I Always Forget To Mention These PC Building Tips... 

Never put the side on before 1st power up

I thought the tip was to never close the case panel until you have successfully performed the first POST, otherwise the PC God will smite you for your hubris

And PSU cables are not interchangeable between manufacturers, or sometimes between PSUs of the same manufacturer. Been there done that, destroyed the SSD, got the T-shirt.

You sir are a god send and a fountain of information. I just finished my very first PC build at age 61. I used PC parts picker to sus out my parts and then used several of your videos to put it together. I installed Windows 10 Pro and used a grey site key. It is working flawlessly. And I too spilled blood during the installation 👍😃 PS- I’d love to see a video on doing the little tweaks to ensure your gaming PC is running smoothly. TY.

LAY THE CASE DOWN. Too many youtuber's dont show that you need to be laying it down. They'll show cable management and everything else standing up, but don't focus on LAY THE PC DOWN to put the mobo in. Now that crap goes through the backs of cases you have to keep flipping the stupid thing over. No one shows that.

Build to the monitors you want to end up with

I've bought probably 8-10 keys through Kinguin since that old video came out. All have worked without issue, it's literally saved me hundreds. Thanks Paul!

One thing for a new builder to consider if buying a system from a place like microcenter is to pay a little extra to make sure your motherboard, cpu and memory posts before you leave the store. Especially if you live far away.

Ah yes, the blood sacrifice. Discovered that one on my build last month as I attempted to use a finger to depress that PCIE clip on an installed graphics card. Aluminum cooler fins and knuckles participated in that sacred rite. It will be the wooden chopstick from now on though.

I always advise to route the EPS cable before installing the IO shield and platform. Sometimes the clearance for the EPS cable at the top of a case is limited. Get it through before the mobo lessens the clearance for the EPS connector to come through.

I built my wife’s and my own PC in the last 12 months. My first ever PC builds after a lifetime of buying prebuilds. Your videos not just helped me with the build process (one was intel and the other AMD so thank you for having guides both ways!), but you inspired me to even try building my own PC You’re a gem and an asset to the tech community

I always add a PC speaker to the front panel IO connectors, at least during the build. No need for expensive Debug displays (although I wish they were included), a simple beep code tells you if anything is faulty. You can always remove it after a successful POST

9:02 This is very, very true. Sometimes things just don't go right. Sometimes parts don't fit, or arrive damaged. My latest example: I am a very seasoned builder. I've been building computers since about 2009. I've assembled probably close to 100 PCs at this point, just for myself and all my friends and family, and their friends and families. Over the summer I got stumped by a new build that would boot the first time then never power back on. Turns out I got 3 bad EVGA power supplies sent to me in a row, and they were taking out motherboards. One of them even burst into flames! Never had so many part failures from a (now no longer) reputable brand. Sometimes shit happens, and that's why I buy new parts with warranties and money back guarantees.

TechYes actually called Microsoft and asked if his Windows key bought in gray market was OK and they told him it was perfectly fine. So if Microsoft doesn't care, neither should you.

Grey market keys are hit or miss but all the ones I've used for my person computers have been fine. I also bought probably 30 or 40 from various sites for people I built PCs for and no one has ever complained that Windows became unactivated. However, I have heard stories of keys getting deactivated. And those OEM keys are tied to your motherboard, so if you upgrade your mobo it will need a new key.

The "Blood Sacrifice" is an acceptable part of the building process unless you're taking a blood thinner and then bleed all over your new components. Been there, done that. Luckily after the clean up and transfusion 😄everything worked just fine.

I "ALWAYS" install a tiny little SPEAKER, when connecting the Power Button to the MB. That way, I can HEAR the POST beeps. Just last night in fact, I was building an OLD i7-4460 with 16GB (x2 x 8GB) of DDR3 1866Mhz RAM. Well, that's some really old hardware. And, I was HEARING that RAPID BEEPING, indicating that there wasn't any RAM installed. So, I broke out my trusty ERASER and CLEANED the gold contacts on the RAM. After some agressive ERASING, the contacts were clean enough that I got that Heavenly ONE/SINGLE beep, indicating that POST had indeed completed successfully. Speakers and erasers are ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, when working with "old" hardware. Also, the build above uses a Kingspec (MT-512) 512MB, mSATA drive on a PCIe x1 Adapter Card. PCIe x1 is rated 6Gbps, the same as all of the SATA 3 ports (in older hardware). So, if you manage to come across an old laptop, that HD can be repurposed into a desktop, with one of those Adapter Cards. They are VERY compact, and eliminate the need for SATA cables cluttering your build.

