Did you build the computer you use?

[Steve]

There are an awful lot of people that browse HEXUS.net and post in the HEXUS.net forums. Some are techies, some are not.

So, another of Kez's polls, this time about whether you built your own system or not.

This doesn't really concern office computers - I can't imagine many people built their own office computer. I'm talking home stuff here...

Furthermore, to those with pre-built systems, have you been in the HEXUS Systems section? That's the place if you have queries about your system, want to know a bit more about just what is in your particular system, looking to buy a new system, or maybe want upgrade advice after that HEXUS review prompted you to get the screwdriver out and make a first attempt at an upgrade on your system.

Anyway, the only system I have that wasn't built by me was my first one. That was some 7 or 8 years ago now. I have since stripped and rebuilt it myself, and all others since then have been my own doing.

[klarrix]

I built mine with the help of Mike_w and co. I view the techie forums often, but i am rarely vocal there due to lack of knowledge that i am building upon.

[unrealrocks]

My dad got me into building them. My first one was built (helped by my dad) years and years ago, we've had home built PCs back to the days of 8086s at home (due to my dad).

[Hidden Spirit]

I didn't build mine, Barry did

My ambition one day is to build a pc from scratch myself and to know wtf you guess are talking about on here when you get all techy

[Trash Man]

Yup, built all the machines I have ever had, apart from me laptop.

[megah0]

I have bought only 1 pre-configured system and that was returned after 2 months and i went into building my own

Its all a learning curve

[iMc]

Yeh built mine after watching someone build my dads. Now he trust to to meddle inside his and all the other home computers.

[Clstrphbc_donut]

Built both machines in my sig myself. Mine was my first build

[turkster]

Yeah built mine around last christmas for the first time and have been learning ever since.
I dont think I'd really buy a prebuilt system again apart from a laptop.

[r1zeek]

Built one pre-configured system about a year ago before I even knew what Hexus was.
Since then i've built all the systems in my house (appart from my dads G4)

[Paul Adams]

Been building my own PCs for about 18 years.

From buying and installing a maths coprocessor for my 4.77MHz IBM XT through to having a LAN of Shuttle SFF PCs.

From installing DOS 3.3 from 5.25" floppies to installing Windows XP Pro SP1 from a slipstreamed DVD.

I'd never trust a company to build a PC for me, plus it's so much fun to build them yourself!

[malfunction]

Well System #1 was pre-built (about 8 years ago now) - over £1,000 of student loan spent on:

Pentium 120
32MB EDO
3.4GB HDD
SB16
Trident GFX
8x CD ROM
Not at all flat 14" CRT

After a couple of months I decided I couldn't live on in ignorance and decided to take the whole thing apart. Which was a nervous time.

For my efforts I managed to overclock the CPU (and RAM and FSB)... From a lowly 120MHz to an amazing 133MHz (and the RAM/FSB from 60MHz to 66MHz)... And change the front LED display to read 666 instead of 120 (which probably made more difference that anything else)

Over the 4 years or so that I had it I did a few upgrades and before I moved onto system #2 I'd upgraded to a P200MMX, 64MB RAM, a Matrox Millenium and Voodoo 1... And added a 2nd HDD (20GB) which was the only thing that lived onto system #2:

The Monitor, FDD, CDROM and 20GB HDD from System #1
Celeron 600
256MB PC133 (I'd already learnt a bit about PCs by then and was hoping to overclock the life out of the poor celeron)
A-bit mobo (but with a VIA 693 based chipset - YUK! - I obviously still had lots to learn)
32MB GF2 MX (as it was all I could afford)
And a very dodgy new case - Suntek's Vision midi tower in black:

http://www.suntek.co.uk/english/prod...ion/index.html (BARF!)

With system #2 I really started to get into overclocking and games and emulation and over the years I:

Upgraded from the Celeron to a P3 800 to a P3 Tualatin based Celeron 1100 (quickly overclocked to 1466MHz)
Upgraded the mobo to an Asus 815EP based mobo
The GF2 MX to a GF2 GTS to a GF3 Ti 200
20GB HDD to 60GB
8x CDROM to 16x DVD ROM
Damn nasty case swapped for a Lian Li PC-61
14" goldfish bowl swapped for 17" FST

My current system which I've had for about 10 months now is:

23" LCD (owned by work)
XP1700+ @ 2.1 GHz
1GB PC3200
80GB WD SE
DVD ROM
CDRW
Radeon 9800SE @ 420 / 365

And I also have a firewall / server box based around an SN41G2 (thanks bigpockets.co.uk! ), Duron 1400 (Applebred), a combo CDRW / DVD ROM and 256MB PC2100...

[mike_w]

This system that I'm using to write this post I built myself. I built it once, and rebuilt when I moved into a new case. Like kirb said, I also helped him build his machine. Might be about to build a spare out of all the parts that are handy because of upgrades.

[Pete]

my borther and his friend helped build mine

[ekundo]

i'v build a grand total of 2 now, my old one, which is now my sisters and is still unreliable, and this one, my gorgeous shuttle

[Stewart]

Yes. Although it was my first build, so a more eperianced mate also helped.