Should I build my own computer?

If you don't have experience I would say no.

The computer I first built was a small $300 thing for my sister to surf the web and write documents.

I had a hard enough time assembling that (or maybe I just suck at it). I would recommend building a cheap computer, and if you decide you're up to it you can always sell it or upgrade it to match your standards.

Also, use the internet, lots of great resources and DIY tutorials.

 

I'd say go for it. Good learning experience plus you can really specify it towards something suited for art.

It shouldnt be too hard.

 

If you have the money then yeah, go for it.

 

If you do decide to build one, make sure you find a really good guide, 'cause you don't want to waste all that money for nothing.

 

For what it's worth, I haven't bought a pre-built system since the 16-bit days. When I switched to the PC I chose to build my own. (My first PC was built by the store I bought it from, but I chose the components.) I'll never buy pre-made simply because I have particular wants and needs, and no pre-built system ever satisfies all of them. Building my own does.

If you've never done it before, it can be challenging. It's not particularly difficult, just tedious. Pretty well everything that needs to be plugged in is keyed so it only fits one way, so you can't screw that part up. You just have to remember particular things, like always use the provided motherboard risers*, keep cords away from any fans (and if the case has cord management, use it, it's good for air flow), buy a good case with lots of space to work in, and if it doesn't come with a lot of fans, make sure you have plenty of ventilation, and so on.

It's pretty easy. As to the cost ... well, depends on the components. A pre-built system can often be a little cheaper because they're built in volume, so if you find a system that does fit all of your requirements, go for it. But if you want to be sure every components meets your needs, definitely build your own.

* For the experienced, yes, people have failed to do this. When I worked in a computer store's service department, I had to fix one kid's self-assembled computer that wouldn't POST because he'd bolted it straight to the case. He basically built one big short circuit.

 

Unfortunately, I can't — I've never built a computer before, but I'm pretty sure it shouldn't be too hard to find a guide.

 

You can. Again, it depends on the components you want. In my case I wouldn't because I want pretty high end stuff almost across the board. I don't really go overboard with the dual and triple graphics cards (though I did at one point have a dual SLI setup going) as high end single cards these days can usually handle most things you can throw at it. But for the rest, I max out the ram, have 3 terabytes of storage, high end 24-bit sound card with breakout module (music composition), quad core CPU (looking at the hexacore right now) and so on. But that's because I do a lot of different things that need lots of power, memory and storage. (Well, the storage I'll admit is in large part because I'm also a digital packrat.) Your mileage may vary, though if you're doing 3D and artwork, you definitely do not want to skimp on the CPU, RAM or video card. You could save some money buying lower end components for the rest though if your needs in those areas isn't as demanding.

 

Those are good choices. I have the top-end Phenom quad and it works quite well. AMDs are much cheaper than their Intel counterparts and perfectly fine for what you need. Just make sure you get decent ram (PC800 or PC1066, whichever the board you buy supports). Hard drives are cheap these days, even terabyte drives, so you can stock up cheaply. Get yourself an eSATA external enclosure too. Great for fast backups without the stacks of DVDs. For the video card, normally I recommend nVIDIA, but I've had bad luck with the last few I've bought. I currently have a Radeon 5870 and it's great. Spendy though (I paid $450 for it last summer), and the highest end is even more, but still great for games. Runs Crysis at >~30FPS easily (more most of the time, but it rarely drops below that.)

You won't get blazing fast 3D renders on any single card though no matter what you do; a hexacore will definitely help. Despite what I said about nVidia cards though, nVidia's CUDA technology does allow the GPU to act as CPU assist, plus full support for PhysX, so that could sway your decision for 3D rendering, too.

 

CUDA-based nVidia cards can also assist with rendering. 'Course, nothing works better than a render farm ... y'know, if you happen to have twenty or thirty thousand lying around.

Yes, a good video card will also speed up OpenGL operations, which most (all, these days) 3D design programs use for rough draft mesh and shaded previews. USB ports ... well, they don't really matter as much, but I would definitely get a good top-end board that has multiple internal USB headers for cases that support USB ports on the front/side. My current board is an Asus M4A785TD-V EVO, and I've never been let down by a high end Asus board. This one has all the bells and whistles, and the BIOS is flashable to support the new AMD Phenom X6. It's a bit pricey but worth every penny.

You'll probably want to get a hub if you have a lot of USB devices. I've got a ton (printer/scanner, keyboard, mouse, two iPhones, KVM (to switch between PC and Mac), USB memory stick for ReadyBoost, etc.) so I have a powered 7-port in addition to the 6 in the back of my computer and 3 on the front. If you do get a hub, get a powered one, not one that gets its power from the USB port, otherwise you'll only be able to use low power devices like keyboards and mice. Better to be capable of handling anything, I say.

 

Feel free to do so. I've been building and upgrading 'em for years. Happy to help out.

 

If you do decide to build one, keep us updated!

 

When you do decide to buy the parts, go here first http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=553826&highlight=%40finduserid+__userid741249__ It's a thread on slickdeals where there are plenty of people who will make sure that you got the right parts and probably know a better substitute for one or a rebate somewhere to save you some money.