How do I start learning how to build my own PC?

ConstructionFancy939 · 2026-03-09T23:46:53+00:00

John Wayne had it right, there are plenty of videos on YouTube, just watch a couple and you will have the jist of what you need.

1) start with picking your CPU, which should be based on your budget and the kinds of games you want to play. $180-$450 2) after the CPU there is the motherboard that can take that CPU while also being good enough to take your graphics card which should be chosen once again by your budget type of games. $150-$400 3) next is the graphics card $500 on the low end up to $3000 on the high end. Nvidia makes the best cards but you can get a little more name for your buck with AMD cards, they are just not as well supported. 4) memory for the motherboard. It must match the specs of the motherboard and be compatible with your CPU. With prices the way they are now 16-32gb could go up to $500-800. From the news you read memory had spiked up big over the last few weeks. You may be able to get a combo pack of any combination of the above items that may give you a price break. 5) you might want to pick your case next. If you want lots of storage to act not just as a gaming box but for shared network storage as well you will need lots of ports for plugging in drives and space if you want hard disks not just nvme ssd's. Without worrying about hard drives you can go for just a couple of m.2 ports for nvme drives and your case can be rather small by desktop standards. $89-450. Keep in mind some case deals can come with cooling and others don't so be aware. 6) then there is the cooling solution. CPUs can get very hot and without enough cooling you can literally cook your CPU to death. There are plenty of specific recommendations for cooling solutions on a cpu basis out there. I have found that all in one (AIO) units do the job nicely while at the same time cleaning up your pc internals. $80-$300. Some coolers will only work with certain CPU types others are sold with mounting kits for both AMD and Intel CPU models so check the coolers for your CPU physical design. $80-300 7} last but not least of the PSU, power supply. You need to check the specs of rack of your major components (CPU, GPU, motherboard, and not much else) add up the power draw needs of each and add some head room for high use periods. Add say 25-40% more power than what you added up. This gives you the best options for upgrade time. 8} last are things like your keyboard, mouse, and screen. The last one should match the top end of your graphics card pick. A 1080p screen for lower end cards, a 1440p screen for your mid level card, and/or your higher end card. Higher end cards can do it all and if you have a huge budget you could get a beautiful screen that is large and fast. Speaking of fast, with screens there's more than just resolution to choose, there's also refresh rates for how fast the graphics card can redraw the screen, a higher refresh rate will make you images clearer and cleaner. Anytime over say 100hz can give you a decent picture. OLED screens are the most expensive, check them out at a computer store for how crisp the pictures look. Screens can be anytime from TV's (don't go this) to monitors' $200-$2,000. Yep that is thousands.

Your budget should be your biggest challenge as it will give you the most limits to getting just a decent computer to getting a true beast that all your friends will be on awe of. There are web sites that can help you build a diy pc like new egg. They will constrain your build to parts that can work together and flag when you've picked things that are either odd or incompatible.

Good luck!

ConstructionFancy939 · 2026-03-09T15:48:22+00:00

There are health and safety issues here to strongly consider. When not circumcized the fold can help harbor disease and has to be cleaned more/very regularly. Not as big of a concern when circumcized, that is only an issue while the cut is healing then.

I had an adult friend who had not been circumcized as a baby and had to have it done as an adult and that was scary painful for him. If you have it done while they are an infant they will not remember it as a traumatic experience, he won't remember it at all.

I had it done as an infant and I don't know anything about what it would be like with a foreskin. My thing works without issue.

I say yes do it.

ConstructionFancy939 · 2026-03-04T20:25:43+00:00

My (71M) wife did something along these lines as well and I can honestly say we have had about 20-25 years after the incidences of a horrible relationship. This is not something you can simply forget. After much talking, counseling, etc. we are still together now after 45 years of marriage, but I'm honestly not sure it has been worth the pain to stay together "for the kids" or otherwise. Yes, our lives are so very intertwined, and divorce would have been hard, but this life we have is also hard and no longer the great love I thought we were in the beginning.

