Many people dream of building their own custom gaming PC but worry about the myriad of myths and horror stories floating around the internet.
Most have heard of builds gone wrong ending in broken parts, wasted money, and tears over an RGB keyboard.
However, building your own PC isn’t half as risky and complex as these stories might suggest. Building a PC is easy and straightforward with the right approach and knowledge.
Take a look at six of the most common myths about building a gaming PC so you can get started without fear or avoidable accidents.
1. It is extremely complicated
This is by far the most common misconception when building a gaming PC. Most people don’t know how the inner workings of their computer work, so it’s only natural to assume that it’s too complex for a beginner.
However, this is not the case. In fact, it doesn’t get any harder than building a LEGO set. All you need is the right instructions and parts, and everything pretty much clicks together piece by piece.
Building your own PC consists of two main phases: selecting parts and assembling. Luckily, every PC uses the same basic components and build process.
Once you know what parts you need and what they do, things are very easy.
2. Pre-built PCs are a better deal
Too many people fall into the ready-made PC trap, especially budget gamers. A prebuilt PC isn’t usually the way to go when you’re looking for the best graphics bang for your buck.
As a rule, they are rarely a better deal. Of course, there are some great pre-built PCs out there. However, you could build the same one yourself for less money.
Prebuilt versions have to be labor charged, so you’re paying more for someone to spend a few hours doing something you could do for free.
Also, since the entire unit is shipped at once, shipping will likely be dangerous and expensive.
Instead of paying someone to build your PC, you could invest those extra dollars in better parts or even games.
3. Building a PC is risky
A common fear among hesitant PC manufacturers is that they could damage their parts during the build process.
It’s only natural to worry about these things, especially after you’ve poured hundreds or thousands of dollars into your parts. Some may even be concerned about their physical safety when building their own electronic device.
In reality, however, PC building is safe for you and your parts as long as you take basic intuitive precautions.
For example, don’t connect your power supply to your PC during the build process – then you don’t have to worry about electrical burns.
Also, even when plugged into AC power, your computer only draws about 110 volts of electricity, while serious injury is primarily caused at voltages of 500 or more. In principle, there is practically no risk of injury for you when setting up your system.
Set up a static-free workspace and your parts will be safe too. You can do this by simply laying out some cardboard to build and wearing an anti-static wrist strap.
Plug in your power supply, keep it disconnected from everything else, and turn it off. Attach your wristband to something metallic on the power supply, e.g. B. at the fan slots and you are grounded and good to go.
It’s that simple. Most PC parts are pretty sturdy and hard to break as long as they’re installed properly.
4. You need a GPU
One of the most common issues in PC building today is the price of GPUs.
Shortages of computer chips, crypto mining and scalping have pushed costs well above the usual MSRP. Budget gamers often think they can’t build a PC because a graphics card would be too expensive.
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need a dedicated graphics card to build a great gaming PC. You can use a high-performance CPU with integrated graphics instead. However, as a general rule, AMD’s integrated graphics outperform Intel’s.
Budget gamers should opt for something like the AMD Ryzen 5600G, which can happily run most games you throw at it, from beefed up.Minecraft“mod to”gloriole‘ and even eSports titles.
Graphics performance is comparable to a GTX 1650 in regular gameplay.
Will a GPU-less PC outperform an RTX 3080? No of course not. However, it will perform excellently for gamers trying to build on a budget, and that’s what matters.
5. 500GB storage is fine
Insufficient disk space is mostly an issue on budget builds and prebuilds, but it’s something to watch out for. You’ll be shocked at how quickly you fill up 500GB of storage space.
Some of today’s most popular games will eat everything up in no time. For example, “Sea of Thieves” alone requires almost 100 GB of storage space.
You probably want to play more than four games when building your own gaming PC. Never settle for 500GB of storage. The extra money for 1 or 2 TB of storage will be worth it.
6. It’s okay to put your PC on the floor
This is less of a building myth and more of a maintenance myth, but it’s still a huge problem in the gaming community.
Don’t place your PC on the floor. It would be better placed on your fridge, in the center of your coffee table, or literally anywhere else.
Dust is the enemy of custom PCs. It’ll be sucked in by your cooling fans, causing a mess and potentially even slowing down or damaging your carefully assembled parts.
There is far more dust and dirt on the floor than on your desk. Get a side table or stand for your PC if your desk is too small.
This also applies to the construction process. Never put your PC together on the floor, especially not on a carpet or cloth surface.
This is a recipe for static disaster. It’s also a quick and messy way to lose parts like the tiny screws for your PCIe slots.
Build your own PC fearlessly
You don’t have to be a computer genius to build your own custom gaming PC. You also don’t need the fanciest parts on the market or any special setup.
There are a few things to look out for in the building process, but it’s actually very simple. Choosing your parts is easier than you think and can even be a lot of fun once you know what components you need.
Now that these PC building myths have been debunked, you can get started with peace of mind.
Do you have any thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments below, or transfer the discussion to ours Twitter or Facebook.
Editorial recommendations:
