There isn’t a lot that can be more intimidating to the first-time computer builder than the task of building a custom PC. It takes hours of focused attention, precision, and the ability to read instructions carefully. There are also dozens of tips that can be difficult to understand (how much thermal paste to apply, how to remove the plastic film from components, what ports on your motherboard are necessary, etc). A video tutorial can save you a lot of time and confusion in this area, and ECPU has an excellent one here.

A good guide will walk you through the process step-by-step and tell you what to do, what not to do, and why it matters. It will also point out any problems that you might run into during the build, such as an oversized graphics card that won’t fit into your case or a motherboard with USB-C headers missing for your planned hardware configuration. It will also teach you how to properly manage the electrical connections between your components to avoid things like static electricity and power outages.

A custom-built PC is the best option for people who want full control over their hardware and don’t mind paying for a little extra work to get what they need out of their system. It will be more expensive than a pre-built PC, however, and it’s important to consider the value you’re getting out of the system before making a purchase. custom pc builder