Discussion on:

10 things you should do when building a new PC

I reuse the cases. I build the new PC using one of these. http://www.highspeedpc.com/
I get the new one running with a new boot HD or SSD on the bench. Always have an extra DVD player around to hook up the the new mobo on the bench. Install all my software while system is on the bench. This is normally the longest part of the project! And this way if I get tired I still have the old working system in the case. When all is ready it is a matter of swapping out mobo and boot drive. All my data is on other physical drives that stay in the old case. In a couple of hours I am up and running with a new system in the old box.
My latest setup includes the Intel liquid cooling solution and a case with 3 6" fans. Very quiet!

Assemble everything on the bench before fitting to the case and test.

I've lost count of the number of times components have arrived DOA.

It's always easier to test before you make a series of parts into 1 assembly.

Col

Know what the intended usage is! Don't build a high end accounting system, if you need a quality graphics machine. Match the components, their speed and memory speeds with the intended results know what the software is going to need and plan for it. Use the right kind of cooling fans are nice but water or thermocouples may be the best answer for the intended usage. Power supplies are important but if the circuit you are plugging into is a standard outlet ( 1 of 12 ) with a washing machine and hair dryer as well as the kitchen microwave on that circuit your system is in trouble from the gitgo !

A dedicated single circuit should be installed for that super system! You can be in trouble long after you think the job is done, if you skip that part of the service.. Computers need to have the right amount of power, clean power and the correct uninterrupted back up power supply for efficiency of Super high end machines need EEC memory if you are dependent of the quality of the output don't take a chance, no matter how small of corrupted data

Build in your redundancy up front, the right raid configuration, combined with a good usb3 external drive and the 1 in a million disaster can be avoided.

The best thing I did with my last PC build was add a hot swap SATA drive bay. It lets me add SATA drives to the PC without having to open caddy's or dig up a USB drive dock. Just slide the drive and away you go. Having a proper hot swap port on the mainboard (asus in this case) this helps immensely with not crashing, rebooting or hanging between HDD changes.

DON'T DO IT!

Only build your own PC if you have a special need in mind: vehicle installation, home theater PC (or similarly rare form factor), or some kind of experiment where you don't want use your own PC. Otherwise, buy a turn-key unit at the store or a custom-spec'd unit online.

Dear Mr. Brian,
I was reading your article "10 things you should do when buying a Building a New PC" and, something struck me. You said in one of your steps:
"9: Verify that your case has the appropriate USB headers
When picking out a case, you should also make sure that it has the appropriate USB headers. Most of the newer system boards have a connection for USB 3.0 headers. The physical design of this port prevents the connection of USB 2.0 headers. So its important to look for a case that fully supports USB 3.0."

I have an old Thermaltake Element V case which only supports USB 2.0 headers. I went for an upgrade from an X58 MB to a newer MB "Intel DX79SI". It has the USB 3.0 headers but my case doesn't. Hence, I thought that I will connect only the USB 2.0 headers & leave the USB 3.0 headers/pins unattached to anything.
Point is, my USB hub on the case which only supports 2.0 is not working, eventhough that I have checked multiple times it was connected properly. If I plug a thumb drive a message will pop up saying that it had some sort of 'Power Surge....' & wont work. If I plug a mouse, keyboard it says installing drivers but nothing happens. The rear USB panels are FULLY functional.
Do I understand from what you have said that I won't be able to attach the USB 2.0 case hub, while leaving the pins of the USB 3.0 alone??
Do I understand from what you have said that the since the Mobo support USB 3.0 I won't be able to use my USB 2.0 case hub??

Please note that USB 2.0 & 3.0 have different pins to be attached to the case.
I'm really sorry if I sound redundant but I just wanted to make everything clear. I have been working for days on my new machine & everything is working smoothly except the front headers of the motherboard. Nonetheless, they worked perfectly on my old MB "X58" which only supports 2.0 USB.
Sin yours

I recently built my first PC and I really didn't think ahead about cable management. By the time I had everything installed in the case, I was way too eager to get the machine running to go back and route the cables properly. I'll have to open it up sometime soon and fix that. :L

My build is based around a six core AMD processor & I'm very happy with it! If anyone is curious about the rest of my build, it's posted @ http://leleah.com/pc-building-for-dummies/

I sent the author a private message & posted it here. Don't you think he should reply by now??

I have built countless numbers of computers over the years working in the IT field. It is really not that hard to do once you have an idea of what each part is doing inside your case and get a good idea of what you are getting yourself into. I have put together a guide on my website, The PC Build Guide it teaches you step by step how to build a computer.