Building a New Computer: Beginnings

Time to Put It Out to Pasture

My computer is nearing its sixth year of operation. That’s the longest that I’ve ever had one; I usually get a new one every four years. And, it’s been working like a champ thanks to the ability to refresh the OS (operating system). Without those refreshes (and re-installing programs), my computer would have been bogged down with miscellaneous programs and files that slow its performance. Well, it’s finally starting to show its age.

My computer still runs great, but programs like Photoshop and Illustrator are beginning to have a hard time, which decreases productivity. Of course, it doesn’t help that I am working with ever-increasing file sizes. The hardware is also woefully out-of-date compared to the new technologies and speeds available today.

It’s time to get a bigger, faster computer.

Building it Myself

One thing that I’ve always wanted to do is build my own computer. I don’t mean going to my favorite computer shop, picking my parts (I usually don’t know what I’m doing) on the recommendations of the experts who work there, and letting them assemble it. I mean that I want to buy the parts and put them together myself.

I’ve been doing a lot of research and watching a lot of videos, and it looks like a lot of fun. The only hard part is picking out parts for my needs, making sure that they are compatible, and working within a budget.

For compatibility and general pricing, I am using the PCPartPicker website. I started a system build list, picking my components one-by-one, and I used filters to narrow my options. The website also displays pricing from several different stores (if available), although I prefer to do my own comparison shopping for the lowest price. But, it does give a general idea of price.

With my component list completed, the general price tag is roughly twice what my current computer costs. That’s the price for wanting performance and future compatibility.

Cryptocurrency Mining – Grrrrr!

The current upswing in cryptocurrency mining has had a negative impact on the PC market. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t hate miners themselves. I just don’t like how mining has impacted the market.

Cryptocurrency mining rigs solve complex equations for reasons that I’m not going to pretend that I know. What I do know is that it takes a lot of processing power in the form of graphics cards. Mining rigs typically have several graphics cards in a single system; I’m not really sure if there is a limit. Both popularity and demand has caused a shortage of video cards, causing prices to at least double! I’ve seen $400 graphics cards being sold for over $1,000!!! There are a few good deals to be found if you can catch them (unlikely) before other people snag them up.

To rub more salt into the wound, mobile phone companies are buying up RAM to put into their phones. So, DDR4 RAM has also doubled in price.

Now is not a good time to buy PC components.

The Case

The Cooler Master MasterCase Pro 5 is not an inexpensive case. Sifting through the other cases available to me, this one had the best bang for my buck for the features that I wanted. With free 2-day shipping, a $20 mail-in rebate (at the time), and Amazon‘s excellent customer support, I had to get it.

Patience

In my research, I’ve discovered that April is usually the best time to buy computer parts. People are getting their tax refunds, so this is when prices will drop. There are also rumors of new graphics cards and CPUs coming out soon that may lower the prices of some of my parts.

My next item will probably be an end table to place next to my desk. The new case is too large to fit into my desk’s built-in computer cubby, which isn’t a bad thing; that area is a dust and cat hair magnet. Plus, I want to raise the new computer up where it can be seen and easily accessed.

It’s going to take some time and money, but I’ll get my new computer. Most of all, I’m excited about building it myself.

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