How long does it take you to build a PC or swap a component?

[LaVulpo]

I just spent an hour screwing around installing two new hard drives, I feel like this should have been a ten minute operation but I wasn't rushing because I was enjoying myself. Made me think though, how long would you estimate it should take?

[Eigenvektor]

I'd rather take my time and do it correctly than break something. It's not a race.

 

I mean ten minutes for the actual installation? Sure. But I'd have to take the PC out from under the desk, open it up, find the cables, screws, etc. An hour doesn't sound excessive if you're in no rush.

[Stahlmann]

If i open up my PC i always take my time and only do it when i know i don't need it anymore for at least the rest of the day. You never now how good or bad it'll go. Rather do it right once than do it twice. Also only ever close up your side panels once you boot it up and make sure everything still works and what you installed is actually regognized in windows.

[WereCatf]

10 minutes ago, LaVulpo said:

Made me think though, how long would you estimate it should take?

It's not a contest and I echo the sentiment of both @Eigenvektorand @Stahlmannthere: I only take a PC apart or begin building one when I have plenty of time to spare. It's not that I am slow at it, I just don't see the point in rushing.

 

With that said, if I had all the components, cables and screwdrivers handy, I could quite easily put a full PC together from scratch in ~30 minutes. It's not like it's a particularly difficult process.

[SorryBella]

Once i installed a 16 gig kit in 3 minutes. Was it fun? No, i wish i took my time for it, cherishing the tall heatspreader. But i agree, always make sure shit works and do it as slow as you need to be.

[LaVulpo]

I feel validated by the responses, that being said I totally still put my pc back under my desk and powered it up before I realized I didn't connect one of the sata cables.

[LogicalDrm]

Full build from scratch, about 1-2h if done quickly. Plus additional 30-60min for OS install. Single component depends on which component. GPU, adding drives is fast, like 5-10mins fast. But RAM, CPU cooler, fans can take bit longer. Mobo or CPU 30-60min.

 

Really depends how often you do things and how well you know the stuff you are working with. Like if you can read header labels and know what headers are what, you don't need to consult manual (or forum) about connections.

[PiberiusWilde]

If it's MY PC I would take a long time to install anything. Because I baby everything before I installed them. And I always give the a few LOVE TAPS afterwards.

[8tg]

Any individual component except a motherboard or psu? 10 minutes tops

Entire PC from parts? 20-30 minutes, 15-20 if it’s something I’ve built before 

[CommanderAlex]

For me, I had to rebuild my Z97 system and just used the motherboard box for testing, took around 30-45 minutes, but then about an hour after to download Windows 10 updates as it was still on 1809. My second PC build took around an hour start to finish, but I also already had the PSU installed. 

 

First time I built my PC, took around 2-1/2 hours. 

[LaVulpo]

I beat myself up for being slow at most things but its just because i like taking my time, some things require care

[maartendc]

4 hours ago, LaVulpo said:

I just spent an hour screwing around installing two new hard drives, I feel like this should have been a ten minute operation but I wasn't rushing because I was enjoying myself. Made me think though, how long would you estimate it should take?

It heavily depends on the circumstances / case / and parts you are working with.

 

If you have a case with toolless drive bays, you can probably pop in a new hard drive and connect the cable in 5 minutes. 15 minutes if you want to do good cable management.

 

However, I own a mini ITX case, and installing anything is a pain. To install an NVME drive on the back of my motherboard, I have to disassemble the whole system to remove the motherboard. (that includes taking out the PSU, GPU, everything). So that would easily take me an hour or more.

 

Same for building from scratch. Some parts are easy to work with, some are not. Full build with new parts can easily take me a whole afternoon. When I installed my Be Quiet Shadow Rock LP CPU cooler, it easily took me an hour. The retention system is a bitch to line up and screw down, and if you install it the wrong orientation, it doesn't clear the RAM sticks... (ask me how I know)

[WhitetailAni]

It depends on the case.

My case is VERY full on the hardware side. 2 cards, 120mm AIO in the back, 2 optical drives, a Zip drive, and a 3.5" floppy drive in the front, 3 HDDs in the 4-bay HDD cage in the bottom, an 80GB HDD mounted below the optical drives, and a power supply with no PSU basement.

 

To put in/take out an HDD, it takes about 15 minutes. I have to remove my PSU, disconnect some cables, put the drive in, wire it up, remount the PSU, the reconnect the cables.

To install something in the front, 10 minutes. Remove my top GPU, remove the front bay cover, slide the device in, screw it in, connect the cables, reinstall my top GPU.

RAM, 3 minutes. Open the slot, push it in.

[dizmo]

Usually about half an hour for a full PC. If it needs a lot of cable management then significantly longer, because I haaaate that shit.

For a component, depends what kind. An SSD, for example, maybe 5 minutes. Video card? 1 minute.

