process well outside of cable management that is. Its also less daunting to build one if you have older parts from previous builds in case you need to troubleshoot something

 

[Black_Stride]

Been building since early 2000.
Literally worked for a shop that did nothing but custom builds, upgrades and maintenance, after leaving that job i still do custom builds for friends and referrals, but its pocket money now, barely worth doing full time.
So I think at this point ive build over 100 PCs.....i honestly stopped counting a very long time ago.

But my first "high performance" gaming PC was equipped with a 6800GS software modded to 6800 Ultra.

I was so chuffed with it because it was frikken red!
I actually still have this GPU somewhere in my storage locker....im very upset the sticker is falling off but I dont have the heart to straight up rip it off.

Remember when GPUs came with a bunch of games in box so you could test out just how good your GPU was and range toppers cost about 250 dollars (360 dollars in todays money)?
Those were the days.

 

[daninthemix]

I've done it many times over the years. The most recent build - a 5950X + 2080Ti machine, was the first build I've ever had where I turned it on and it worked righ from the get-go. Every other build I'd done something wrong, be it not plug in a cable or whatever.

 

[Mister Wolf]

Yes. Got back into PC gaming with the release of Witcher 3. PC will remain my primary gaming system.

 

[Graciaus]

I've done it twice and fully switched to pc 10 years ago. Would never buy another console. Almost everything is released on pc officially or playable on an emulator.

Upfront cost is more expensive but it's basically the sams as buying all consoles which is what I did anyway. Games are way cheaper and free online. Zero reason to own a console.

 

[TheTony316]

Yes
No

 

[nemiroff]

Usually always do. But bought a preassembled one last year because it was the only way for me to get hold of a 3080.. But I chose every single quality / high-end component myself made to order, so in the end there was no difference other than the lack of labor on my part (which can be fun of course).

 

[IlGialloMondadori]

I've been building pcs for ages, but I just don't really want a desktop anymore. Too much space, don't want to sit at my desk.
Steam Deck has brought me back to PC gaming, because I don't have to sit at the desk.

 

[tommib]

Last one was for Bioshock, so around 2007. It kept crashing because of some incompatible drivers between the Radeon and the motherboard. I told myself never again.

Also, gaming pcs look tacky like hell these days with all the RGB cooling systems and massive towers. I wouldn’t know where to hide it. Being a minimalist doesn’t help.

 

[BabyYoda]

It was a joy to choose the parts and then assemble it, it's only a mid spec, but it runs like a dream and was very affordable. My next build will be an ITX one, yes I'm already thinking about the next one, it was that rewarding!

 

[supernova8]

I've built 4 gaming PCs (for myself) and then gradually upgraded them. I find it quite therapeutic and I also learn something new every time. I wish I took a photo of my first ever build (back when I was like 13) and then what I built about 2 years ago. Took a while but I got to the point where I know (roughly) what to do to make a clean-looking build that stays cool but also doesn't run too loud. Only thing I've dipped my toes into (pun intended) is liquid cooling.

Honestly now I'm not sure if I would bother but that may be largely due to the silly prices these days for GPUs. Plus, I'm kinda sick of having a big lunky PC that I cannot move. I prefer to take a laptop into the lounge or sit on my bed and do stuff rather than shackled to my main desk.

My next pc will be an M2 Macbook Pro (whenever they come out) so I'll just stick with this shitty PC (GTX 1650, Ryzen 3400g based) until I literally can no longer play games or until Mac starts getting proper game support (doubtful but we'll see).

 

[Guilhermegrg]

Yes, and yes, but not at these prices for the last 3 years. Probably won't build another any time soon due to that.

 

[captain_cabbage]

My first 3 PCs were pre-built, to my embarrassment. Since then I've built 2 more myself.