dont forget to keep grounded and remove all the peels, if u noob/newb dont use aio, use gloves for sweaty, bloody, micro hairy hands, if got tons of nano hair use nets too . . . get paul hairstyle, and no pets around site especially cobras and scorpions . . . iknow they love u so much . . .

Gotta say Pauls Hardware was one of the first to come up with the little things missed when building a PC. YEARS AGO. Ive been building PC's for Family & friends for years & you have always been the best help for problems missed by others. Cheers Mate

One thing I'm almost ashamed to admit, is that I sometimes do repeat my mistakes. For example, even though I checked, I didn't get my RAM fully seated. NO BUENO. It wouldn't POST. The second time I've committed this very basic blunder. Which leads to another life lesson. If nothing is going right, and you're absolutely stumped, it's usually because you have overlooked something really basic. Didn't check that RAM was fully seated. Forgot to plug in the power to the SATA hard drive. Didn't plug in the motherboard power. Forgot to turn on the power supply switch. Stuff like that.... I don't do it vary often any more, but still get caught sometimes. Usually due to getting distracted by some shiny object.

I bought a Windows key from Kinguin ages ago, around 2015 at a guess. It has been used for four systems now, no issues.

Don’t forget THE VERGE did an amazing PC build beginners guide

1) Expect to RMA something. Expect to recieve at least one bad part, every build I've ever made has always required at least one RMA. This means you should not put yourself on a hard deadline until after you've ensured each part you've recieved is fully functional. It might be a bad stick of RAM, a motherboard with an outdated BIOS/UEFI instruction set that cannot be updated without another CPU, a broken capacitor or a CPU with bent pins, maybe your video card has fans that don't work, or your AIO cooler is missing the correct mounting bracket, or a case fan has a stripped screw socket. PC parts are delicate and shipping companies are never kind, and manufacturing processes are still very flawed when it comes to PC parts, chances are very high you'll recieve at least one dead part. Each part has probably a 1/10 chance of being dead on arrival. Thankfully most manufacturers are reasonable and willing to replace the bad part free of charge, but its going to take time l, so give your PC extra time for RMAing. Keep all your receipts/boxes/packages for at least 30 days after you've built the pc, if something hasn't gone wrong/stopped working by that point you probably won't need them anymore - but make sure you keep a digital copy of your proof of purchase/receipt of purchase, in case you ever need to make a warranty claim. Feel free to recycle all of the boxes and packaging once you've done that, but be aware of the warranty terms, as some stupid companies will require idiotic things (eg: to provide the original packaging) to make a valid claim. There are some manufacturers that are just plain worth avoiding because of how difficult they make it to make a claim. (And these companies should probably be class action lawsuited out of business.) 2) Test Each Component Thoroughly test each component (individually as possible). Try to elliminate variables if it does not behave as expected, for example if your new monitor isn't working try using it with another known working PC to discover what the real issue is, eg: it might be the cable, GPU, drivers, or BIOS settings that is the root cause, rather than the monitor itself. There's a million things that can go wrong and it is best to test after you have eliminated as many variables as possible that could be influencing the results. Before completely assembling the PC test components, for example plug your Powersupply, RAM, CPU, and cooler into your MB and make sure you can POST outside of the case. If everything works, then proceed to put it in your case. Save things like cable management and cleanup for later, until you can test that it all works. After you get your PC up and running, benchmark and test components to make sure they're behaving as expected (eg: if your ssd is supposed to have 7000Mbps read/write speed, but is getting 2000, then you need to do more testing or consider an RMA if you didn't just do something dumb like forget to update a driver). 3) Document your PC Document information about your PC build (sites like pcpartpicker are great for this kind of thing), and record your benchmarks, date of assembly, costs, and take pictures of the PC, etc. This will be extremely helpful to yourself if you ever need to refer back to that information or if you want to resell it or recommend things to others. 4) Document Problems Documemt unusual/difficult issues you encounter and fix in a public forum (not a walled garden that requires a sign in). Did you have a really weird error with your RAM that took two weeks to figure out? Write down how you fixed it and post your solution, because someone else might have the same problem - they will be very grateful you were willing to share and help, and it's just the right thing to do. 5) Setup Backups Once everything is working/updated/setup etc, make sure you figure out how to back your data up and have a disaster plan in place. Consider what will happen to your data in the event of several scenarios including: power surge, hardware failure, malware, cloud company data breach, flooding, tornado/fire/war and figure out how to mitigate around these issues while staying within your means. Some data is not worth backing up (game installs, applications, etc) others are critical to preserve (passwords/sign in information), and deserve more care. Once you've figured it out, make sure it actually gets backed up!

