Building gaming PCs is almost a sacred tradition for many enthusiasts. It is often referred to as the Lego of adults
. It is all the more surprising that our tech author and computer expert Jan Hartmayer doesn’t actually recommend beginners to assemble their computers themselves.
Since I was a teenager, I have tinkered with all sorts of hardware components. From old computers and speakers to routers, I worked on everything. Some parts broke in the process because I simply lacked the necessary experience.
Even my first “gaming PC” fell victim to an exploration endeavor. I wanted to remove an old hard drive and the power cable got stuck. By pulling too hard, I ended up damaging the motherboard when the cable finally came loose, causing significant dents and immediately destroying it.
This experience showed me how quickly hardware and the associated money can be lost. Most warranties do not cover damage caused by users themselves.
Play it safe
For various reasons, I recommend new gamers and hardware enthusiasts not to opt for self-building when getting their first computer, because:
- Hardware is becoming increasingly expensive and mistakes can quickly become costly.
- Building a gaming PC is complex and can easily overwhelm a beginner.
- Not every gamer is interested in assembling their own hardware, and that is completely fine.
- Self-building is not always the magic solution for a cheaper computer, as there are often deals for ready-made gaming PCs that are even cheaper.
Additionally, with a prebuilt system, you have the security of being able to send the entire system back to the manufacturer/seller all at once if errors occur. This is not the case with self-building. You may have to spend hours troubleshooting and find the specific component that is defective.
Experimentation is better than studying
Nevertheless, in my opinion, the hobby of self-building is essential for the gaming community and more people should try it. However, beginners should ideally always have a more experienced tinkerer with them to avoid potential mistakes.
After all, nothing is more frustrating than losing an expensive component in seconds due to a mistake.
If you have unused and outdated hardware lying around from your siblings, parents, or yourself, you can use it excellently for practice purposes. Just make sure that these components are really no longer needed. Are you and your hardware suffering under the sun just like we are? Then we recommend: 19 tips against heat from the MeinMMO editorial team to successfully withstand the weather
Would you still recommend self-building to a beginner these days? Do you think it is worth the time and risk to get into it? Or do you only buy prebuilt systems yourself? Let us know in the comments!
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