I Built a PC!!!

Written by: Mike Helmers

This is a project I wanted to do for a long time. When I started studying for my CompTIA A+, I was shocked at how much I learned about the hardware side of computing. My laptop at the time — a Sony Vaio bought in 2009 — had served me faithfully until a month ago when the errors started piling up. I tried loading Ubuntu onto it to squeeze out more life, but the strain was too much. The Vaio is no more.

So now what? We had a Chromebook and a laptop that kind-of-worked, but I wanted something with more power. Something I could upgrade over time. Computing constantly changes, and building my own machine means I can improve it incrementally — spend $200 every few years instead of $700+ on a new machine. Plus, it sounded like a fun project.

Steps to Follow

Define my needs
Choose and buy the parts
Assemble the computer
Install the OS
Configure for use

1. Define My Needs

What am I building this for? Coding, Raspberry Pi support, photo/video editing, and some gaming. Video editing would probably require the most power given the file sizes, but I'm not a professional and I don't play the latest games — so I could make some sacrifices on raw power.

2. Choose and Buy the Parts

I used PCPartPicker to plan the build, starting from a Lifehacker-featured budget build and modifying it for my needs. Here's a breakdown of each component:

Intel Core i3-6100 (3.7GHz Dual-Core) — The processor is the heart of a computer. Most guides recommended an i5 quad-core, but given my use case I didn't think I needed it. The i3 saved me $100–150, and I could always upgrade or add a GPU later.

MSI H110M Gaming MicroATX Motherboard (LGA1151) — Choosing a motherboard comes down to a few key questions: AMD or Intel CPU? (They use different sockets.) What form factor? (I wanted MicroATX, the current standard.) What connections do you need? (HDMI, USB 3.0, audio, etc.) The MSI board from the Lifehacker build ticked everything.

Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB DDR4-2400 — RAM is what your computer uses to run programs. 8GB is plenty for my needs, and the board has an extra slot if I ever want to add more.

Kingston SSDNow UV400 120GB SSD — Solid-state drives are faster and more durable than traditional hard drives. This is where the operating system lives so everything boots and loads quickly.

Seagate BarraCuda 1TB HDD — For storing media — photos, movies, music. Byte for byte, a traditional hard drive is significantly cheaper than an SSD. That's why this 1TB drive costs less than the 120GB SSD.

Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mini Tower — Plenty of interior space and two fans for airflow. Airflow matters — computers can get hot enough to damage components if it's insufficient.

EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze ATX Power Supply — 500W is more than enough, with headroom for future expansion.

I bought everything through Amazon, tracking prices over time with PCPartPicker to make sure I was getting the best deal.

3. Assemble the Computer

This went much smoother than I expected. I watched a few YouTube videos and read some guides, but the paperwork that came with the components turned out to be the most useful reference of all.

The assembly order:

Installed the CPU into the motherboard socket
Seated the CPU cooling fan on top
Plugged in the RAM stick
Mounted the PSU in the bottom of the case
Attached the motherboard to the case
Installed the SSD and HDD
Connected all the cables — this took a while, but nearly every connector has a unique shape and most cables were labeled

I hit the power button and got the BIOS. Success.

4. Install the OS

I went with Ubuntu. I wanted to save the $120 Windows license cost, and I wanted a traditional desktop feel. Ubuntu is easy to use, stable, and has a massive support community. It's also Debian-based, which I was already comfortable with from using Raspbian on my Pis.

I downloaded the Ubuntu ISO, flashed it to a USB drive with balena Etcher (which the Raspberry Pi Foundation recommends — much better than the old Win32DiskImager approach), booted from it, and followed the installer. Quick and painless.

Tip: Most modern computers can boot and run an OS directly from a USB drive without installing it. This is a great way to try out different Linux distributions before committing.

5. Configure for Use

Ubuntu comes with LibreOffice pre-installed, so I had an office suite out of the box. I added Chromium as my browser and started customizing from there. The list of installed software will grow over time, but for now I'm just happy to be playing with a new toy.

Takeaways and Future Thoughts

Unexpected problems: Ubuntu loaded on first boot, but something broke mid-install. Turned out the flash drive was bad. Grabbed a new drive, reflashed the image, and everything worked fine the second time.

Future concerns: Small chance Ubuntu won't work out long-term and I'll need to switch to Windows. A bridge to cross if I get there.

Future enhancements: A graphics card would extend the life of this machine significantly for relatively little money — and I did eventually add one. I also want to add a webcam at some point.