I would absolutely use “PC Part Picker” because as you assemble the various components, that site will tell you if there are incompatibilities. For instance whether a power supply will fit in the case.

https://pcpartpicker.com

And if you don’t have someone to bounce ideas off of, this is a pretty good site that was recommended to me to help narrow your choices.

https://www.logicalincrements.com

Don't skimp on the power supply brand. Buy a reputable one. Buy one with headroom if you plan on upgrading your GPU at a later time.

Watch some build videos from tech YouTubers and watch the steps they go through.

For gaming start with the GPU and build around it. Pick a CPU with a reasonable price that will not bottleneck it. YouTube reviews are your friend here. Watch a few with your CPU and GPU pairing and get an idea of the average and one percent low marks.

For your first PC, stick to air cooling. Pick a reputable brand.

I personally like gamersnexus reviews for all the parts you can. They are very methodical with benchmarks. Ask questions here as you will have many.

You may be building a PC for a use case other than gaming. If that's the case you may want to pick another part to start your build around. For instance, developers have a different workload compiling code and would focus more on CPU and threaded workloads.

Basically know your use case, budget, and ask specific questions as you learn from videos and the community will help you produce a great result.

Save everything that comes in your motherboard box. Don't be the fool (me) who needs to buy m.2 screws on Amazon.

Don't forget to buy thermal paste!

Slightly different advice from what others have said, but while building it, I've always used an anti static wristband, grounded to either ground or the pc case. Maybe I'm overly paranoid, but that's what I was taught, and haven't had any issues with ESD so far

There's not too places you can damage things when installing, but I think the most understated one is the USB 3.0 header that you connect from the case to the motherboard. The plug is super tight and very difficult to remove once you put it in, so I recommend only plugging it in once you're ready to start using your machine. I know too many stories of people breaking it and not being able to plug in USB devices to the front of their PC case because of this.

https://pcpartpicker.com/ or https://pcpartpicker.ca if you're Canadian is very helpful for drafting up a build or shopping for parts, specially if you're a newbie. You can even find recommended builds on there.

If you can, just pick the parts but don’t build it yourself, ask a friend who knows what he’s doing and watch or pay for it. You really really don’t want to screw it up with these GPU and CPU prices.

There’s usually no need to buy the top end motherboards, they have a whole lot of bells and whistles you won’t ever miss.

I've found that the motherboard is often the make or break item with PC builds. Pay attention to how many 1 star reviews there are on Amazon or wherever, I think they tend to suffer from poor quality control.

You really can’t go wrong with https://pcpartpicker.com/. Obviously double check things like GPU size mentioned below, and up size your PSU if you ever intend to upgrade GPU in same case. 850 Watts is a solid choice regardless of what your current picks need.

Start the build outside of the case, use the box the motherboard came in as a table. Install the cpu, ram, hook up the psu (fully modular if your budget allows), power on and make sure all works. Easier to troubleshoot this way.

I highly recommend PC Partpicker for compiling all your components (although I don't typically follow the listed purchase links). The comparability checker it has can save some real headaches!

Otherwise, some general advice:

1. Remember the motherboard standoff screws. Most cases these days have them pre-installed, but my first rig did not. And I bent the mobo a little bit before realizing my mistake. It still worked in the end, but it's now my #1 cautionary tale about PC Building.

2. Do yourself a favor, and make an attempt at proper cable management. It'll make replacing components so much easier down the line.

3. Get a fully modular PSU (if in your budget). This will help with #2 above immensely.

4. Read the manual that comes with your motherboard. It usually has a lot of guidance for assembling the computer, especially if this is your first time.

5. Have fun! PC Building/Gaming is one of my favorite hobbies, and I'm always glad to see new people getting interested in it!

Good luck, and don't be afraid to ask questions!

If you plan on doing anything with linux fuck nvidia. It's such a PITA. Biggest regret of my build.

Before mounting your motherboard, double-check the number of screws/standoffs you need, then make sure all the standoffs match up with the holes in the motherboard.

I misaligned one once and shorted out a motherboard.

Damn I just messed around and got to $2k in zero time lol stupid bougie taste.

Lota of great advice here but my must have is a tray to put all the screws and other small bits. Far too easy to lose stuff. iFixit do a good one but you can find an equivalent lying around im sure.

For the love of GOD the first thing you should install is the motherboard back plate.

Putting everything together is basically just expensive legos.

As others have mentioned, definitely make sure you are using the motherboard stand-off screws, or that it comes with them pre-attached.

For RAM, it can really only go in one way but it’s a little terrifying when it audibly snaps into place.

If you get everything set up and it doesn’t turn on, first thing I always check is that the RAM is seated properly (motherboard may have recommended configuration depending on the number of RAM sticks).

Make sure you plug your monitor into your GPU, not your integrated graphics from the motherboard.

If you get stuck at any point or have questions, feel free to reach out :)

I’ve put together ~4 computers, 3 in small form factor cases and 1 in a normal sized case. Definitely recommend a modular PSU, and also using cable ties (the Velcro ones that are easy to remove) of some kind for cable management.

Depending on your use case (gaming, productivity, media creation, etc), RAM speed can have a big impact on performance. For higher end CPU's and GPU's, good cooling and airflow are paramount to get the best performance.

It's difficult to know what advice might be helpful for you without more context, but the one mistake I made with my last PC build was choosing a small form factor case. I thought it looked really clean not to have all that wasted space inside the case, but it makes any system changes much more arduous trying to squeeze my hands into tight spots.

Also when I needed to upgrade my gpu a few months ago and filtered to ones that would fit in the case there was literally only 1 option, it wasn't my first choice but it was close enough I went with it instead of dealing with the hassle of buying a new case and rebuilding everything. I know for sure I will need a new case the next time I need a new gpu though.

The other thing I'll mention is to make sure all your bios settings are configured correctly: resizable bar, XMP, etc.

Do you live near a Microcenter? If so, I would recommend checking out their CPU/Motherboard combo deals.
As a few other people have added, PC Partpicker is great for compatibility. Best of luck and feel free to ask questions as you go!

To echo everyone else, make sure to use PCpartpicker. It's actually a fairly simple thing to do, I was surprised by how few problems I had my first time. Watch lots of youtube first, like how do I install the processor into the motherboard, how do I wire everything up. Definitely watch a few assemblies before attempting your own. If you do your homework, it's like a 2 beer activity honestly. I started about 4pm and was eating supper with the family while Windows updated.

@PurrJPro ah, so *this* is what a Lemmy thread looks like from Mastodon, then.

The fediverse is amazing!

Also in this day in age, triple check that your GPU will fit in your case!

I found PCPartPicker really useful when I last built a PC:

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/

It helps you pick compatible parts, and links to sites you can buy them from. I'd still shop around for the best price after building your list(s), but it's a great place to start.