I didn't come from a tech background. I'm studying urban planning city design, zoning, infrastructure. Computers were something I used, not something I thought about. That changed the day I decided to build my own PC instead of buying one.
I kept seeing videos of people building their own rigs and thought: how hard can it be? So I did what I always do I researched it obsessively for two weeks before ordering a single part. And somewhere in the middle of reading about CPU socket compatibility and thermal paste application, I realised I wasn't just learning how to build a PC. I was learning how computers actually work and I couldn't stop.
// The Parts List
| Component | Part | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 9600X | Best price/performance on AM5, great single-core |
| GPU | RTX 5070 Ti | High-end 1440p/4K performance |
| RAM | 32GB DDR5-6000 | AM5 loves fast DDR5 |
| Motherboard | B650 AORUS Elite AX | Great VRMs, solid feature set |
| Storage | 1TB WD Black SN850X | PCIe Gen 4 speed |
| Cooler | Noctua NH-D15 | Best air cooler on the market, silent and effective |
| PSU | Corsair RM850x | 80+ Gold, fully modular |
| Case | MSI MAG Forge | Clean design, great airflow for the price |
The build took about 6 hours not because it was hard, but because I kept stopping to understand why each step worked. When it posted for the first time and I saw the BIOS screen, I felt something I hadn't in a long time: genuine excitement about learning something new.
That feeling didn't go away. The next morning I was reading about operating systems. Then networking. Then I found CompTIA. Then AWS. Passed my Cloud Practitioner on February 17th, 2025 and now I'm deep in SAA prep, building cloud infrastructure, and loving every second of it.
All because I wanted to build a PC.