So you want to get yourself a new computer, but don’t really want to shell out the money for one? The answer to this dilemma is simple: just invest in some NEC parts and build your own custom computer from scratch! Sounds like a crazy idea, doesn’t it? The truth is that building custom computers for the first time is actually quite challenging, but mostly because you would need to figure out which components are the best you can get for your price range. You will note that prices for various parts can range a great deal for the exact same model depending on where you go and how fast the component is. In fact speed is the key, with building a computer you always pay the most for speed over any other perk or bells and whistles.
For now try not to shoot for the moon. Just browse through basic parts and put together a standard machine to work with–remember, you can always sell your first attempt to help pay for your second attempt. NEC parts are a good place to start simply because of the quality they offer (after all, NEC is well known for building super computers around the world), and an added bonus is that many of the models are slightly out of date, which makes them both a little cheaper but still able to handle modern software. Be sure to look up some very detailed guides to help you select your parts and learn about the first steps. Many websites have complete text guides and a few supplementary videos to show you exactly how it is done, step by step. These are great resources for first time designers. Believe it or not, using these guides and some videos to show you exactly what they are talking about it is surprisingly easy to teach yourself how to refurbish computers. You will, of course, mess up a few times at first, but in the end you will be left with a workhorse computer for much less money than you would have otherwise spent, and you can tell all of your friends that you built it yourself. Quality, price, and bragging rights all rolled into one–doesn’t get much better than that!
