I'm in a bit of an odd position when it comes to the idea of building a computer for gaming. Having written about computer hardware for years, I'd like to think I've got a good handle on what the best components are for the job. However, I've never actually built a PC, despite wanting to for years. After years of using an older HP Envy machine with quite dated components, I decided it was time for a change, and that I wanted a do-it-all gaming PC that would last me as long as this previous option has.

A combination of excitement and inexperience meant I ended up going a tad overkill - and that became an eye-opening experience, given it instilled a lot more fear into to me get things right. Building a high-spec rig as your first ever isn't the easiest, given the overarching thought of cost in your mind when building, and how any mistake could be a costly one.

Still, I feel I learned a lot along the way, as theory ran up against reality, and I hope you find my chronicle useful - or at least interesting! Scroll along to read the piece from front to back, or use the links below to jump ahead to the build, benchmarks and final learnings.

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