If you love computers, one thing you may want to do is build your own desktop PC. Doing so has many benefits over buying a preassembled computer. You can build it to the exact specifications you want, including all the features you desire, and may even save money doing so.
Unfortunately, building a PC during the pandemic isn’t quite as easy as in the past. Due to factory and port shutdowns, certain parts and components are harder to come by. Below is a list of some you might have trouble obtaining.
Motherboards
One of the most important components of a desktop PC is the motherboard. The motherboard can be thought of as the foundation for the rest of the computer. It is the printed circuit board that typically takes up the most room inside a PC’s chassis. It is, in fact, what facilitates communication between the CPU, RAM, drives, and other components of a computer’s hardware. Over the course of the pandemic, the production of motherboards has slowed. This has resulted in price increases.
Power Supplies
Similarly, power supplies have also been harder to come by and have seen similar dramatic price increases. Without the proper power supply, your computer may not even boot up. To save money, you may be forced to choose a power supply that is not able to power all the components you want to install in your preferred rig.
Semiconductor Parts
These days, you are also going to probably have trouble finding the right semiconductor parts for the setup you want. You may know these by another name—computer chips. They are also sometimes referred to as integrated circuits. Some of the most important components of computers include semiconductor parts such as the computer’s RAM and CPU. Without either of these, you won’t have a computer. Unfortunately, production delays and shipping issues have caused a shortage for these important components that have created scarcity in the market and driven up prices.
Fans
Even something as simple as computer fans have seen production and supply issues because of the pandemic. You might be tempted to simply build your PC without a fan. However, fans are a necessary temperature control for a PC that runs well. Without a fan, your other components will overheat, potentially within minutes, and you could end up losing your entire investment.
Things may seem bleak if you’re trying to build your own computer. However, there are still things you can do to find reasonably priced parts in a reasonable amount of time. One thing you can do is to work specifically with parts suppliers rather than larger electronics stores.
Another option is to look for used or refurbished parts when possible. While production on new parts has slowed down, there are still plenty of used parts on the market that can often work just as well. You can use these either as permanent parts of your set up or as temporary stand ins until you can obtain new parts. There are many parts suppliers, like Lithography Solutions, LLC, that offer both new and refurbished parts, so you can find exactly what you need at a price you can afford.
While many parts of life are starting to stabilize, overall, things are unfortunately still quite abnormal for the computer market right now. Under normal conditions, building your own PC makes a lot of sense and can save you a lot of money. Today, however, certain components may be hard to come by and fetch a high price as a result. Overall, keep a close eye on fluctuations in price for different computer parts so you buy at the right time.
Bio: Anita is a freelance writer from Denver, CO. She studied at Colorado State University, and now writes articles about health, business, family and finance. A mother of two, she enjoys traveling with her family whenever she isn’t writing. You can follow her on Twitter @anitaginsburg.