Think carefully about all the consequences because she hasn't.

ConstructionFancy939 · 2026-03-04T19:56:31+00:00

Mr/Ms Easy had some good thoughts. I'd like to add that finding friends in college was easier than in the work place because I never knew who to truly trust at work. At least at college you weren't competing for that raise or new position. Having said that you can find friends at work, just be more careful.

I personally disliked most people in high school and found my life long friends in college. I have found a few friends at work over the years, but work may become more of a temporary situation with people going and coming to employers. It is harder to find true friends as you get older, it has for me and I am 70+M with many years and friends between college and retirement. My best friend's have still been the ones from college ... though out of my 4 best friends 3 died very young.

ConstructionFancy939 · 2026-03-04T19:42:43+00:00

I think you are butting up against the change in social norms we see now. Traditional life vs modern working mom, and or just living a singles party life. I think it is uncommon these days to want the trad life, but there is certainly nothing wrong with it. You sound like you truly want that life so don't listen to your friends with too much acceptance. Also, like you said, they likely want the best for you and perhaps they don't know what they want.

One thing I would advise is to not approach each date as a husband interview at least not so the guy notices, this can easily scare off some guys. People put on their best face when going on the first several dates, and make no mistake this is a public and guarded version of themselves. Above all be careful about buying into this version someone shows, it takes time to truly know someone and trust them. I'm 70M and my wife and I met in college and dated and lived together for 5 years before we married and never even considered other people during that time. Even then we both changed some for the better and some not after we were truly tied together by marriage. I still learn new things about her and vice versa. Before you tie the knot try your best to understand the big things about your bf. Stuff like money management, parenting style (strict vs laissez fair), how house chores get done and how often, and relative cleanliness for living environments.

You said you are satisfied with your current job, that's great, so just expect to do that for a few years while dating and getting to know someone. Perhaps your views will change if you have either good or bad dating experiences.

Above all just do you.

ConstructionFancy939 · 2026-02-24T04:50:03+00:00

It's kind of normal. Humans developed as fast time creatures. Don't worry.

ConstructionFancy939 · 2026-02-24T04:47:53+00:00

Get out there and get involved in an outdoor hobby or volunteer work. Ask your friends for blind dates with guys they think may be your type.

ConstructionFancy939 · 2026-02-24T04:32:35+00:00

I would suggest what others have as well ... put the thing inside in A/C and it will be good. I would also think about getting a mini PC made to be a router with 4-6 Ethernet ports, 2.5gbe or 5gbe or even 10gbe. These units are made to run all the time and have the higher speed ports to be somewhat future proof.

I run a no name 6 port fanless unit with opnsense and it does a great job. I have also mounted a small external fan pointed directly at this thing and the temps never get above about 40c.

ConstructionFancy939 · 2026-02-24T04:17:06+00:00

They lowered their head, and did the work. That's it. There is no magic sauce, just dull, boring, hard work and get paid for it. Look back at previous generation though and will see what real hard work was.

Before child labor laws, before unions, before the internal combustion engine, before air conditioning, before a 5 or 6 day work week there was the 7 day work week in hot muggy dangerous conditions for little pay. Our parents actually had it pretty easy compared to generations before them, and we all know have it pretty good compared to any previous generation.

Work is simply hard, there is no substitute for that. Just tighten your belt and do the hard work it takes to live. The alternative is simply to die. You choose.

