LENGTH OF TIME: 2-3 HOURS
LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: EASY
THE CONCEPT
IF WE HAD TO NAME our favorite aspects of PC building, it’d be the individuality, craftsmanship, and customization that come naturally when creating your own computer. Although you may start out with a rough idea of the PC you’d like to build, there are plenty of variables during the process that mean it doesn’t always go to plan. There are almost infinite combinations of kit to select from, but budget, availability, compatibility, and component clearance can rip up the ideal build with no regard for your emotions.
A good way to start a build is to think about futureproofing. If you can’t get hold of everything at once, you can always swap out components down the line and there are parts of a machine that you can save some money on initially.
One of the key parts we’ve saved money on initially is our Phanteks P400A case—a universal and budget-friendly case that supports ATX, Micro ATX, Mini ITX motherboards, and even E-ATX (up to 272mm wide). With plenty of space, fan capacity, cable management solutions, and a simplistic black design, it should pair well in most environments and house a wide variety of builds. Sure, the beauty of custom PCs is that this can be swapped out down the line but, for now, it’s a reliable enough case.
What we’re aiming for is a rig that is good enough to game on from the get-go, but with room for improvement down the line. We have a powerful CPU and one of the latest
