Homebuilt computer

A custom-built or homebuilt computer is a computer assembled from available components, usually

commercial o-the-shelf (COTS) components, rather
than purchased as a complete system from a computer
system supplier.

someone building their own computer may add whatever components they want, from multiple hard drives,
case mods, high-performance graphics cards, liquid cooling, multi-head high-resolution monitor congurations,
or using alternative operating systems without paying
the "Microsoft tax". As pre-built computers improved
in quality and performance, and manufacturers oered
more options, it became less cost-eective for most users
to build their own computers, and the hobby declined.
The growing popularity of laptops and tablets led to a
mobile rst design methodology that is dicult for home
builders to duplicate economically. Recently PC parts
have become cheaper, and people are starting to build
computers again. With the rise of virtual reality headsets(VR) such as the HTC Vive, the demand for high performance has risen. And because of competitive games
like Counter Strike: Global Oensive were there are dedicated tournaments, there are simply not space for low
performance.

Homebuilt computers are almost always used at home,

like home computers, but home computers were traditionally purchased already assembled by the manufacturer. However, there were kits that were both home
computers and homebuilt computers, like the Newbear
77-68, which the owner was expected to assemble and
use in his or her home.

History

Computers have been built at home for a long time, starting with the Victorian era pioneer Charles Babbage in
the 1820s. A century later, Konrad Zuse built his own
machine when electromechanical relay technology was
widely available. In 1965 electronics engineer James
Sutherland started building a computer out of surplus
parts from his job at Westinghouse.[1] The hobby really
took o with the early development of microprocessors,
and since then many enthusiasts have constructed their
own computers.

3 Standardization
Practically all PCs except laptops are built from readily
interchangeable standard parts. Even in the more specialized laptop market, a considerable degree of standardization exists in the basic design, although it may not be easily accessible to end-users. Although motherboards are
specialized to work only with either Intel or AMD processors, all other parts have been standardized to t any
setup. The availability of standard PC components has
led to the development of small scale custom PC assembly. So-called white box PC manufacturers and commercial build to order services range in size from small local
supply operations to large international operations.

Early examples include the Altair 8800 from the United

States and the later British Newbear 77-68 and Nascom
designs from the late 70s and early 80s. Some were made
from kits of components, or simply distributed as board
designs like the Ferguson Big Board. The Altair 8800
pioneered the S-100 bus which somewhat simplied the
process. Ultimately, the development of home computers, the IBM PC (and its derivatives and clones), and the
industry of specialized component suppliers that grew up
around this market in the mid 80s have made building
computers much easier. Computer building is no longer 4 Kits and barebones systems
limited to specialists. Computers based on Apple Macintosh and Amiga computer platforms often can not be
Computer kits include all of the hardware (and somebuilt in general by users legally because of patents and
times the operating system software, as well) needed to
licenses for their hardware, rmware, and software.
build a complete computer. Because the components are
pre-selected by the vendor, the planning and design stages
of the computer-building project are eliminated, and the
builders experience will consist solely of assembling the
2 Development as a hobby
computer and installing the operating system. The kit
[2] supplier should also have tested the components to assure
At one time building desktop PCs was a popular hobby.
Not only could someone build a desktop that outper- that they are compatible.
formed pre-built models selling in retail stores, but A barebones computer is a variation on the kit concept.
1

7 CUSTOM-BUILT COMPUTERS AND ALTERNATIVE OPERATING SYSTEMS

A barebones system typically consists of a computer case

with a power supply, motherboard, processor, and processor cooler. A wide variety of other combinations are
also possible: some barebones systems come with just the
case and the motherboard, while other systems are virtually complete. In either case, the purchaser will need to
obtain and install whatever parts are not included in the
barebones kit (typically the hard drive, Random Access
Memory, peripheral devices, and operating system).

To ensure the use of industry-standard parts for operating system compatibility or to upgrade the original build at a later date with little hassle.
To ensure that one has all the individual driver and
OS discs - many manufactured computers only come
with one or two discs, one containing the OS, and
another containing the drivers required, plus all the
shovelware that was initially installed.