Thanks for your channel and content! I'm about ready to start my first PC build. I will bleed, struggle, swear and possibly fail because of you!! Keep up the good work.

I still use grey market keys. To date ive not had one declined or rescinded. My nephew however has had one suddenly stop working and become invalid after a year. So they work but your mileage may vary. At worst you just go buy another cheap key and carry on.

Just wanted to thank you for your videos. I just finished my first ever build using your videos (including this one) as my guide. Perfect! Everything worked first try, no drama whatsoever! Thanks for your help!

I found it funny/great you mentioned the "blood sacrifice". I gave up some blood on my first PC build, was pushing a stubborn 5.1in plate out the front that eventually gave way and cut myself deep on the case; still have the scar. This led me down the rood for a time where I wound up helping many people (was in the Navy living in the barracks) build and troubleshoot their own computers. Was a great time those many years ago, but still help family build from time to time now.

One I'd add is don't forget the IO shield. I had to remove a motherboard (and all its various cables) because I forgot the IO shield.

To add to the list of components that can be reused or salvaged: (1) case fans (2) CPU cooler if the mounting mechanism is the same (eg all AM3/4/5 motherboards have identical physical mounting requirements.) (3) CD/DVD/Blu-Ray drives, if that’s relevant to you. (4) PCIe or external (read:USB) audio and microphone devices such as DACs, microphones, webcams, etc. (5) and if custom water cooling is your jam, radiators, pumps, reservoirs, tubing, and sometimes even waterblocks can be reused from one build to the next provided it’s all in good working order and doesn’t have any leaks, corrosion, or microbial growth.

Love your stuff Paul! You're authentic af and we appreciate you man.

just got my Keycap and Coffee Cup. Nice Stuff! Thanks, Paul!

Great video. It's because of your channel and some others that I'm going to attempt my first pc build soon. My current PC is a little long in the tooth lol. I'm not a gamer per se, but the options for normal everyday non-gaming pre-built machines just suck to me. They seem so bland looking and often lack the components I want. Thanks for all of the information over the years!

If, like me, you were trained in ESD prevention, you can get a "spudger: that is ESD safe for about $5. It has a chisel tip, the other end is pointed, it has a nifty little notch to help with positioning jumper wires during circuit board repairs, and it's made of ESD-safe materials. It also won't shed tiny splinters into your case. I use mine all the time, and also have a "cheap insurance" ESD wrist strap that I plug into the ground point on an unused outlet, via an extension I made. I'm a bit of an ESD obsessive, but I'd rather not risk a $2000+ build for lack of a few cheap accessories.

Great advice, also if you are having issues, take a break and come back to it later, or get some sleep and troubleshoot tomorrow.

I love this video. And I really like your new set up.

Awesome, thanks Paul. Love the blood bit, so true.

I have bought like 10x Windows 10/11 Pro keys online, and they all worked fine. The most I have paid was around $5.

I could totally relate to what you said. I pick the parts and have someone else put it together. Microcenter did my last 2 pc's.

3:28. I would like to point out that there are ways to get windows keys legally for little or no money. As an example I purchased a copy of Windows 8 professional for 8 dollars in 2013 from my University. I've used that Windows 8 key to activate every PC Ive built since then.

Sweaty palms and a defective motherboard were my highlights for my first computer build.

