I had been telling myself I was going to build a gaming computer for about 2 years and decided after much persuasion from my friends to finally bite the bullet.

I was trying to do it on a bit of a budget so decided to try and get a couple of second-hand parts from CEX (UK second-hand shop), used vouchers, cashback and discounted gift cards to help me achieve the price.

The total value including the monitors, and peripherals was £915.25. However the total cost was £714.66.

I managed to save £200 by cashing in cashback bonuses, buying discounted vouchers and cashing in items I didn’t want any more for instore credit to the second-hand shop.

I had quite a lot of help both choosing the components to add, weighing them up in budget vs output and actually physically building the computer.

I managed to get the full build done in just over 2 nights however disaster struck when I tried to write to one of my HDDs. I got a replacement and while I had the computer opened up again I also installed another Hard Drive that was inside a caddy that I previously used with my laptop. The new drive and the older installed drive are fitted and being used very well.

I had bought a second-hand monitor from Gumtree (ads website) which I was using, however after looking at my finances I decided to upgrade and get a new one which is fantastic.

The computer is now sat snug underneath my computer desk which fits perfectly and doesn’t make the desk untidy. The LEDs, when on, light up the room quite well and give it an awesome ambience when playing on games.

Have a look at my build here 

I have learned a lot from building this and going forward will be able to make different choices. The main thing I will be changing on my next build will be the power supply. I believe that a modular PSU will be a better choice, as currently there are a number of wires not being used which are stuffed inside the case making it messy and cluttered. I also learned how to check that the components will work together and not cause any compatibility issues. Some other skills learned doing this little project cable management, patience, budgeting and overall better computer knowledge. At some point I will be upgrading this build and in a few years could be potentially building a new one, however the skills learned from doing this will hopefully mean I can build the next one faster and to a better spec still within a budget.

 

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.