How hard is it to screw up building a pc?

[HJX2]

i have a build upcoming (just gotta get that extra cash to get to the quota) and first time building it.

 

obviously i could have someone build it for me but i want to experience it myself.

 

with no experience what so ever (minus putting in RAM, i know its not even that hard to do that) how easy/hard is it to screw up royally to the point of no return? esp with a semi/full modular PSU.

 

ive watched over linus's build videos but hes a guy with a lot of exp while im yet to experience the drops of satisfaction from building my own pc =(

[Enderman]

Follow a tutorial while you build, on a phone or laptop or something and you will be good.

[scaryjam823]

i have a build upcoming (just gotta get that extra cash to get to the quota) and first time building it.

 

obviously i could have someone build it for me but i want to experience it myself.

 

with no experience what so ever (minus putting in RAM, i know its not even that hard to do that) how easy/hard is it to screw up royally to the point of no return? esp with a semi/full modular PSU.

 

ive watched over linus's build videos but hes a guy with a lot of exp while im yet to experience the drops of satisfaction from building my own pc =(

Check out Carey Holzmon, he does a lot of tutorials. He is very in depth and will cure all your worries. HE helped me get confident building my own rig. Watch two or three of his 1 hour + long videos on building a rig and you'll be happy.

[EST_FatBoy]

Well putting the CPU in for the first time might be scary, but other things are easy. Just dont drop that hard drive!

[Fulgrim]

Watch youtube tutorials, then give it a try yourself.

[Scouten]

building a computer really does look harder than it is, Paul from newegg did a VERY good how to guide like 3 years ago its a little outdated but the principle and what to do has not really changed

 

 

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[Vacsol]

i'd say there's a 40% chance of destroying everything on your first try

[79wjd]

Basically.....If something fits somewhere then thats where it belongs. 

[mvitkun]

@HJX2

 

The only difficult thing about installing the pc is installing some aftermarket heatsinks.

 

Cable management is time consuming, although it's not difficult.

 

Everything else is just plug-N-play.

[thekeemo]

its not hard to screw up on purpose but if you follow the steps your fine

[HJX2]

i'd say there's a 40% chance of destroying everything on your first try

40%? D: 

 

Basically.....If something fits somewhere then thats where it belongs. 

so its a cat? if i fits, i sits?

 

but in all seriousness, the wiring up of the psu to the parts is what i dread most.. so many cables, such little knowledge

[79wjd]

so its a cat? if i fits, i sits?

 

but in all seriousness, the wiring up of the psu to the parts is what i dread most.. so many cables, such little knowledge

Yes. 

 

Most of the cables are only keyed to work one way. 

There are: 

24 pin ATX cable--its obvious. 

8 pin (or 4 or 4+4 pin) cpu cable--looks similar to the PCIe cable, but it says CPU on it. 

6 pin or 6+2 pin PCIe cable--says PCIe on it.

Sata power--obvious

Molex--obvious. 

[KemoKa]

You have to literally be mentally impaired to screw up building a computer. You have to wrench on your motherboard with your hands, you have to be in constant contact with a running Van De Graff generator in your bedroom, take a hammer to that PSU, make sure the golden triangle is going the other way, put toothpaste between your CPU and cooler and most importantly you have to wail that hard drive so hard against a wall.

If you don't do any of these things you will be fine.

Building a PC is way, way, WAY easier than most people think it is. All it requires is a sliver of common sense and patience. If you need any assistance, well, that's exactly why we're here.

Good luck!

[bob345]

There really is not much that can go wrong when building a computer. Just make sure you dont try and force anything. If it does not fit easily, it is probably in the wrong place

[MoonSpot]

Aside from putting a standoff in the wrong spot on the case thus frying your mobo, it's pretty difficult to mess up a PC build.