@6:40 The arrows are going the right way. They're showing you what you do to the *number* when converting. "1 TB = 1024 GB" means that when you convert GB to TB you divide the number by 1024, or when you convert TB to GB you multiply by 1024.

Thanks Paul for a great video 👍

Gamer's Outlet was super helpful to me this last time around with W11 for my better half's rig we threw together last year... Very good value, and prior to purchase I sent an email and got immediate response essentially promising the key was legit, and it would 100% work for a clean install with no nefarious garbage attached. Dude was right! Been great! Fantastic that some parent company is able to buy like 10 million keys from MS and pass them off to us for a great price! Great subject matter for this one Paul! And nice to see Joe pop in there! Lol! Great work as usual dude!

Just finished my first build and used Kinguin. Worked great and was 25.00 for windows 11. Keep the awesome content coming and thx for all your help.

Here’s my tip. Despite having built multiple PCs over the years, my palms still get very sweaty doing it. Picked up a cheap pair of ESD gloves on Amazon. Helps so much.

I have a scar on my hand where I had to get stitches from when I was building a desktop in a horizontal white case back in the early 1990s. I swear they sharpened the edges in those things back then! Those cases were tough though. They had to be to support the weight of a CRT monitor sitting on top of them.

Oh this reminds me, i'm building my new pc this weekend...while waiting on the parts i need to clean my old g710+ keyboard..may look at getting some new A W D keys too.

I finally gave in and upgraded my computer. I bought a prebuilt "gaming" pc from newegg. 500 bucks for a basic a520m k motherboard and 5600g processor in a tiny case. It's still miles ahead of the first gen i7 it's replacing and I was able to reuse the couple of HDD drives from that computer. It's good for sata cables and screws, but not much more. I suppose I could snag the optical drive if I need it. I've upgraded the case and power supply so far so I can do future upgrades

I activated a new build for a friend with a kinguin windows 10 key. I activated windows 11 without a hitch. Also picked up office 2021 too. Still my go too.

I bought an OEM license key for Windows 10 for my personal use from Newegg for the standard price in 2020, but in the intervening time I've gotten grey market keys to put together computers from spare parts for my niece and nephew without any trouble (they're thrilled to have their own computers, too). The keys worked fine and Microsoft hasn't deactivated those licenses in the few years those systems have been running for. Worth it for the $13 or so I paid for each of them. I don't remember where I bought them from, but it wasn't Kinguin.

Great video!

@paul's hardware - your wordsmithing is legendary, I am in awe of the "humorously biblical slant" that some of your commentary is delivered with.

A note about activating Windows (in my experience) - You can customize your color scheme, background, etc. if you don't connect the PC to the internet to allow it to validate if the key is genuine. This also works if you don't input any product key. I don't know if the registry edits still work for Windows 11 preinstall, but there used to be a way to set up Windows 11 without connecting to the internet as well which would allow customization.

Great video Paul! Just chiming in on the 3rd party "grey sites". I have had nothing but success purchasing keys from ENEBA. In fact more than half my steam library is from there. Not saying nothing can happen but this guy here hasn't had any issues.

I'm feeling part 4 so hard right now. I bought a 14900k, 4090, and an Asus Z790e board and they were all bad (confirmed by the respective RMA departments). Building it was very fun but when things stopped working a month later holy shittttt working out all the problems from those faulty hardware examples was not fun. I'm absolutely getting the Microcenter warranty thing next time because wow.

These days in most places, bytes use SI units correctly (i.e. 1kB = 1000B). There's a separate "binary" prefix, for example "1KiB = 1024B", but, for example on all disks you'll see the normal SI units. The exception is the JEDEC standards which allow the use of, say, 1GB = 2^30B, but have a polite note on them saying this causes confusion and shouldn't be used anymore.

what keyboard is on your desk? it looks really nice

10:51 once i used a 220v fan ( plugged to the wall ) and i had an opened case next to it don't remember what i needed that fan there , but "i was working on the case" i accidentally put a finger in the fan my finger was fine , little bleeding ; but i was worried about breaking a PC component thankfully not pfiu

As a PC/Printer Tech I look down at my hands and see several fresh scabs and scrapes and can say the last point 100% checks out.

