Microsoft tells me my old computer is going to be obsolete in about six months and I really need some more speed for video editing and processing, so I decided build out a new PC.
I haven’t built a PC or speced out a PC from scratch since the early 2000 so this will be a bit of a learning curve.
For example, I thought I could just swap in a new CPU and use my existing mini-ATX case but that snowballed into buying a new motherboard, CPU, M.2 drive and a mid-sized case.
But the CPU didn’t work in the old motherboard and the new motherboard was too big for my case…so…I’m basically getting a new motherboard, CP, as well as a new power supply and case. At least I can swap over my existing memory chips.
Should I have just bought a new computer? Maybe but I think I’m saving money this way and besides, it’s a new learning adventure.
Here is what I ended up which is similar to the above video:
- Power Supply
- Case
- CPU
- Motherboard
- M.2 hard drive (installed on the motherboard)
- Memory (I took these from my old computer as they were a newer up grade)
- Thermal paste
- RGB Fans
- Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
- USB C adapter
- 64GB – Bootable Windows 11/10 / 8.1/7, USB Driver 3.2 for Reinstall Windows, Reset Password, Network Drive,Supported UEFI and Legacy, Data Recovery, Repair Tool
Cost Breakdown of this Gaming PC Build
I call this a gaming PC because it uses a lot of gamer parts but I’ll most likely be using it for Adobe Photoshop and video editing. This configuration should last me many years and be upgradable in the future.
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW $85 – Tempered Glass Mid-Tower ATX Case – High-Airflow – Cable Management System – Spacious Interior – Two Included 120 mm Fans – Black
CORSAIR RM850x Fully Modular Low-Noise ATX Power Supply $135
Crucial Pro RAM 64 GB Kit – $90 (2x32GB) DDR4 3200MHz (or 3000MHz or 2666MHz) Desktop Memory CP2K32G4DFRA32A
Asus ROG Strix B550-F Gaming WiFi II AMD AM4 (3rd Gen Ryzen) ATX Motherboard $150 (PCIe 4.0,WiFi 6E, 2.5Gb LAN, BIOS Flashback, HDMI 2.1, Addressable Gen 2 RGB Header and Aura Sync)
AMD Ryzen 7 5700G 8-Core, 16-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor with Radeon Graphics $165
RGB Fans 3 for $13
Mechanical Gaming Keyboard $30
Windows 11 – $140
Total cost under $700 (plus I was using the memory and SSD drives from my old computer). I estimate this is 0% to 50% savings over a premade machine depending on what you buy.
My case has a USB C (3.1) port, those newer oval shaped UBS outlets but I had no place on the motherboard to connect the USB C wire. So I had to purchase this adapter which connects to a USB 3.0 connection on the motherboard.
Issues/Troubleshooting
I surprised myself by not running into any major issues building this computer. One thing when installing Windows 11 from the USB drive – the computer did not detect any networks. I had to find this video to get it to work.
How to install Windows II without Internet
The problem was that the Asus Motherboard did not ship with LAN (network connection) drivers so the Windows install could not connect to the Internet. The above video shows the work around.
At the moment my computer still won’t connect via WiFi (wirelessly) even though I enabled all networking (wired and wireless) in the BIOS settings.