By Joseph Nian
One of the world’s largest tech events, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), was recently held to introduce thousands of innovative tech products. Namely, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang gave a keynote introducing their brand new graphics card line, which utilizes the latest AI technology and algorithms to maximize graphical performance. Now you might be asking, “What is this guy talking about? Graphics cards? AI? Huh???” Don’t worry, as I introduce the fun but absolutely wallet-terrorizing hobby of personal computer (PC) building.
All of my friends and family who are subjected to my random tech rants often think of PCs as a daunting and intimidating topic. Although it is seemingly complex with its big and fancy technical names like motherboard and central processing unit, it isn’t. The only issue is that it takes quite a heavy toll on your wallet, with my personal rig costing about $1200, but most PCs don’t need to be that expensive.
Once you research and decide on all of your PC parts, the thrill of buying all of them is exhilarating. However, putting together the computer is definitely the most anxious experience you’ll probably ever have, as one wrong move can cost you as little as 20 dollars to a whopping 1000 dollars in damages. That is why for my personal experience in building computers, I’ve always had a few of my friends nearby to ensure I didn’t go into debt from breaking any computer parts.
Overall, researching and building a computer is a fun little hobby to have. Fun fact, many people start their own PC building business, so if you were thinking about starting your own business selling computers, this could be your sign.
P.S. If you ever have any questions about PCs, feel free to find me on campus and ask away. I’ll be glad to help 🙂
Here are some pictures of my personal setup and specs:
Specs:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7600X
- CPU cooler: Arctic Freezer 36 Black
- Motherboard: ATX MSI Pro B650-P Wifi
- RAM: Teamgroup T-Create Expert 32 GB DDR5-6000 CL30
- SSD (Storage): Teamgroup MP44L 1 TB
- GPU: AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT 16 GB
- Case: Lian Li Lancool 207
- PSU: Thermaltake Smart 850W