[wyattzx]

I'm not sure how much consolation it would be, but my mother successfully re-built my Gaming Rig herself when she wanted to figure out how it goes together. We tore it apart, and I left it in her hands to do it right. She consulted nothing but the manuals and did fine. 

(She plays League of Legends, so she's only a light PC gamer.)

[KeltonDSMer]

Aside from putting a standoff in the wrong spot on the case thus frying your mobo, it's pretty difficult to mess up a PC build.

 

Even this is hard to do because if the standoffs are in the wrong place, there would be nowhere for those screws to thread into. The person would have to then turn on the power after having put a screw or two into thin air without noticing it.

[CyanOG]

Just dont drop that thun thun thun

[79wjd]

Even this is hard to do because if the standoffs are in the wrong place, there would be nowhere for those screws to thread into. The person would have to then turn on the power after having put a screw or two into thin air without noticing it.

Its not uncommon for there to be a bunch of screws in a bag all together. Its not like the bag is specifically labeled: "matx board screws"...

[NoctHorn]

40%? D: 

 

so its a cat? if i fits, i sits?

 

but in all seriousness, the wiring up of the psu to the parts is what i dread most.. so many cables, such little knowledge

Don't worry!  He's just kidding about the 40% thing.  With wiring the PSU, this is all you need to do:

SATA power to the drives

8 pin connector to the CPU (the socket is on the mobo usually above the cpu)

24 pin connector to the mobo

PCI to the graphics card.

 

I was in the same position you were not long ago, but the build is not as hard as you may think.

 

In fact, for the build, all I used was a handwritten list of what needs to be done (In order):

 

Also, mounting the CPU is not as hard as you may think, especially with AMD processors.

1. Attach PSU

2. Screw in storage drives

3. Put in the IO shield (make sure you put it on the right way)

4. Put the processor in the mobo

5. Mount the heat sink (make sure you plug it in!)

6. Put in the RAM

7. Put the mobo in the case- ADJUST THE STANDOFFS!

8. Connect the power supply wiring

-24 pin to mobo

-8 pin to cpu

- SATA Power

-PCI-E to GPU

*Make sure you connect the front end umbilicals and system fans to the mobo 

[Boatiy]

the real only worry is in my expierence is putting in the CPU with damaging the pins or the board. everything else is cake, ram, sata plugs, psu, etc

[MoonSpot]

No. Not standoffs, a single standoff can very easily be put in the wrong spot. Once covered by a mobo how is a novice to know know without being able to "see" through the PCB.

Anyways, it is about the only thing I would strongly recommend a new person pay close attention to. After that, its just like playing with Lego's.

[NoctHorn]

Also, mounting the CPU is not as hard as you may think, especially with AMD processors.  With intel, you may hear a crunch as you press down the lever but that's totally normal.  Just make sure you line it up correctly.  It's actually harder to bend a pin than you may think.

[Syraz]

Just do not do a lot of what this person does and you should be fine..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM7FoiieMms&list=UUQMEms3zgX-dmS2mttSJEYw

[KeltonDSMer]

Its not uncommon for there to be a bunch of screws in a bag all together. Its not like the bag is specifically labeled: "matx board screws"...

Not really sure what you mean. All I was saying is if a standoff is in the wrong place, there is nowhere to even thread that corresponding screw into (even if you tried to use the wrong screw). Someone building a computer would notice if there is just a hole under the mobo where a screw is supposed to go. The mobo would then need to be powered.

 

If there are 9 screw holes holes on an ATX mobo and only 8 have a place to thread in a screw into, obviously something is not right.

 

Of course the important thing is that a misplaced standoff can most definitely short the board. The part that gets me is someone would have to not care/notice that a screw hole had nothing under it and then fire it up. I'm sure it has happened plenty of times though.

 

OP, personally I found mounting the cooler and organizing the cables to be the most time consuming. An extra set of hands would have made the cooler-mounting a snap, and a modular PSU would have made the wiring much much easier because you only have to manage the wires you actually use. Go for it!