How Long Does It Take To Build A PC? (Explained)

With increasing gaming demand, the industry changes and innovates every second.

Every day, new games and equipment are introduced.

You may often wonder, with all the various nuts and bolts, how PCs are put together.

One of the common questions is how long it would take to assemble and build the PC.

Here we are with a complete guide to help you with the question you may have in your mind.

How Long Does It Take To Build A PC?

If you have a general knowledge about the hardware and equipment you are using, it can take around an hour.

For PCs with more advanced equipment such as gaming PCs, it could take around 2-4 hours.

The more advanced the equipment, the more care it needs during the building process.

A gaming PC is more complicated and technical than a standard office PC.

Gaming PCs require careful installation from the case to every piece of hardware.

Difference Between A Standard And A Gaming PC

The name itself tells a lot about the difference, but here you go for readers looking to understand the differences in detail.

Let’s start with the basics of both PCs.

The CPU of a gaming PC is comparatively a lot more powerful in speed.

The graphics and video cards installed in gaming PCs are advanced and support high video quality.

The main purpose of a gaming PC is to improve the user experience for gaming.

A normal PC uses the basic hardware manufactured for office or everyday use.

In simple words, a normal PC is an economy car, and the gaming PC is a Rolls Royce of the industry.

The reason gaming PCs were introduced is that heavy hardware and resources are required for gaming.

If these games were played on a normal PC, it would heat up and start lagging in just minutes.

Instead, a gaming PC lets you enjoy high-quality games without any issues.

Can A Gaming PC Be Used As A Regular PC?

This is one of the most common questions asked regarding these products.

Users looking to get a gaming PC but also want their office and other work done by a PC get confused.

The simple answer to this question is yes!

You can also use a gaming PC to do your regular office work.

In fact, the gaming PC would be a better option as the speed would be unimaginable and improve your experience.

A gaming PC is a fully-fledged combo you can find.

You can do almost anything on your gaming PC.

There are no restrictions or rules to follow if using a gaming PC.

A gaming PC is like a normal PC, but the hardware and equipment used are more complex and advanced.

Why Does It Take Time To Build A PC?

This is an interesting question and confuses many people.

Some users think that it would be easy and all they have to do is connect wires, but that is not the case.

Building a PC is time-consuming, so there should be a reason.

You can build a PC in less time, but doing it hastily may increase the chances of errors, which would be the last thing you would want.

Building a PC is time-consuming because it requires extra care while installing and setting up the hardware.

After every step, you have to make sure that it is properly done to ensure the smooth running of your PC.

In addition, the hardware used in a PC comes at a high price.

That is why you have to be careful with every single piece.

The time consumed for building a PC also depends on the size of the unit you are working on.

It is a very complex task that you are going to carry out.

Installing the cooling unit in a gaming PC is one of the most time-consuming tasks.

It has to be set perfectly as it plays the most important role.

If the cooling system is not set right, the PC can crash or start lagging.

Things You Have To Consider Before Building A PC

Before assembling and building a PC, there are many things that you need to be aware of.

For example, if you are a gamer, you should know the importance of a gaming PC and the value of each hardware.

There are many things that you need to ensure before starting the construction process of your PC.

Some of them include:

1. Budget

The hardware and equipment are very expensive, and not everything can be affordable.

However, some hardware can be very expensive, and other products available can be very cheap.

It all depends on the amount you plan to spend on your PC.

Therefore, make sure to set a budget that you are willing to spend on your PC.

This would set a path that you would need to be on to get everything in your budget.

2. Graphics Cards

ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1660 6GB GDDR5 192-bit Gaming Graphics Card, Super Compact, ZT-T16600K-10M

A graphics card is an important component of your gaming PC, and the video and speed quality during gaming depends on it.

Start by choosing a graphic card that would suit your requirements the best.

Make sure the graphics card you choose is suitable performance-wise and is budget-friendly.

There are thousands of graphics cards available in the market.

It would be better to decide which one you want and read the reviews.

3. AMD Or Intel

AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 6-core, 12-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor with Wraith Stealth Cooler

AMD and Intel are two different processors that you can choose from.

Both have different performances and uses.

These processors are suitable for gaming.

Intel processors are comparatively less expensive in the lower range.

On the other side, AMD processors in the higher range are less expensive than Intel’s highest-priced processors.

The AMD processors stay cooler than Intel processors due to the small lithography.

Intel processors are faster, but the AMD ones are efficient.

It can be very confusing when deciding the one to buy.

It is your PC, and the decision is all in your hands.

Choose the one you think would work the best according to your requirements.

4. CPU

Intel CPU BX8070110100F Core i3-10100F / 3.6GHz / 6MB LGA1200 4C / 8T

This is an important task that you have to carry out.

First, find a CPU model that would suit your budget.

Then, make sure the CPU model is powerful enough not to bottleneck the GPU unit.

5. Motherboard

MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK Gaming Motherboard (AMD AM4, DDR4, PCIe 4.0, SATA 6Gb/s, M.2, USB 3.2 Gen 2, HDMI/DP, ATX, AMD Ryzen 5000 Series processors)

The motherboard is the heart of your PC.