Just did a clean install of Windows 11 on a desktop I refurbished. I used a key off a Windows 7 disk and had no problem with activating.

Wow somehow I've never come across such an understandable explanation of bits & bytes before. Thanks for the clarification Paul!

I had a build with mostly 2nd hand parts go very wrong. Don't know if it was the 9400F, the mount, the Mobo, etc... Windows just did not want to install, and neither did Ubuntu. Had to sell the parts with promises to reimburse if anything was faulty, but nobody returned anything. Anyways, my current PC is thankfully chugging along very nicely :)

love this kind of videos! gg Paul

5:37 The arrows are right, they are the conversion factor to move between the different prefixes. For example if I have X bits then i would have X/1000 kilobits

If you buy a full copy you can transfer it to a new computer, My computer has gone through around 4 CPUs, 4 graphics cards over around 6 different builds, with hard drives added removed as required all on the same Win 7 Pro key (running Win 11 Pro now) i bought for £15 in a MS mad sale the did. If you buy an OEM key it is more complicated but can still work. if you are reusing stuff it may transfer, I know someone who who replaced a MoBo, CPU, and RAM, Graphics card and hard drive over several years and is still using the original win 7 OEM key (for Windows 10 now). So Trigger's broom exists as far as MS are concerned.

You forgot a few. First is have highly purified alcohol (I prefer isopropyl, 70 percent, not proof) minimum on hand, and lint-free and clean microfiber towels. NOT paper towels or TP or w/e is common in a household. I've saved the OEM's that pay me for next-day on-site service quite a lot just being prepared. Second, if anything (besides lifting an assembly) takes more than 5 pounds of force, something is wrong. Third: enjoy it! Manual labor that challenges our wonderful brain is why we're this advanced. I trust myself to clean the pins/LGA board more than the person that initially assembled the thing.

0:45 Paul, we all love your hardware........ merch. Lol

I bought a Windows 10 Pro key from Kinguin based on your video. It ended up being a legit OEM key and I haven't encountered any issues. I would highly recommend it over paying full retail price or not activating at all.

#5 is a lot less these days then when I started some twenty five years ago, all those sharp edges and burrs you used to get even on brand cases, nevermind the cheaper no name cases. (That said, the Meshroom S v2 bit me when putting together the other day and I have a lovely bruise on my arm from it..)

pleasant viewing as always. tbh my favourite pc toob channel. amongst a select few personal fav's. ;-)

My latest, having had to do a Windows reinstall was that all my problems came from a bad firmware update. Just a buggy version. Many times, the hardware is perfectly okay, but something like Xbox game bar will cause stuttering in full screen. Or a new Bluetooth driver is just worse than the old one. The point is that software can make perfectly good hardware seem broken, when it's still in great shape. To that end, be wary of any tools or software that automatically upgrades firmware. There is a Windows setting that allows Windows Updates to just install them whenever they come out. A very, very good tip is to never upgrade firmware unless you know from the vendor that it will fix your specific issue. And another tip--before making a change, be sure you have a rollback plan! Be sure you have the tools and your data is backed up and the backups are good!

I think it's important to mention that you might get stuck on the internet connection screen when trying to install Windows 11. There are RU-vid videos showing how to bypass that. I buy Asus motherboards. Armoury Crate pops up to install all my drivers once I get to the desktop. One of the most frustrating parts of building a system for me is plugging in the CPU 8-pin cable. It's not a fun experience. I always end up getting it with a flashlight and some patience. 😩😂

I always forget how daunting it is to start building pcs I could afford to build my first in 98' but started building for offices and businesses in 91'. It paid $250 per build up to $400 then prebuilt's got really inexpensive to purchase.

I have used kinguin about a half dozen times since your video about it. I've purchased windows 10 and 11 keys, most recently about 3 months ago, all with no issues

I've been able to use a old windows key on a pc I've built 4 months ago. The key was from 2010, and in use on my previous system, though I never linked that system to a MS account. The day I wanted to migrate to the new PC I did link the old system, then deactivated the key on the MS account and could then simply use it again on the new system without any problems. As I understand it there is a difference between a digital license and an oem key, where the digital license will allow you to disable / enable it, but an oem key wouldn't.