[Beerzerker]

17 minutes ago, maartendc said:

It heavily depends on the circumstances / case / and parts you are working with.

 

If you have a case with toolless drive bays, you can probably pop in a new hard drive and connect the cable in 5 minutes. 15 minutes if you want to do good cable management.

 

However, I own a mini ITX case, and installing anything is a pain. To install an NVME drive on the back of my motherboard, I have to disassemble the whole system to remove the motherboard. (that includes taking out the PSU, GPU, everything). So that would easily take me an hour or more.

 

Same for building from scratch. Some parts are easy to work with, some are not. Full build with new parts can easily take me a whole afternoon. When I installed my Be Quiet Shadow Rock LP CPU cooler, it easily took me an hour. The retention system is a bitch to line up and screw down, and if you install it the wrong orientation, it doesn't clear the RAM sticks... (ask me how I know)

This.

Too many variables including skill to assume an ETA for a build or component swap.

In my case, since I have a large case (Tt Core X5) with the removeable plate for the board, about an hour to 90 minutes if completely stripping it out and redoing the while thing.
For a straightup board swap, about 30-45 minutes and that's not really trying to rush things along.

For my test bench running my XOC stuff, about 10 minutes start to finish on average but if mounting up a pot with insulation, it depends if the mounting stuff for that is already mounted on the board and the chip I'd be running is in and ready, minus the pot itself and insulating wrap for it.
Usually about 15-20 minutes for that if I'm dead-serious about it.
 

[jones177]

Most likely tomorrow I will be re casing 2 of my computers.

 

My recently built 5800x computer that is in a Cooler Master H500 Mesh case is going into a Corsair 5000d and one of my old i7 8086ks is going from a Cooler Master Haf X to the H500 Mesh.

 

I expect it to take all day.

First I will be watching every video I can find on a 5000d build. What will take the most time will be the RGB.

It will be getting a new AIO as well since the EVGA has gotten loud and has to be RMAed. This is what will make the RGB complicated since it is an EK and the rest of the build is Corsair.

 

The re casing of the i7 8086k will be straight forward. The big pain will be getting the motherboard screws in around the NH-D15. Fortunately it is a white case so any dropped screws will be easer to find. 

 

I only build or rebuild about 4 computers a year now so no point in hurrying. 

 

 

With my last 2 full builds things went horribly wrong so they took forever to complete.

 

The i9 10900k was my first AIO RGB build and all went well until it started blue screening after I installed the first game and Windows would not boot the next day. I had to test every component on a test bench and in the end returned the motherboard. The new motherboard worked perfectly.

 

With the R7 5800x build the motherboard was DOA but since it had to be flashed to work with the 5800x I had lots of testing to do before I could come to that conclusion.  The second motherboard was perfect but building a second computer twice was a pain.

 

 

So to me it takes as long as it takes.

 

[Moonzy]

Based on the last time I built a PC, which is few weeks ago

 

From items in a box to a full PC, about an hour-ish

If you include OS and softwares, then that's another 1.5 to 2 hours on top of that

 

If I'm disassembling and reassembling (no need to open boxes and tidy up extra parts)

Probably 30 minutes or less till I attempt to POST

 

But, again, take your time, savor it and make sure you don't break stuffs

 

Adding a hard drive is a 5-10 minute job, because you have to shut down, unscrew panels and screw stuffs in etc etc

[RejZoR]

It depends. The least neat system you have, the faster such minor tasks are. In my case, adding another SATA drive this moment would mean an hour of work to stick the thing in (because I'd have to remove graphic card to even reach SATA ports), route everything nicely, snap all zip ties on cables going around HDD cage, reroute everything and attach everything with zip ties. If you just slap drives in and tuck cables into any empty space, it's probably 2 minutes of work lol

[minibois]

5 hours ago, LaVulpo said:

but I wasn't rushing because I was enjoying myself

This, honestly.

When I do a computer build/upgrade/tweak/etc. at work, I wouldn't say I hurry up, but I definitely move quicker and just do the job in a swift manner.

When doing anything compute related at home, I often take longer, because I can afford to and like to. 

 

Often when novice/beginner PC builders on this forum/in-store ask "how long does it take to build a PC?" I often say "It takes an hour or two to fully build an [average] PC, but take your time and reserve about a full afternoon of time, for any setbacks and so you can take your time".

[Arika]

when i swapped my case (which involved pulling everything apart anyway because i got a new cooler) it took like 3 hours once i had everything out of my old case. But that involved some very annoying cable management.

[tkitch]

Depends:

If I'm doing my own personal build?  It'll take a while.

I go slow, clean things, blow out fans, cable manage well, etc.

 

I also did a challenge at a LAN party once.

 

I tore a computer down to being bare parts on a table.  I think I had it fully assembled and running in ~12 minutes?