Transforming boxes of components into a gaming PC 📦🕹

Like any 12-year old, my son is pretty keen on gaming. As an all Apple house, his options were a bit constrained. So, we decided to build a PC from components.

I’d last built a PC about 30 years ago, when I wasn’t much older than him. I remember thinking it was cool to be using a machine I’d built myself, plus as a parent it seemed like a good educational experience. I have to admit to being a bit nervous about the whole thing, as there was certainly a scenario in which we spent an entire weekend unsuccessfully trying to get a bunch of malfunctioning components to work.

After much deliberation and analysis, we ordered our parts from Newegg and everything arrived within a couple of weeks.

A boy sits at a table surrounded by computer components and packaging boxes.

Following along with this great step-by-step video, we assembled the components.

A large CPU cooler with a fan is mounted on a motherboard, which is placed on a cardboard surface.A computer case interior showing a CPU cooler with the Cooler Master logo, a graphics card, motherboard, and connected cables.A partially assembled computer case with internal components exposed and a red CPU cooler fan is placed on a table.

Given my initial anxiety, I was very relieved when we saw this screen. The BIOS booted up and showed that the RAM, SSD, and other components were all properly connected.

A computer monitor displays a BIOS setup screen for an ASUS motherboard with hardware specifications and an American Megatrends logo.

With that done, we then got to what ended up being the complicated part. Evidently part of the point of a gaming PC is to have lots of fans and lights. None of this was true when I was a kid and there were a daunting number of wires required to power the lights and fans. Sorting this out actually took a fair bit of time. But, eventually success!

A gaming computer setup features a transparent tower case with colorful LED fans and a mouse on a gaming mat, both emitting vibrant lights.

Then our last challenge, which I likely should have anticipated much sooner. We didn’t bother ordering a DVD drive, since everything is online these days. But, our Windows installation showed up as a DVD and we couldn’t create any Windows install media on our Apple devices. Fortunately, we checked in with a slightly older kid down the street and he provided us with a USB drive with the right software. With that challenge solved, we finished the project!

Not counting choosing the components online, the whole project took about 5 hours from opening the boxes to booting into Windows for the first time. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone that’s tempted and technically inclined. My son is quite excited to be using a computer that he built from parts.

A gaming setup featuring a monitor displaying Minecraft, a keyboard, a mouse, headphones, two collectible figurines, and a PC tower with red LED lighting.A desktop computer setup with a monitor displaying the Windows login screen, a keyboard, a mouse on an extended mouse pad, and a computer tower with red LED lights is shown on a dark desk.

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