Staff – July 23, 2019 at 9:37 AM
If you’ve spent even a little bit of time researching how to build your own gaming PC, you’ve likely stumbled across a Linus Tech Tips video. With 1000s of videos on PC hardware under his belt, Linus has slowly but surely become one of the best-known authorities on building PCs.
So who better to ask than Linus for advice on how to build your own computer? Below are his five golden rules for building a PC, all in his words. Whether embarking on your first build or piecing together your endgame battle station, his tips are full of insight. Happy building!
Rule #1: Balance.
While selecting parts for a new rig, it's common for inexperienced builders to get excited and blow too much of their budget on something frivolous like a case with cool lighting effects and then end up needing to skimp on "less cool" components like the power supply. Every aspect of the system is important for having a good experience in the long run.
Rule #2: Avoid the F-word.
"Future-proofing" is a great idea in theory, but I recommend building a gaming rig that you know will make you happy today and saving your extra pennies for more games to play on it. With that said, there are situations where it's important to plan ahead! If you're going to upgrade to dual graphics cards, for example, you should buy a power supply that can provide 200-300W more than you need right now.
Rule #3: Be Patient.
Everyone gets tempted to slap together their parts as they arrive. I've seen a ton of pictures of CPUs mounted on motherboards on a coffee table with the rest of the parts nowhere in sight. You can't use it like that, so it's better to leave everything it in its ESD (electrostatic discharge) safe packaging until it's time to work your way through the whole process start to finish.
Rule #4: Go Slow.
Almost every major mistake I've made building PCs over the years has been because I was in a hurry. There are so many great resources out there to make building your own PC simple, but they only work if you take the time to read/watch them carefully and STOP if you reach something you don't understand. There's no shame in putting aside your project for a couple of hours while you wait for a reply on a forum for what to do next!
Rule #5: Enjoy. (Really.)
Don't stress out when you hear about some hot new products that are coming or when you see a price drop on something you just bought. That's just the nature of the beast when it comes to cutting-edge technology, and it's important to learn to appreciate what you have rather than worrying about what you could have had if you had waited a little longer.