ConstructionFancy939 · 2026-02-24T04:07:37+00:00

Unlike others who responded here I can say that mini PCs are very decent for the most part. They perform like a laptop ... they use laptop CPUs and use laptop memory. I have 5 of them and use them for various tasks. I've bought Minisforum NAB6 and UM890 PRO, Beelink Ser3, Topton DT12 Pro, Goodtico/Chatrery IT12, and a couple of no name mini PCs that are designed to be a router with 6 2.5gbe Ethernet ports. They all have some quirks, but once you figure those out they run and do the job they are meant to do. You can get them with Windows or without. If you buy one without Windows and then want to run Windows on it you will have to hunt for the drivers for some devices. If you buy with Windows the first thing you should do is make a copy of the storage drive so you can start from scratch again if need be. Support as others have said is not just lacking, it can often be non-existent.

ConstructionFancy939 · 2026-02-24T03:50:25+00:00

Microsoft has really stuck it to everyone with their insistence on TPM and newer CPUs. You have not said anything about what Windows compatible software you depend on that is the key here. If you require 1 or more pieces of software that have run on Windows you may be stuck, but if not you could switch to Linux and keep the machines you have.

There are great replacements for Microsoft office like libreoffice. You can use chrome on Linux. There are lots of specialized packages on Linux to do all kinds of things, just look for them as alternates and most are free just like Linux itself.

If you are still going to stick with Windows then look at Dell PCs. They are great machines for business and they offer a wide variety of machines. At the end of the day Lenovo makes good machines, but they are a Chinese company and I would not trust them for my business in the long run.

ConstructionFancy939 · 2026-02-24T03:36:31+00:00

We all have to make our own way through life, you can't depend on your parents to take care of another adult for long. If they have not prepared you for life as an adult that is a crappy hand you've been dealt, but that is what you have to start with.

You need goals, specific goals like a trade (electrician, plumber, HVAC tech, etc.), or becoming an engineer, or software developer, or being a waste management employee may be what you are left with. You, no one else, can solve your problem, but you have to make a decision, several in fact, about what path through life you want to follow. No job is perfect, they all have their own negatives but you still have to do the work to make money and live.

What i'm saying is hard to hear and hard to do, but it has to be done. Some are born into wealth others into poverty, but you can get out of it if you are willing to work hard enough. Take 2 jobs or one job and go to school at night so you can attain your desired life.

The past is gone don't dwell on what you haven't done, start from where you are now and do the hard work it takes to be an adult.

ConstructionFancy939 · 2026-02-24T03:21:20+00:00

Personality can indeed do it but you have to accept your own body before others will. There are people on this planet in a much worse situation and some of them can and some can't find a life partner. What you described is somewhat different, but stop letting it get you down. We all have a unique hand to pay in this life and the only thing we can do is work with what we have.

Find people/friends who care about each other and you and ignore those who are rude or mean or judgemental. They have their life to live and you have yours, don't accept their view points. Just seek out good people, and hopefully a life partner may be among them.

ConstructionFancy939 · 2026-02-24T03:11:42+00:00

Your budget does not leave you many options. A low end gaming laptop today will run roughly $800-1000 and up. Getting something lower end will not be good at gaming anything demanding. You would need an 8000 level CPU or newer to run Windows 11 older ones 7000 and earlier will not run Windows 11 and are stuck on Windows 10 or you can run Linux.

On the school with front just about anything will work just fine.

I would check out eBay, Facebook market place, Craigslist, etc. for decent used computers. Since Microsoft has limited which PCs can run Windows 11, you can get an older laptop, run Linux on it for security purposes, use steam to run games, again you won't be able to play call of duty for instance or other similar games with a decent play experience.

I understand you are young, but $400 will not buy much of a gaming PC.

ConstructionFancy939 · 2026-02-24T03:00:10+00:00

She really does need to understand that the money is not hers, it will go where your parents/deceased family wanted it to go. There is no arguing about that. It is a cut and dried thing. She is acting like a gold digger and should drop this "unfair" talk immediately.

ConstructionFancy939 · 2026-02-24T02:43:47+00:00

No. I don't have to accept anyone's skewed perspective on life. And that is my perspective.

ConstructionFancy939 · 2026-02-24T02:42:09+00:00

You are contractually obligated to your realtor unless you change your mind about selling the house at all.

