How difficult is it to build a pc?

[LaserChild9]

So I know that for most people here, the answer will be "It isn't" but for a complete noob who barely touches the insides of a pc how hard is it to get right? The guy that I usually get to build my pc's is quite ill at the moment and I do really need a new one, so my options are to buy one from a site or build one myself and I feel like building one myself is probably going to be cheaper but riskier.

[Pull My Finger]

Not difficult at all. If you know which end of a screwdriver goes into the hand and know how to push delicate parts into slots without hammering them in like a caveman, you're set. You only need to familiarize yourself with a few types of connections, jacks and cables and that's a research that takes you a half an hour of your life. The rest is just picking parts, determing what suits your needs, comparing products and prices, etc.

[robotshepard]

Google "how to put a pc together" and click the first link (lifehacker- I'm not allowed to post links yet because I haven't posted enough, whoops) If it still seems too hard to you, I'd wait til your computer dude is better, or find someone else to build it for you.

What is wrong with your current machine? Would a graphics card/SSD/RAM upgrade be better than building from scratch?

[Deleted]

Not difficult at all. If you know which end of a screwdriver goes into the hand and know how to push delicate parts into slots without hammering them in like a caveman, you're set. You only need to familiarize yourself with a few types of connections, jacks and cables and that's a research that takes you a half an hour of your life. The rest is just picking parts, determing what suits your needs, comparing products and prices, etc.

This ^ along with making sure all your parts are compatible, such as your PSU having enough power, your case being big enough for your Graphics Card and your RAM being the right type etc

[Deleted]

The tricky bits are the placement of the CPU (processor) and CPU cooler (especially if you're using a third-party cooler), and getting all the little wires right (USB, power on, reset, HDD [hard disk] activity led, etc). The wires part is actually very easy though, it's just a bit messy with all the very tiny connectors all bunched up. You find out which wire is which by looking in your motherboard manual, and by looking at the text on the connectors.

When placing the CPU, make sure the orientation is right, and that you don't touch any parts sticking out on either the CPU bottom or the CPU socket area. Just hold the cpu on the sides and look for the little triangle. When it's in place, snap it shut with the extremely tight lever. Watch a vid on how to apply cooling paste if you're using third party coolers, because that's something that you can easily mess up a little bit. (Which, by the way, is not a disaster, as long as you don't get the paste directly on your motherboard components. Don't use too much of it. If you do something wrong (which you find out by noticing too-high CPU temperatures), you'd have to remove the CPU, remove the paste, re-socket the CPU and re-apply it. BE CAREFUL not to touch, bend or snag the connectors on the motherboard, especially the CPU ones.)

The other hard part is making sure beforehand, before you buy all of it, that whatever components you pick actually fit together. Make sure the socket type of the CPU and the motherboard is the same, and that the motherboard supports that specific CPU without a firmware update (I recently got a relatively new CPU on a relatively old motherboard, and although they were compatible, they were only so after a firmware update - and to do a firmware update, I needed a compatible, older CPU to begin with. Not very efficient.)
Make sure your video card fits inside the case you build your computer in (both length and width wise, those things can be massively huge). Make sure you buy a decent power supply, spend some extra money on getting a good one (good means a decent brand, not a ridiculously high wattage).

TL;DR: it's pretty easy. Some things to pay attention to, but nothing you can't do - although for the CPU and 3rd-party-cooler placement, the first time I did it, I was happy to have a friend there that knew how to do those things.

[Artorius]

99% of things only fit on their proper places (frontal panel conectors are all the same and extremely tight, that's the only thing that you can put in the wrong place), so you literally can't do it wrong. Just watch some video and have it playing nearby at a mobile device for reference.
As people have said before, the hardest part will be applying the thermal paste and CPU cooler in case you're not using OEM cooler.
I built my first PC when I were something like 12yrs old, just be careful not to touch contacts or let something fall on your mobo and always hold components by it's sides or touching plastic parts in case of video cards.

[Gobitron]

Not at all! With all the information, guides, videos, and people out there willing and able to lend a hand, it's an exercise that's worth going through. Stop by /r/buildapc for some overall build help when you're ready.

[MrKnubbles]

It's pretty simple. You can Google everything you need to know and even watch YouTube videos.

[Twoddle]

Hardest part is doing the research and choosing the parts to suit your needs. Then you have to deal with faulty parts and sending back items you didn't really need. The rest is a piece of cake and a great learning experience. Whether you'll save money over buying a pre-built one is another matter.

[unbound]

It keeps getting easier and many of the sites to get parts from will help you to make sure the parts match.

Building a PC you'll be happy with just takes a willingness to do your research and the patience to put it together without rushing (basically, make sure you have all the cables installed, the connectors go to the right places on the motherboard / components, and all the screws are installed). It usually takes me about an hour to assemble, then another couple of hours to install the OS, updates, and install critical software (e.g. security software, games). If you haven't done it before, set aside the better part of a day and take your time.

In terms of risk, if you have a bad component, it can be very frustrating to figure out which component is the problem since everything is separate, but, to be honest, I haven't had that problem in over a decade now (I build, on average, a new PC each year).

[raps]

Go over this guide, and you wont have too much trouble: http://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/wiki/beginnersguide

[Deleted]

This thread might be a nice read:
http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/...m-Computer-WIP

[ToastedBread]

Building a PC isn't difficult as long as you prepare yourself mentally that things may not work on the first try. The building part is always the easiest as most manufacturers provide pictorial instructions with the parts, and you have various online resources to rely on, e.g. Youtube, Google, etc. The toughest aspect is troubleshooting and keeping calm enough to think through everything when repeated attempts to fix things fail you.

It's a learning journey so enjoy it and don't fret too much about facing issues with your build the first couple of times.

[the game]

Like others said it's not hard. Plenty of youtube videos on it. just be delicate with the processor. You don't want to bend pins putting it in the socket on your board.

[Lathais]

Like others said it's not hard. Plenty of youtube videos on it. just be delicate with the processor. You don't want to bend pins putting it in the socket on your board.

New intel socket doesn't use pins anymore, thank god. Even still, if you do have a cpu with pins they are pretty easy to put back in place with a credit card.