So the first step in PC building is figuring out a budget. That determines how powerful you are going to get.
This, for example is a perfectly solid $500 build
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/VcpQr6
Start with the basics. Expect to pay ~$200 for a solid processor and video card. This basically represents 1/2 your budget, give or take.
From there comes the "extras". RAM just get 16gb. Figure out how much space you need. This guy did 240gb which is fine if you have a small # of games. I flit from game to game and often have 2-3 dozen installed at the same time so I sprung extra for 1TB drives but it fit my budget and you don't want to skimp on processor or video card just because you have ADD.
Go as cheap as possible for your case. I sprung a little extra for one with covered vents because otherwise my cat sleeps on top of it and clogs the fans. Only college kids or streamers should spend anything beyond $50 for a case. For power supply just go bronze certified. This list has a $30 one which is fine.
So in summary, first and foremost figure out a reasonable budget you can afford because whatever number is set YOU WILL REACH IT.
50% should go towards processor and video card
25% should go towards motherboard (it doesn't have to be fancy just make sure it has all the connections you need. PC Part Picker or other sites are great with compatibility).
25% should go to others (hard drive, RAM, power supply, case).
Don't bother buying an additional CPU cooler. All the decent processors come with a heat sink and unless you're doing stupid overclocking junk the default heat sink and fans will be fine. If you notice your PC is running hot (hear the fans going full bore) then buy additional fans. Most cases support TONS of fans. High end coolers are a waste of money when a couple of fans will do you just fine.
Don't forget about an OS. If you don't have a disk for Windows then if you're building it yourself it won't come pre-installed. A new windows disk is like $50 or $100 or something like that. Factor that in, unfortunately (or find a friend with extra codes wink wink).
Also if you trust yourself that you can follow instructions and don't have overly shaky hands then don't buy insurance on anything. Electronic part insurance is a sucker's bet. Otherwise if you are scared about screwing up the ONLY thing you can really screw up is the processor mount to the motherboard. It's hard to do but if you find that you have gremlins with computers then buy insurance on the processor if available.
As for the installation FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY READ THE MOTHERBOARD INSTRUCTIONS. They are usually very unintuitive but everything you need to know is contained within. There are lots of tutorials about the build. The most dangerous part is the mounting of the processor but it's a lot less scary then people make it sound. You have to REALLY screw up to bend a processor pin. Just make sure you follow the tutorials. Once the processor is mounted the rest is easy street....kind of.
The next thing that people screw up is cable running. Try to lay out where stuff goes in your computer before you actually install it so you can figure out where to route the cables.
Finally the ACTUAL hardest part of the computer install is getting all the flipping buttons on your case hooked up to your motherboard. Easily the most frustrating part because the connectors are SUPER DUPER tiny and often hard to reach. I'm not going to lie getting everything connected right is a pain and it often takes me 30+ minutes to get the connectors in correctly. Just take your time and keep doing it until it is right. Bring tweezers which might help. Maybe, maybe not. Just stick with it.
Then it's connecting all the cables and turning the power on. If your computer doesn't boot DON'T PANIC. Listen to the boot codes and check on your motherboard (if there is a panel you can see into the computer) for the diagnostic lights. Probably the most common mistake people make is not fully mounting their RAM or video cards. You have to actually apply a surprising amount of force to get them in but just remember if you don't hear a "click" then it's probably not in. If you're unsure remove it completely and try again. It's easier to do it while the computer is disassembled then finding out after you put everything together.
But yeah if you have any specific questions I can help you out. I've built every computer I've ever owned and while i've made a BUNCH of dumb mistakes I've never borked an install.
This message was last edited by the user at 15:14, Sun 12 May 2019.