What's the correct order for parts to be when buying my first PC?
Posted by Ok_Medicine9183@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 33 comments
I'm looking to build a PC now, but the increase in RAM and NVMe costs has made it more difficult. I'm planning to build it gradually, but can you give me some advice on which parts to build first?
Conscious-Salt-1523@reddit
GPU...cause u may tend to overspend on the other and have less budget for the GPU, ending up buying a lowe tier GPU to go with ur higher tier components. Also Ram should be dropping price now.
AngeloPappas@reddit
Don't build gradually, save money gradually and when you've ready buy all the parts at the same time.
Brief_Platform_alt@reddit
These parts are mandatory : - Case - Motherboard - CPU - CPU cooler - RAM - PSU
There's no order to them. If you lack any of them, you can't build a PC.
Creative_Ship_6758@reddit
technically you can build a pc without a case and it will work just fine or even better since it could have better temperatures but the case its the piece of pc that you can buy first before anything else since cases dont really go obsolete or outdated or become cheaper/more expensive so when you know for sure that you will build a pc eventually then you can just buy a case since its just a case
nokei@reddit
also cases take the longest for shipping usually so getting one late can add a shit ton of time.
SoundDrout@reddit
Building gradually comes with risks; most notably the warranty and return periods. I'd recommend ordering all at once if possible. If not, then there's not really an order that matters since you need all of them for the PC to work.
YoudoVodou@reddit
The only real exception being grabbing an APU for the time being and adding a GPU later. I'm not up to date on current models to know if that is really an option that makes sense currently though, especially given how much of the total cost RAM and storage now add up to.
Creative_Ship_6758@reddit
apus dont make much sense these times if you know that you will have a gpu later since apus are usually much worse compared to their version but only with basic integrated gpu when it comes to compute power and apus can be more expensive
YoudoVodou@reddit
I wish we could get basic graphics on the motherboard again. The industry doesn't seem to be going in a consumer friendly direction though.
OctoberFox@reddit
Better off saving for parts and buying when you have it all set than taking chances in a shifting jungle gym of nonsense pricing, scarcity, and defect risks.
Otherwise, the case is usually the safest bet as those really don't expire like internals will. Accessories and input devices are also generally safe.
Anything that you can inspect or test seems okay, but everyone else has it right: the risk of buying parts over time is considerable.
No_Construction6023@reddit
GPU
RAM
SSD
CPU
Everything else
Creative_Ship_6758@reddit
thats very wrong you can have working pc without a gpu and gpu is the most expensive, important thing in PC for games and gpu cannot be just a whole pc you cannot test if it even works amd literally have no clue if suddenly something better will appear or just go down in price gpu is the worst part to buy first
Heinz_Legend@reddit
GPU -> CPU -> PSU -> everything else
Creative_Ship_6758@reddit
thats wrong if you dont have any other pc the most expensive parts should be the last so you will have any way to test them and its just lower risk of you potentially losing money on it or something going wrong you should start with psu and case, case especially
x-NoSuchAgency-x@reddit
Instead of gradually building it, I believe you'd be better off putting that money in an envelope until you've got enough to do the whole thing
Creative_Ship_6758@reddit
yeah the only real exception is when you can snag insane deal on something or insane sale
WrongElephant4891@reddit
if you’re building gradually, the biggest thing is avoiding parts that either become outdated quickly or can’t be tested on their own.
i’d honestly not start with things like cpu or motherboard first. those are tied together, hard to test alone, and if something’s faulty you might not realize until months later when you finish the build.
a safer order is starting with parts that are more future-proof and independent:
power supply and case are usually the safest first buys. they don’t really go obsolete quickly, and a good psu especially will last you years across builds.
storage ssd/nvme is also fine to buy early, just don’t go overkill since prices fluctuate a lot.
gpu can go either way depending on deals, but keep in mind prices change fast, so only grab it early if it’s a really good value.
then closer to when you’re ready to complete the build, buy cpu, motherboard, and ram together. those are the most compatibility-sensitive and price-volatile as a group.
cooler can be last since it depends on your cpu choice anyway.
basically you want to avoid having your most important parts sitting unused for months where you can’t test them or return them. building in chunks works, just save the core components for last.
Creative_Ship_6758@reddit
thats correct answer basically there is no point in doing something like one user said starting from gpu since you dont have a way to even test if it works and that like the most expensive part of the pc with witch comes the biggest risk this way GPU is only good bought first if you already have a pc that youre just upgrading or building whole new but have just previous pc when starting from scratch cpu and gpu should be ones of the last things you buy
Creative_Ship_6758@reddit
upgrading gradually is nice but building? not really you can buy now psu and case and the expensive part later cpu gpu ram and storage at the same time unless any of them is on nice deal sale or something but beside that buying any of thos mentioned expensive parts one by one while not having pc you can put them in doesn't really make sense
Bison_True@reddit
Start with the CPU and work your way out
jhaluska@reddit
It's not really adviseable to build gradually unless you suspect the prices will keep going up.