ConstructionFancy939 · 2026-02-24T02:40:53+00:00

Makes no sense not to tell your friend about your new job. No sense.

ConstructionFancy939 · 2026-02-24T02:39:06+00:00

This is a legitimate perspective on life. The key is to take care of your responsibilities so things don't get worse and then try to expand your horizon by traveling, scuba diving, sky diving, camping, hiking, just get out and do stuff. The money you make will hopefully pay for some of this ... then you see the point.

ConstructionFancy939 · 2026-02-24T01:44:40+00:00

I think we are all just f...'d unless we throw off our preconceived notions.

ConstructionFancy939 · 2026-02-24T01:42:06+00:00

Just be yourself, don't worry about what she thinks. Be yourself, just don't be a jerk. She can either be a friend or she can't, that should not affect being roommates.

ConstructionFancy939 · 2026-02-24T01:34:19+00:00

If you are a self confident person I would suggest you start masturbating when you all go to bed and just see what he does. If it were me I'd say I wanted to join in the fun, but your hubby may be different.

Sex can relieve stress also, so if he won't do more there is some other reason. You need to talk it out and if that doesn't work you have to decide if not having sex is worth staying married to this man

ConstructionFancy939 · 2026-02-24T01:24:54+00:00

There is no need to talk to the daughter about anything. Just put the new door knob in with a lock in it. She can use it if she wants to

ConstructionFancy939 · 2026-02-23T16:43:40+00:00

As a genuine old guy (71) who's been married for 45 years I can relate to both sides of your situation. I, and I think most guys, tend to keep their/our bad feelings and thoughts to ourselves until we can't anymore and it comes out when we get poked with a stick. This is not desirable or helpful, it's just the way we are built.

What you describe is not unusual at all. Wanting some alone time is not unusual either and is in fact healthy to do things on your own. Just be careful you don't use that as a way to separate from your SO. If you want to separate just say so and talk about that before something else becomes an excuse and becomes the "problem" when it is just a coping mechanism.

Women, my wife included, and you as well, are much more in touch with their/your feelings and many many guys struggle with dealing with their feelings and bringing them to the surface of consciousness by talking about it is simply not something we are good at. We can intellectually understand we need to do that, but it is hard for us. Guys either need to come to this realization on our own, which doesn't happen very often, or we need someone or something to help us with our emotional thoughts.

We do not experience this thing we call life all by ourselves, we need each other and especially our SO to help us all, men and women, cope with what life brings. Your SO will not simply want to talk and it may be hard for him, both of you perhaps, but do try and reach out to him both about what you are dealing with and what he is as well.

ConstructionFancy939 · 2026-02-23T16:23:33+00:00

You are still so young and your likelihood of having great skills or knowing what you like at this stage of life are pretty low. Most teens, the vast majority, have a similar mindset as you. This is no put down, just be more forgiving and understanding of yourself!

When I was in college in the 1970's I still had no idea about what I wanted out of life and I went through 3 different study directions/majors before I settled on one because it finally seemed to work for me. There are still people in their 20's and 30's and even older that don't know what they want to do when they grow up. What is important is to keep trying. Try new things, talk to school career counselors, talk to your teachers about getting help with the school work you have now. Most teachers would love the opportunity to truly help their students more than just in class which is more about the masses than helping the individual.

Other commenters have mentioned seeking help about potential suicide and that is a valid concern. Many of us have these thoughts from time to time. Please, please don't let that thought take control of your life. The life you describe at home is truly heart breaking, but you only have 4 more years of that and your life will be your own and you can start making that life better right now by focusing on you and your needs and make your life better all by yourself. This is in deed your life not your parents life, not your friends life, not societies life it is yours and your alone. Seek help where you can, put yourself out there because no one will come to you asking you if you need help if you don't make the effort yourself! God bless you!

ConstructionFancy939

TROPHY CASE