Building a Gaming PC: A Personal Journey Through Time

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Building a PC for my son recently brought back memories from my first build over two decades ago. I feel fascinated to see how much has changed and how much has stayed the same. The fundamental concept of assembling a PC remains, but the technology has advanced significantly, making this easier. Here is my lesson learnt during this build.



CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 

The CPU market is still dominated by Intel and AMD, just as it was two decades ago. Unlike the past, where you could simply install a CPU out of the box, modern processors require an efficient cooling system. The additional CPU fan has become a minimal necessity to cool down these powerful processors.

Motherboard: ASUS ROG STRIX B550-F

ASUS remains my favourite brand for motherboards. The advancements here are remarkable. Gone are the PS/2 ports, replaced by USB ports. Sound cards, which were once an essential component, are no longer needed as modern motherboards come with integrated sound. Setting jumpers manually is a thing of the past. In addition, LED decorations add a touch of stylishness, turning the motherboard from a plain piece of metal into a visually appealing entertainment.

Graphic Card: MSI GeForce RTX 3050 LP 6G OC

In the past, a SVGA card with a VGA port was essential for any build. Today’s motherboards come equipped with HDMI ports, but for a gaming PC, a dedicated graphics card with a powerful GPU is indispensable. GPUs are not only crucial for 3D games but also play a significant role in machine learning programs.

Storage: Crucial BX500 SATA SSD 1TB

Storage technology has dramatically transformed. The bulky SCSI 3.5" HDDs have been replaced by sleek SATA 2.5" SSDs. SSDs are lighter, faster, and more shock-resistant. CD-ROM drives and 1.44" floppy drives have vanished in modern PCs, thanks to the widespread adoption of USB storage. And yes, jumpers are no longer a part here either.

Network Card: TP-Link Archer TX55E

Both my old and new builds required external network cards. The network card was previously essential for Ethernet connections. Today, the motherboard comes with a built-in Ethernet port, and the network card I added provides WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity.

OS: Windows 11 Home

Setting up the operating system was another area where I noticed significant improvements. Two decades ago, I spent hours installing Windows 98 from the OS CDs as well as hardware drivers' CDs. This time I installed Windows 11 from the USB drive and all drivers were automatically recognised by the latest OS. The system was ready to use almost instantly.


Building this PC today was still a delightful experience, bridging the gap between past and present. It was my personal testament to how far technology has come.

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