Building my very first Computer: A disaster or not?

This endeavor started three months ago when my seven-year-old ‘All in one desktop’ (AIO) struggled to open a simple word file; when it suddenly hit me, the old computer was out of storage, running onboard (Integrated) Graphics. Moreover, it was optimized to run as fast as possible for its low-end specs. Unfortunately, technology only lives for a short period, after which it can be considered inefficient or even useless, and this runs true for my computer as well. Therefore I set my eyes on building my very own computer.

I was so excited, watching hours and hours of videos and researching the best bang for the buck parts. Unfortunately, I had been so carried away that I forgot to ask my parents for permission and consent. After proposing that it would be cheaper to build a computer myself and the incredible experience it would be, they finally agreed to it. My friend and I started slowly building a list of parts; we finished in about 2 to 3 days and ran it through a website that found compatibility issues. There weren’t just one or two red flags but more than 10. We were back to square one with basic mistakes such as too much power consumption, the wrong CPU brand, the wrong socket on the motherboard, too large of a GPU, and a non-compatible ram, to name a few. After a lot more research, we switched up the list on the next try and ran it through the same website, and not one single red flag popped up. It was now the real deal, and I could finally move on to ordering the parts. Everything was set and due to arrive in a couple of weeks.

Four days before the shipment arrived, I realized there were two major flaws.

1. The i5 10600k could only support a maximum ram speed of 2666MHz, while the ram I had picked had a rate of 3200MHz.

2. The ‘k’ in 10600k stands for unlocked, meaning it can be overclocked, but the budget mother I went with ( Intel h510MA Chipset ) did not support overclocking.

Even after running the configuration through multiple websites, these blaring mistakes couldn’t be found. So I was forced to send the CPU back and think of a solution. Getting the i5 11600 allowed me to run the ram sticks at full speed while also getting a higher generation of CPU for the same price (from 10th gen to 11th gen). The CPU arrived on April 10th, and we started the build the next day, at 9 am.

I couldn’t stop smiling. As we put the motherboard on the desk, I couldn’t stop admiring it. Still, I knew I had to start the build by dropping the centerpiece of the computer, arguably the most essential component, the ‘CPU.’ Even a slight miss alignment would bend the socket pins (LGA 1200) and ruin the computer. I put it in, and my friend pulled the lever to lock it in; it was impossible to tell if I had correctly placed the CPU. One by One, we added the RAM, GPU, SSD, Case Fan, CPU cooler, PSU (Power Supply Unit), and wired up the entire board very carefully; any one wrong connection would fry the whole motherboard. After 9 hours of building with only 30min breaks for lunch and dinner, The new desktop was finished.

The nerves couldn’t have been higher. I connected the plug and turned on the switch. We saw a light but no monitor output; we waited and waited, but nothing showed up until the ASUS symbol flashed before our eyes, and we were into the bios. All the components were detected and running. We used a flash drive to install Windows as the ‘OS’ and the computer was faster than I ever expected. After hours of optimization with CPU, RAM, and GPU clocks and temperatures, I was finally satisfied and happy with how everything turned out

Final Spec list:

CPU – i5 11600

GPU – 3050

Mother Board – h510ma

RAM – 3200MHz (2X8 GB)

PSU – 450W (80% Broze Certified)

SSD – M.2 P2 1TB NVME

CPU Fan – Masterliquid lite 120

Case – Master Box K501L