Do I dare self-build?

Ok, I'm faced with a decision, shortly I'll take delivery of a case I've been having modified and I don't know whether I should build the rest of the computer myself or let those nice people from Scan's 3XS team handle it.


Originally I was all set to try my very first computer build but then reading all these tech forums got me worrying about "what if it all goes wrong?" so I checked and Scan could build a PC to the same specification I was going to, for an incredibly small fee.


So, do should I loose my PC building virginity or should I not risk £1200 worth of hardware and let the nice men who can from Scan take away my worries?

Do it yourself.
If you:

1. Make sure you buy the correct compatible components

2. Clean everything before you start

3. Use all the ESD precautions

4. Read ALL the manuals

5. Most importantly.......TAKE YOUR TIME


then all should go well and you will be glad you did your own PC.

I built my first pc about a year ago, and looking to do an upgrade build now. After talking to friends who bought pre made pcs for uni at around the same cost, I can certainly say you get more bang for bunk. It also seems like quite a few parts have 3 year (some even "limited life") warantys, longer than you'd get with a pre made pc (usually a year).
Like Blitzen said, do it you self, you'll be pleased you did!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lucio

Ok, I'm faced with a decision, shortly I'll take delivery of a case I've been having modified and I don't know whether I should build the rest of the computer myself or let those nice people from Scan's 3XS team handle it.


Originally I was all set to try my very first computer build but then reading all these tech forums got me worrying about "what if it all goes wrong?" so I checked and Scan could build a PC to the same specification I was going to, for an incredibly small fee.


So, do should I loose my PC building virginity or should I not risk £1200 worth of hardware and let the nice men who can from Scan take away my worries?

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You can't beat a computer, made up of components, that are recommended by the people in the know (say on Hexus).
There might be a variance of opinion for your price range and as no component is perfect, but the selection of suggestions for a build are excellent.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by excalibur2

You can't beat a computer, made up of components, that are recommended by the people in the know (say on Hexus).
There might be a variance of opinion for your price range and as no component is perfect, but the selection of suggestions for a build are excellent.

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I get that either way :) Scan are good enough to let me give them a list of components and build with those exact ones.

Incidentally, specification is as follows

E6600
aBit Quad GT motherboard
Zalman CNPS8000 low profile cooler (wanted a low profile the case is modded with an additional fan opposite the CPU)
Corsair HX620W PSU
Corsair DDR2 TwinX 2GB PC6400
EVGA 8800GTX Superclocked edition
320GB Samsung HD321KJ

It's all going inside a Lian-Li PC-A05 case that I've had modified to include 2 additional 120mm fans (which aren't the best tbh, I wanted red LED ones so I got Coolermaster ones from Scan). One fan is set above the CPU as an intake to compliment the rear intake fan on the case, the second sits above the graphics card as an exhaust, if it still gets hot I can put a blower in one of the PCI slots.

Thats the fan config of the LianLi A10B, it'll run cool enough. The only thing that worries me is the Zalman CPU cooler.
TBH its a pile of poo I ran one for about a week and it wasnt particularly good on a cpu (E6600).
To run at decent cpu temps I had to run at close to half speed and it was audible. If your getting scan to build ask their advice

Its livable but dont expect sterling performance.

Blitzens advice is good. if you're willing to take your time and read through the installation instructions and motherboard manual and not rush the build then you should be fine and get a great sense of acheivement. You'll also have a better idea of what to do if anything should go wrong and the confidence to tackle the fault finding and repairs yourself.

I have built numerous PC's. So many i have lost count! Give it a go mate. You can always pop on here for advice. Good luck.