Using a Under Siege 2: Dark Territory clip in a youtube video in 2024 is a primary reason this is one of me favorite channels.

Haha, nice Under Siege 2 clip. When i hear anything about assumptions i always think of this scene.

Good info, nice

I remember years ago motherboard we had to put IO shield, and sometime I would forget and put the motherboard in without it. But modern motherboards don't even use those IO shield anymore and just come installed already. So, all you have to do is just mount the motherboard nowadays without having to worry about IO shield.

I've used gray market Windows keys a few times and never had a problem with them. I've even reinstalled Windows many times and transferred to a different computer.

In the past I would always upgrade the 1) Video card and the 2)Motherboard/Processor/Memory separately as in either one or the other. So it would be like upgrade Video Card and then wait 12-18 months to upgrade the Processor/Mobo/Memory, and then wait another 12-18 months to once again upgrade the video card. Other components would be upgradable / added whenever necessary

Windows OS license can also be linked to your Microsoft account. If you then rebuild your PC, add that account to "email and account" (no need to log into into PC with it, the user account itself can still be local) and your Windows OS should be able activate with that license. And oddly enough, after this UEFI BIOS should also store the key, meaning another reset on same hardware hash doesn't need Microsoft account anymore. Done it once, unsure of details or limitations

I needed a windows license a while ago and simply bought an oem key for w10 pro. If I remember correctly it cost me around 10 € and worked flawlessly

Joe's input is always on point ;)

Wonderful video.

Thanks for that Under Seige 2 reference

Ok I'm definitely subbing cus of the blood sacrifice bit 😂

I bougt a key from those website when win10 was release it had followed me until last year, when i change my platform to AM5, then i was not working (paid 20$) so i bought a win11 one, OEM keys are tied to the hardware most of the time so if you change a lot then a full key will work better

I was not prepared for an Under Siege 2 reference. Well done, Paul 😂

i remember the old PC cases in the late 90s and early 2000s, it was like those internal steel edges were razor blades

For my first PC build from 4 years back, I followed Paul's advice to purchase an activation key from Kinguin. I had no issues going this route.

Take a picture of the case interior before upgrading the motherboard and CPU. I have found case instruction manuals do a poor job of explaining which wires go where when connecting the case and motherboard.

When building a new system it might be worthwhile building most of the system outside the case and testing it there first (resting the motherboard on top of it's box is fine). Especially if the case is cramped or small form factor. It saves valuable time checking if any new parts are faulty to be returned and replaced. Also if you are a generally sweaty person avoid leaning over parts. I killed a motherboard that way when some of my sweat dripped into a memory slot.

Yeah, I always get really nervous when building a PC. My hands literally shake. Things that you normally wouldn't think twice about, like closing a side panel of the PC case, connecting up various bits and bobs to motherboard risers, etc. seem to become incredibly fiddly and awkward to get right. For example, it took me forever to get one of the legs of my Bequiet case to snap into place, and I was extremely careful when placing the CPU in the motherboard socket and yet somehow (and I still have no idea why) the fastening clip sprung loose when I was moving the motherboard and the CPU went flying onto the floor! (Actually, thinking about it, what must have happened was my thumb must have accidentally glanced across the CPU fastening clip when I went to pick up the motherboard.) Fortunately there was no damage, but these are the sorts of things that always seem to plague me when I'm building a PC. It seems the more careful I am at building a PC and the more diligently I prepare, the more problems I encounter.

Blood for the blood gods!

Purchased 3 windows licenses and 3 MS Office keys from Kinguin over the years. First install is 3+ years old with no issues.

good info here even if they are just reminders for people that already know.

IMO the monitor is the most important part - all output depends on him! And the water-mark for windows activation can be handled via a registry entry.

1:50 Sound cards can transfer easy between builds and they can go for a LONG time before they get outdated. 3:00 Windows license now ties to your MS Account, >> Not your PC

Old OEM's found at the scrapyard often have windows 7 keys that still works fine to activate windows 10 (on the outside of the case), so even in my country that will not let you take stuff from the scrapyard you can take a photo and get a free windows key.