5 PC building errors that are extremely difficult to fix

Some errors when building a PC are almost impossible to fix, such as bending the CPU pin or tightening a screw or two, or you break a component and have to live with it, or even cause it to fail. Completely damaged and must buy replacement parts. Other errors are not as serious, but are still quite annoying to fix.

In cases like this, you don't damage any parts, but instead, you forget an important step in the assembly process or completely forget to consider every aspect of the assembly process, then regret it. These errors can be fixed, but they ruin the PC building experience and waste a lot of your time in the process.

Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Gaming OC GPU installed in PC with RGB lighting.

5. Do not install the bottom fan before installing the GPU vertically

If you've ever installed a GPU vertically before, you'll agree that there's very little space left near the bottom of the case to install anything else. Unless you have a large case like the NZXT H9 Flow, you probably won't be able to install a few case fans at the bottom to extract air, at least not comfortably.

Instead of struggling to get your finger between the GPU and the bottom of the case, tightening the fan and finding the fan header, remember to install the bottom case fan (if there is one) before you go through the whole process of installing the GPU vertically. . Otherwise, you will be forced to remove the GPU, remove the vertical bracket, install the fan, and then reinstall the vertical bracket and GPU.

4. Forgot to buy a fan hub

Amid the excitement of buying a CPU, graphics card, and other core components of a gaming PC, it's easy to forget about a fan hub. However, the fan hub decides its importance at the worst possible time - when you realize you have more fans than there are fan headers on your motherboard.

The only option left is to accept the wait and order a fan hub. This waiting period is one of the worst things when you're almost done with a build and a simple device is getting in the way. If only you could take that into account when planning your PC build, you could save a lot of time and frustration.

3. Do not change the thermal paste before installing the heatsink

Thermal paste can turn into Thanos in just a moment if you make the classic mistake of installing the CPU cooler without replacing the original glue. Often, the pre-applied TIM (thermal interface material) on the heatsink is not good enough and can lead to higher than expected temperatures and in severe cases, the CPU will thermal throttling and shut down in just a few seconds .

It's too late when you realize your mistake, because now it's necessary to remove the heatsink, hold it tight if you have an AIO liquid cooler, clean off the original glue, apply new glue, and reinstall the heatsink. This mistake can completely waste valuable time throughout the process. Replacement thermal paste is not too expensive and applying it before installing the radiator is something you can easily remember.

2. Forgot to install the I/O shield

Not installing an I/O shield can cause dust to creep inside from the back of the case, and you can even dent the ports on the back when handling the motherboard. Therefore, it is best to always install the shield before installing the motherboard.

Nowadays, many motherboards will come with an integrated I/O shield, so you don't have to remember it. However, always check the back of the motherboard and case to confirm if you need to install this shield.

1. Forgot to update BIOS

Existing instability issues with Intel's high-end processors may require switching to the latest BIOS, but it's not a good idea to update the BIOS as often as you might think. According to conventional wisdom, unless there is a known problem that can be fixed with a new BIOS version, you should leave things alone. However, there are also cases where you absolutely should update your BIOS before regretting your mistake.

If you are not building from scratch and are just installing a new processor on your existing motherboard, it is best to update the BIOS to the latest version. Unless there are countless reports of the new version breaking things, you can safely update the BIOS. The new CPU may not boot without the latest BIOS version, and if you reassemble the whole thing without an update, you'll have to undo - remove the heatsink and CPU, insert another CPU, update BIOS, then reinstall the new CPU and cooler.

This is easily one of the most time-consuming errors to fix and can be easily avoided by putting a BIOS update on your to-do list.

Assembling a PC may seem simple after the first few times you do it, but there are always some mistakes that even seasoned assemblers can make. It's best to learn from other people's experiences instead of going through painful experiences yourself. Not every error can be fixed, so take the time to learn before you start building your first PC.

David Pac

Update 20 August 2024