 

[Kumomeme]

it is fun. it is also pretty easy nowdays. lot of guide everywhere even those who has no background in IT can do it but have atleast basic knowledge would help since the person itself will responsible troubleshooting their on pc later in future.

but depend on the form factor, it can be either boring, or fun. most of ATX layout usually mostly just same compared to ITX for example that has wide range differences of volume size and component layout arrangement. ITX is good choice for those who dislike the big chunk of size that ATX pc usually have. depend on specification, it can even be smaller than console.

however make a build with nice aesthetic and cable management is the 'real challenge' nowdays. thats separate pc builder's skill among each others. good cable management would make troubleshooting easier.

in the end there is some form of satisfaction once we done the build and the pc turning on fine and working fine without a problem. bonus, if overall build is nice looking. it feels great when we back home everyday, turning on the pc and it work well all the times.

 

[kyussman]

Yea,I had a go back when Doom 3 dropped.....it was great playing PC exclusive games like Doom3 ,Half Life 2 and Far Cry.I spent like £300 on a graphics card etc,and then one day I put in a new game and it was like running at 10fps and I realised how tech moved on so fast.....so I said fuck it,I ain't fucking around with settings and tweaking and upgrading parts.....I'll just go back to consoles.I wasn't a very dedicated PC gamer,lol.

 

[H4ze]

I have never bought a PC in my life, I always build them myself. It's way cheaper and also fun, win-win for me.

 

[TrebleShot]

If I ever got a powerful gaming PC I’d get pre built or a laptop, I do t care enough to build one myself make sure it’s all compatible etc plus not keen on a giant tower of heat and noise clogging my house up , also looks nerdy as fuck when people come over.

 

[BlackTron]

Ima go against the grain here and say that it is not so unbelievably piss easy to do.

People have different degrees of mechanical inclination and experience with taking things apart and putting them back together. For some people, building a pc could be a challenge. I think nothing that most couldn't handle with some youtube guidance, but I don't like playing it off like only an imbecile could find it difficult.

I work with people every day training on some simple mechanics so that they can use our equipment. Some look at me like I'm crazy when I show them how to use a quick connect because it's so easy for them. Some need several tries at it and some tips. I've (almost) never found someone's level of handiness to reflect on their general intelligence or capability. I've met super smart people who will crossthread a nut just looking at it, and epic dumbshits who can overhaul and engine.

I agree with this. You need to have a certain penchant for it. There are always little micro issues or unknowns that could stop someone in their tracks that another person could get past in minutes by combining experience with logical deduction. I was ready to make my first gaming PC early 2000s because I had been tinkering and fixing Pentium II grade stuff for a while, nothing crazy but but identifying and replacing bad sticks of RAM, adding hard drives and dealing with the master/slave pin headaches, changing graphics cards and PCI devices, and wiping/reinstalling Windows...from that context, making a PC with a mobo off Newegg was not that intimidating (although my dad was scared I was going to screw it up and waste all the money lol).

PC hardware is easier to deal with now sure. But if you're a pure console gamer with no experience whatsoever in a PC case, you're probably gonna hit a few snags and headaches and you need to be prepared to get stuck and learn something while you figure it out. If you just quit or get upset the instant it seems like something isn't working, it's not for you.

 

[Lux R7]

of course i did and i'll do it again

 

[PonyStation4]

I didn't say it was a broadly difficult task. I said that if somebody finds it difficult, that doesn't say anything about them except that they they might not have come in with much mechanical experience. People aren't born knowing how to feel when a screw is cross threading, or what is too much or too little pressure to put on different connections or materials, etc.

Maybe I'll put in another way. I can tell you to go pull the CV joint out of your car. It's just four bolts. YouTube it. If you have any trouble at all, you have some sort of weakness following instructions. You shouldn't feel proud of yourself if you complete the job perfectly perfectly because it's so easy that any dumbass can do it.

You don't have to agree with me, but I think this attitude is terrible and would make someone not even want to try it.

Instead, I would say that some people find it easy and some people find it kind of tricky. I think you can do it. Call me if you have any problems.

I was referring to something like the Verge PC Build video, where a person fails because they don't plan and cannot follow instructions. Not anything in regards to screwing things in, but more so things like what way the PSU should face and how the airflow in the case should be

 

[Hendrick's]

If you are not building your own, you are either spending way more than you should, compromising on components, or some combination of the two. Build your own should be the default.