But if you have to, I would get the PSU, case and heatsink/fan first. They don't really change in price as much as the others.
webjunk1e@reddit
All or nothing. If you can't build a complete PC, just continue to save your money, since you're not missing out on anything, anyways. If you have to prioritize, you can get by with a CPU with an iGPU, a motherboard, RAM, some sort of storage, and a PSU, but considering you need the RAM and storage just to turn it on, and those are the items, you're wanting to wait on, just don't bother.
whomad1215@reddit
it's a paperweight until you have everything so...
reenmini@reddit
1-Mobo comes first.
You buy the absolute best mobo you possibly can. It is the foundation of everything else and the hardest thing to replace. Take care of it and it should last you. The cpu architecture it's built for will probably become obsolete before it ever actually dies on you.
2-Buy the tower second.
Get the biggest possible tower your mobo will go in. You buy it once and it lasts forever as long as you don't throw hammers at it or some shit. I have a thermaltake view 71, which I feel has been very serviceable and expandable.
Some towers come with fans. Mine did. Just use those until they start to go bad and then you can buy some better fans.
3-Buy the PSU third
Same as the tower. Buy the biggest best psu you can and it will serve you well until everything else goes obsolete anyway.
4-everything else, lol.
Gpu and cpu are dependant on your mobo, but can always be upgraded easily later. I don't support Nvidia and am also on linux so I always go for AMD equipment regardless. RAM is insanely easy to swap in the future. Get a minimum of a 1Tb nvme drive. Buy the best of whatever you can afford for each.
I built the pc I use now back in 2019 and only just the start of this year had to upgrade my gpu. If you buy like 32 gigs of ram you'll probably be set for a decade easily.
2clipchris@reddit
You want to balance cost, warranty, and return grace period. Make sure it is cheap when you buy it check how long the warranty lasts and how long the return period is. There is no point in buying RAM is the return period is 2 weeks or the warranty is only good for a month and you are planning on building in 6 months.
Lowest risk to high risk
Case + fans + peripherals
Power supply
CPU
Storage
RAM
GPU
Motherboard
Godai_Beast@reddit
PC Case = For what form factor and space you have for components.
Motherboard + CPU = Good Foundation - AMD is good for the performance and price.
RAM + PSU = 16 GB Minimum for Gaming - A good PSU for future Upgrades e.g CPU/GPU.
GPU = A GPU that works well with the CPU you have chosen e.g No Bottlenecks etc
Cooling = Air or AIO - personally I would choose AIO but if budget is strict you can get a good AIR Cooler.
VoxelDigitalRabbit@reddit
when selecting parts, the order i go is
cpu as the generation and brand affect the motherboard
motherboard as most parts are generally universal
case, when you know what size motherboard you have, it changes what case you can buy
graphics card as pcie is universal, but the case can limit what size gpu you can buy
cpu cooler as once you have the case, it will inform what size cooler radiator you can get
storage as your motherboard and case changes what options you have for storage
ram as the motherboard defines your ram type, but other than that, it's universal
psu is defined by your power needs after everything else is selected
and extra fans if your case didn't come with any or you need more
It's also important to select your os before anything else as what parts are available with their drivers can be effected by your os... example steam os only works with amd chips currently so that could be a limiting factor
DeliciousTest291@reddit
my advice would be too instead get a credit card through newegg/amazon (whatever your store of choice is) that will let you make payments on it for a specified amount of time. a lot of these store cards have 0%apr aslong as you stay within the time frame, don’t miss a payment, etc. this will help you if a warranty issue comes up, and also will help build credit.
SecondVariety@reddit
buy the stuff that doesn't move in price much first, case, psu, motherboard, cpu, during this period keep an eye out for memory, storage, and gpu's you are interested in and buy when the time is right. Then do your build. Sitting on hardware without building can be a lousy way to miss the 30 day return window and get stuck dealing with the RMA process. I recommend building in pairs, big/little is fine. If there are problems you'll be glad for the extra hardware. Also instead of building, consider looking for used builds, I typically sell mine off for 600-1200 depending on what's in them, but I've seen them for less. last fall I grabbed a corsair case without sidepanels with a bare build in it, i5 12600k with a tower cooler, 40GB ram, 750w Corsair PSU, PNY 4060 8GB, paid 400. Tossed some left over storage in it and it's an easy loaner for when someone has a problem with their PC.
TurnLegal7048@reddit
There is no correct order. As you will need to have all parts in order to build your planned pc.
It doesn’t matter what you buy first as long as you get everything you planned.
Ecstatic_Job_3467@reddit
For gaming I build everything around the GPU. Unless it’s in the budget to just start with a 1,000 or 1,200 watt power supply and you’re not planning on SFF case.
BusyWorth8045@reddit
You can buy 9 out of 10 parts and it won’t work without all 10. So the order is (somewhat) irrelevant.
So start with whatever is on sale. If there’s a good deal for part #7 now, snap it up.
theglatmachine@reddit
Mobo
Proc
Everything else