Learn how to build a PC from start to finish with confidence using our flagship photo-filled tutorial carefully written for beginners
Last Updated: August 3, 2024
You've spent what feels like 400 light-years researching how to build a PC for the first time, changed your mind on which parts to use 267 times, and wrestled back and forth with whether or not you should just call it a day and buy a prebuilt gaming PC to save time having to go through the many PC assembly steps. But you eventually mustered up the courage and bit the bullet on ordering the perfect list of PC parts for your needs, and they've finally arrived at your door.
Excellent choice my friend. While getting a premade PC isn't the end of the world if you do your research and pick a decent value desktop from a good company, there's no escaping the fact that building your own PC has many advantages over buying a prebuilt system. Overall, it's well worth the little extra time and effort to learn how to assemble a PC yourself, and you'll be glad you did once it's all over and your new custom PC is up and running.
After all the build-up and endless research on how to build a PC, the moment of truth is here and it's FINALLY time to do the actual PC assembly steps. Feeling anxious? Fear not, Padawan, as we're proud to present this comprehensive yet simple to understand PC installation guide. This computer building tutorial will take you by the hand from the absolute start to finish of your very first build, with a ton of helpful photos and diagrams along the way to make every single step as easy to follow along with as possible.
Throughout all the PC assembly steps below, we'll also simultaneously cover many common beginner questions and concerns that may pop up throughout the process. So if you're a little confused at any stage, just trust in this process that's been used by many thousands and thousands of other beginner builders, and just keep going one step at a time at your own pace because chances are your concerns will be addressed at some point in this guide if you simply continue on.
Stuck in PC Planning Land of Eternal Doom? See Our Sample Gaming PC Builds for Ideas
If you'd rather learn how to assemble a PC with a detailed written guide with photos so that you can slowly go through each and every step in your own time without having to continually pause and rewind videos on YouTube (or so you can print it out and have by your side to read from as you go through your build), this is the in-depth PC build guide you're looking for.
Way back when I learned how to build a PC for the first time myself, I followed a written guide too as I found it easier that way to learn all the steps without missing out on little important details (that video tutorials often brush over too quickly or leave out altogether).
If you're feeling a little anxious about building a PC, there's no need. It's easy to do if you simply take your time and have all the steps layed out in front of you, and if I do say so myself, you're in good hands with this installation guide as it's been used by many other first-timers before you with success.
Feel like this about building a PC? Fear not, feline - this guide makes it easy
This walkthrough has also been continually fine-tuned over the past few years with a single aim: make it the the most helpful, in-depth (yet easy to understand) computer assembly tutorial around. If I'm being honest, I find the majority of PC installation guides out there aren't all that newbie-friendly and almost always brush over many little details and important things to know when you're brand new to PC hardware.
To be fair, most guides aren't specifically targeted for complete hardware novices though, who crave detailed instructions on every single little part of the process, and not just how to do a certain step but why you should (or shouldn't) do it so you can fully grasp and understand the process.
At least that's what I wanted when I learned how to build a PC for the very first time, so if that's what you seek in a tutorial then I'm confident you'll find the instructions below helpful on your journey. I remember exactly what it was like to be a total newbie to building PCs, and to often only become further confused and intimidated by the written guides and videos out there.
To this day I try to never forget what it's like being a stone-faced newbie, and I aim to keep this PC building guide as elementary basic as possible despite my hardware knowledge and experience increasing a lot over the past few years. Want to be spoken to as if you've never even seen the inside of a PC before? Let's go.
By the way, this gaming PC build tutorial is written in a way that applies to building any type of PC, but we've also included photos from 3 slightly different build examples to further ensure that nobody gets stuck along the way no matter what set of parts you're installing. We will show photos from a budget Intel gaming build, a budget AMD gaming build, and a high-end AMD build.