Like mass-produced computers, barebones systems and

Enjoyment, personal satisfaction, and educational
computer kits are often targeted to particular types of
experience.
users, and even dierent age groups. Because many
Tend to use higher quality parts as OEMs tend to
home computer builders are gamers, for example, and beuser cheaper and lower quality parts.
cause gamers are often young people, barebones computers marketed as gaming systems often include features
In most cases, building a computer yourself is much
such as neon lights and brightly coloured cases, as well as
cheaper when you compare the specications.
features more directly related to performance such as a
fast processor, a generous amount of RAM, and a powerful video card. Other kits and barebones systems may There are drawbacks to building ones own PC:
be specically marketed to users of a free software operating system such as Linux or one of the BSD variants,
A poorly designed system may have aws that would
with components guaranteed for compatibility and perbe exposed during a manufacturers testing. A case
formance with that operating system.
chosen on the basis of looks may have poor ventilation if the CPU is overclocked.

Scavenged and cannibalized

systems

Many amateur-built computers are built primarily from

used or spare parts. Its sometimes necessary to build
a computer that will run an obsolete operating system
or proprietary software for which updates are no longer
available, and which will not run properly on a current
platform. Economic reasons may also require an individual to build a new computer from used parts, especially
among youth or in developing countries where the cost of
new equipment places it out of reach of average people.

The lack of technical support and warranty protection other than what may be provided by the individual component and software vendors. Someone
assembling a PC must have the expertise to maintain
the system, and require little assistance from manufacturers.

7 Custom-built computers and alternative operating systems

Advantages and disadvantages

Building ones own computer aords tangible benets

compared to purchasing a mass-produced model, such as:
To make a computer customized to t the users
needs in regard to quality, price, and availability.
To recycle an older computer, or to upgrade internal
components such as the motherboard, CPU, video
card, etc.
Side view of a highly customized PC. The motherboard and in To build a high end computer using only top-quality ternal components are visible through the clear side panel.
parts for gaming, multimedia, or other demanding
Because almost all mass-manufactured PCs ship with
tasks.
some version of Microsoft Windows pre-installed, indi To avoid trial software and other commission-driven viduals who wish to use operating systems other than
additions that are made to mass-market computers Windows (for example, Linux or BSD) often choose to
prior to their being shipped.
build their own computers. Their reason for doing so is

3
not always related to saving money on an operating sys- fast GPU for rendering or high-performance storage for
tem.
serving les), most gaming takes place in real time so
Because Microsoft Windows is the de facto standard for with a gaming PC all the components matter in creating
PCs, hardware device drivers of dierent qualities can a awless and seamless experience. A less-intensive type
readily be found that will enable virtually any component of build satises or exceeds the needs of most computer
designed for the PC architecture to function on a Win- users.
dows platform. However, the same isn't true for alternative operating systems like Linux and BSD, so these
system users have to be careful to avoid hardware that is
incompatible with their choice of operating system. Even
among hardware devices that technically will work with
these alternative operating systems, some will work better than others. Therefore, many users of non-Microsoft
operating systems choose to build their own computers
from components known to work particularly well with
their preferred platforms.

9 See also
White box (computer hardware)
Hackintosh
Barebone computer

10 References
8

Custom built computers and

high-performance systems

Most mainstream manufactured computers use common

or inexpensive parts such as onboard graphics and audio.
While integrated accessories oer dramatic economic
savings (and satisfy many users), these options generally
do not perform as well as dedicated hardware under high
demand situations such as current games and CAD.
Homebuilt computers are most common among gamers,
engineers, or other people who demand more performance from a specic component than the average user.
An example would be a gamer using a slightly behind-thecurve CPU and disk drive, spending the dierence on a
more capable dedicated graphics card.
Additionally, those with more specic computer needs
usually appreciate being able to upgrade certain components to t their needs and the evolving needs of the
software being used; in a typical manufactured PC the
support components (such as power supply unit, motherboard, or even the chassis) are unt for accepting highperformance add-in components. Constructing a system
with future expansion in mind allows for such upgrades,
which in turn are much cheaper than buying a brand new
computer every time individual components become obsolete or insucient to meet the needs of the user.[3]
High-end PCs most often fall in the realm of heavy processor and/or memory usage applications such as a multimedia PC, home theater PC, music production, engineering, and many more. Generally a high-end system is
capable of meeting the demands of gaming and can be
used as such. A major dierence between a high-end PC
and a gaming PC is likely to only be the choice in video
card since they will share a majority of other components.
While a general-purpose high-end computer may be put
to use in a render farm or as a le server, and be provisioned with components targeted at this use (such as a

[1] Anecdotes (PDF).

[2] Does it still make sense to build your own computer?".
[3] Murray, Mathew. Build a Gaming PC for Any Budget.
PCMAG. Retrieved 19 August 2012.

11 External links
Build Your Own PC at DMOZ

12

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