Building your own computer can be fun but can also be VERY frustrating. Here are the list of common mistakes made:
1. The computer shuts down when playing a game
Often the most common mistake is not buying a decent power supply. Do not go cheap on the power supply! If you find your game shutting down, it will most likely be due to the powersupply not being good enough. Do not skimp on the power supply!
2. You have put your new computer together and you press the power button but nothing happens
Make sure you have pugged the power sockets onto the motherboard. There are usually 2 sockets that needs to be plugged onto the motherboard.
3. You power on the computer and an alarm sounds, then the computer shuts off
Make sure the CPU fans are plugged in. Visibly check the fans are running when you power on the computer. This could be an overheating problem.
4. The Chassis fans ramp up really loud when playing games.
Computers get very hot and often stock fans that you get with your components are not very good quality. I would recommend investing in some noctua fans for your computer chassis. Fans aren't very expensive and good quality ones can make a whole lot of difference to noise levels and cooling efficiency.
5. Bought a new graphics card and the computer keeps shutting down or won't switch on at all
Your power supply is not good enough to suppor the graphics card. Always check minimum requirements for the graphics card. For example your graphics card might require a minimum of 700 watt dual 12v rails. Ask the vendor if you are not sure!
6. Always check your temperatures
Download speedfan and gpuz so that you can monitor the temperatures of your new system. You need to be sure your computer is not overheating as this will cause throttle back which will slow your experience down. Generally you don't want your CPU creeping over 75 degrees and your Graphics card 90 degrees. You can achieve better temperatures by investing in sealed water cooling solutions and better ventalation. Often system builders leave the side panel off their computer to help reduce the temperatures (Make sure if you do this that you keep it out of reach from little hands!)
7. Become familar with the Bios
The Bios is a very important part of the system that a user should become familar with. The computer will have all its safe defaults set up but you can significantly improve the performance of your computer by tweaking options in the bios. Overclocking does require a bit of experience and can damage your computer if you push it too far, however in recent years the overclocking procedure has become a lot more forgiving because the bios has safety measures in place in case of a failed overclock. Do some reading up on the subject prior to tweaking the bios.
8. Electricity bill is high
Don't be fooled into thinking that leaving a PC on all day won't cost you much. Gaming PC's tend to use higher voltage power supplies which are not cheap to run! Consider enabling standby modes when the computer is not in use.
9. Computer BSOD (Blue screen of death) or Game freezes
Normally this is down to a RAM issue. Check the compatibility of your RAM and also check the frequencies are not too high if you have adjusted them in the Bios. Don't mix and match ram, always stick with one brand and install in doubles (2 x 8gb) for example. Do not mix ram sizes on each memory channel. The booklet that comes with your motherboard will tell you what ram you can use.
10. Oil cooled PC, good idea?
Unless you have a lot of money and are not afraid of invalidating your warranty then don't even try this. If you can afford to break the computer and just buy another then sure why not but otherwise stay clear! But yes they look very very cool indeed!
11. Sealed water cooler or manual refilled water cooler?
I would always recommend buying a sealed water cooler instead of one that you refill yourself. Unless you are very confident about what you are doing, I would stay away from this. Mistakes can damage your components beyond repair and invalidate your warranty. If you can afford these sort of mistakes then ofcourse go for it but if you can't then stick with sealed water cooler units.
If you don't feel confident at building your own computer, then don't do it. Look at motherboard bundles which make system building easier for less experienced users. You will find that motherboard bundles are not a lot more expensive than putting it together yourself. Not as fun though! The advantage of buying a motherboard bundle is that you are buying something that is known to be compatiable which means you won't make a mistake like buying the wrong processor or wrong type of RAM.
Last updated, October 2019