Therefore, you have to be very careful while choosing the one to buy for your gaming PC.

Make sure to choose the motherboard with the appropriate sockets and ports to support the other hardware that you will install.

6.RAM And Storage

Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM 3200MHz C16 Desktop Memory Kit - Black (CMK16GX4M2B3200C16)

As you know, PC games are packed with heavy data.

It is important to get RAM that would suit your storage capacity.

The RAM should have a storage capacity to support all the data you want.

7. CPU Case

MUSETEX ATX PC Case Pre-Installed 6Pcs 120mm ARGB Fans, Mid-Tower Computer Gaming Case, USB 3.0 Tempered Glass Phantom Black Computer Case, MN6-B

The CPU case is different from the CPU model you choose.

The CPU case hosts all the hardware you have chosen to install for your gaming PC.

Make sure the size of the case is big enough to fit everything.

There should be a bit more space in the case to fit additional hardware that you might decide to install later on.

As you know, with time, people like to customize things, so there should be some additional space left to explore that.

All the items mentioned above are things you have to consider and decide the best one to match your requirements.

There would be countless options when you go out to get these items.

Make sure they offer high performance but are budget-friendly.

Factors That Help Reduce The Build Time Of Your PC

While building a PC, some factors can easily influence the build time of your PC.

For example, you may be a pro gamer but haven’t ever built a PC.

If you know the factors mentioned below, it can still help you reduce the time.

These factors are very important and play a crucial role while building a gaming PC.

1. Experience

Experience, without any doubt, is the most important factor that can result in a reduced build time for the PC.

If you have experience building a PC, you can easily complete it in a maximum of an hour.

People with less experience take more time while building the PC.

Experience is not something you learn from the internet, and it is okay if you don’t have any.

However, after building your first gaming PC, you will surely have gained some experience.

2. Research

Knowing about the construction process and understanding the importance of each step and hardware makes the entire process easy for you.

Even if it is your first time, it is very important to do some research beforehand.

It would help you in every step and ensures that you are doing everything properly.

You should do the research before starting the process as it would save a lot of your time.

You won’t have to search for everything if you already have done your research thoroughly during the process.

3. Issues

Sometimes while building a PC, you may face some issues.

It is a complex process, so even minor issues can arise and lead to the system not working at all.

Many issues can occur if you do something wrong.

If you don’t face any issues or errors, the time can be saved as analyzing, pointing out the issue, and fixing it can be very time-consuming.

Why Is A Cooling System Important In A Gaming PC?

A cooling system in any PC is the backbone of the entire system.

The hardware and gaming itself are heavy and require a lot of data load.

While gaming, the load on every piece of hardware increases, and they can heat up.

This is when the cooling system comes to the rescue and makes sure that every piece of hardware is running smoothly.

Unfortunately, the heating of the PC can cause countless issues, and that is why an efficient cooling system is essential in every gaming PC.

Choosing the cooling system is also a challenging task and requires a lot of your focus while building.

There are different types of cooling systems that you have to choose from.

Types Of Cooling Systems For Your Gaming PC

There may be countless options to choose from when trying to buy a cooling system for your gaming PC, but there are only two types of cooling systems available for a gaming PC.

Both types are perfect for a PC, but it depends on your requirements.

The two types of cooling systems are

Airflow cooling system
Liquid cooling system

Both types have different features to offer you.

No matter which system you choose, it works the best if it is of high quality.

Difference Between Airflow And Liquid Cooling System

The cooling system in a gaming PC is a bit complex and advanced.

The difference can be analyzed the same, but there is a lot of difference in how both the systems work.

An airflow cooling system uses an applied thermal paste to transfer heat from the CPU.

The pipes in this system are designed to transfer heat from one location to another.

The heat pipes are usually made out of aluminum or copper.

In this system, the heat is moved from the motherboard.

The efficiency of an air cooler can depend on its quality and the size of the fans attached to the CPU.

The bigger the air cooler, the better it works to cool the system.

There isn’t always enough space to install a bigger cooling system, though.

On the other hand, liquid cooling systems also have two categories.

All-in-one coolers and custom cooling loops are two categories you can find in a liquid cooling system.

In all-in-one coolers, it all starts from the baseplate that is connected to the IHS of the CPU.

It improves the transfer of heat from both surfaces.

The surface of the baseplate is designed in such a way as to create a water block that can be filled with a liquid coolant.

You can design the entire system in custom liquid cooling loops, but it requires extra care and extensive research.

Then, you can create the loops of the system by yourself.

Airflow Or Liquid Cooling System: Which Is Better?

This question confuses many people, and it takes time to decide.

Both systems are available in the market and manufactured by various companies.

The simple answer to this question is if looking for a deeper analysis and data, the liquid cooling system is better and recommended by most professional gamers.

This is because the liquid cooling system works efficiently for cooling the system.

A liquid cooling system may bit comparatively complex to install, but it is straightforward.

It consists of numerous hardware that makes it a bit easy to install.

A liquid cooling system is efficient and better to use in a gaming PC.