Building a PC

I will awlays remember December 2022 as the month I built my first PC from components, such as a CPU, GPU, and motherboard. It was an enriching experience, and every computer architect must build a PC to truly understand the impact of their work and get empathy towards their customers. If this is your first time, you will likely underestimate the amount of optimization, patience, and rigor involved in building a PC. However, do not let that discourage you; creating a PC is a lot of fun!

Here is how you make one:

• Determine what is your primary application (AI, gaming, HPC, etc.) and budget ($)

• PCpartpicker has multiple build guides you can choose from. However, it is more fun to select all the parts yourself. For example, I wanted to build an Intel CPU and Intel GPU PC, and I did not see any existing builds for that, so I made a new one.

• You can add different components, such as CPU, cooling mechanism, RAM, SSD/HDD, Video card (GPU), and case. The website will give you some notes on compatibility, and then you can ask specific questions on the forum. Please share your list in the forum and ask for feedback. I was told to use a white cooler instead of black, and that was an excellent suggestion because my entire PC was white (Sometimes we miss simple things!).

• Now the fun part: Order all your computer parts online or go to a local store to pick them up.

• Once you receive them, start building your PC without the case. We will add the items to the case once everything is working (at least until BIOS boot).

• Remember! Manuals are your friend. The motherboard, case, and power supply manual are the most important ones to read.

Here is a link to my PC build.