When did you first learn how to build a computer?

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When did you first learn how to build a computer?

For me it would have been around three years ago. All I mainly had to do in order to learn how to build a computer was to look at the inside of my old computer when it broke. I knew what all the parts were, I just had to memorize where they all went. Also, I had to learn small details about various computer parts to make sure they'd be compatible with my system.

I learned how to build computers from my father when I was teenager in the early to mid '90s. I can still do it, but I tend towards Macs and Dells now.

I learned at at a very early age. I started building computers when "IBM clones" first came onto the market. The first computer I built was a dual boot 486 machine with both Windows 3.11 and Linux partitions.

I started about four years ago. I started by just messing with secondhand computers to learn where everything went, and I actually built my first about 3 years ago...it didn't go so well. In fact, with my second computer I built (two years ago) after trial and error, I finally figured out the compatibility issues I'd been having. I finally got it right when I built my current computer (which is awesome by the way) and it booted up and installed the OS perfectly on the very first try. It was very exciting, and since then I've changed the video card, added a hard drive, and I now plan on adding more RAM. I think I would have done better the first two times if I had actually done research in advance. But I was reckless and just jumped into stuff back in those days.

I got involved with Linux long before most hardware compatibility issues were resolved. At that period, I built my computer around my favorite operating system.

1988
A 286 with co-processor (separate chips then), 640k memory, 2 30 meg drives, a 5.25 and 1.44 floppy, and an EGA (I think, coulda been one of the first VGAs... Cost $2,000, but at the time, it was bleeding edge...

1995. I had just moved to North Sioux City, South Dakota because I was hired by Gateway 2000, Inc as a computer troubleshooter. In the 6 week training we were taken to the production floor and shown how both desktops and laptops were assembled and then we had 3 weeks of computer lab where we practiced putting them together. Other than me blowing out a motherboard when I had left a screw between it and the casing, I got to where I could select the componants and put together a solid working desktop in just under 20 minutes.

Merle

I built my first computer in 2003. I started off with an AMD Athlon XP 3200 processor, Soyo Dragon motherboard and ATi Radeon 9800 video card, Mushkin 512 mb RAM, and a Western Digital 120 gb hard disk. Right now I have a nice 3.2 gigihertz AMD Phenom II quad core processor with 4 ATi Radeon HD4890 video cards. More here. My computer specs

I've actually never built my own computer. Sad, isn't it? But, I can build computers. Used to take apart my stepdad's old desktops and combine parts to make the best one out of the bunch, then moved on to rebuilding broken computers for friends. Now I've built many custom kits at work. Depending on the level of detail they want me to go into, I can complete one in as little as half an hour, then installs, and as much as two days. Course, this was with constant customer interruptions, so I suppose reality has me doing them a bit quicker. I'd only take forever cause of cable tying, I hate tying off cables.

when I was 10 y/o I was working full time at a computer store building, installing and testing all of their computers (for free). Worked there for a couple of years, none of the computers I build ever broke down during this period (with a few exceptions of lightning-strikes).

Last summer when I built my computer at my dads house. Trying to get money together for one at my moms house.

I just began taking them apart and learning everything I could about every part. I have been hopelessly obsessed with computers ever since ;D

I later took a course for A+ and got certified.

About six years ago. My husband and I spent a romantic evening tearing an old computer to bits, and reassembling it on our bed. Originally we were just using it for the space because it was king sized, but we got... distracted.

My son built his first computer three years ago. He was eleven.

His was better than my first attempt. Mind you, he wasn't sidetracked by sex.

My second computer worked out okay. It's more like lego than anything else... once you know where everything goes, it's not too hard.

back in 1998/1999 in my college days, I took my system apart and reinstalled the whole thing in a different case, I since have disposed of the system (with the motherboard from back then as it's too old to really be feasable now), I changed the case as a space-saving measure, I only started on my first from scratch system in 2004 and since then I've been changing parts, it's currently on a new motherboard, RAM, CPU, and PSU right now

My son wants to build a computer in a lego tower.

Before I buy stacks of lego for him... is this really feasable? Or is it just wishful thinking from a thirteen year old?

well.... To be honest, it could probably be done...but you'd have to be careful.
You need the motherboard supported in a way that the plane of the board is flat, and not stretched one way or another (might break a circuit lead that way).

The main problem is there's nowhere to screw things down. You'd probably have to drill through a few blocks to have screw holes; and there's the possibility that the blocks could develop a static charge. Also, plastic does bad things if it gets too hot (but most systems I've seen don't go over about 170 degress...and by then, they're gone...

you'd have to allow for air circulation in that case (no pun intended...

Still, when I first got into the business (late 80s), the sales people would get into the tech area where I worked, and sell our desktop machines out from under us (it was a different era). So we took a cardboard box, assembled all the pieces together on top of it, and no one in sales was the wiser... it just looked like a bunch of junk on a box.

If you do do it, send a picture to the Lego people, and they'll probably make you minorly famous (unless someone else's done it before).