I'm in the UK and want to build a desktop PC with my son as a hands-on learning project. I used to assemble PCs about 30 years ago, but I'm out of date with current hardware and compatibility requirements. My son is likely to use it for gaming, while I'd also like it to handle work, Fusion, AutoCAD, and eventually more 3D CAD. I'm considering a budget of around £2,000 and would prefer 32GB of RAM.
I was initially thinking about using separate drives for family use and work, possibly with a dual-boot setup, but I'm not sure whether that's still the best approach. How should I choose compatible parts, and are there any components or platforms I should avoid if I want reasonable upgrade options later? I'd also appreciate recommendations for reliable UK retailers.
3 Answers
For UK purchases, Scan and Overclockers are commonly used and have generally good reputations. Compare prices across several retailers rather than assuming one shop is cheapest. Buy the power supply, motherboard, and storage new where possible, since reliability and warranty matter. Used CPUs, RAM, and graphics cards can sometimes be worthwhile if the seller is reputable, but check the condition and warranty carefully.
Avoid choosing parts in isolation. Pay particular attention to the power supply’s quality and wattage, the case’s graphics-card and CPU-cooler clearance, the number of M.2 slots, and whether the motherboard has the ports and expansion options you need. Those details make future upgrades much easier.
Start with your budget and intended resolution, refresh rate, and games. For a roughly £2,000 gaming-focused build, the graphics card will usually take a large share of the budget—often around 35–45%. Choose the GPU based on the games and monitor you want, then match it with a sensible modern CPU rather than spending everything on the most expensive card.
For your CAD and Fusion work, 32GB of RAM is a sensible choice, and 64GB could be considered later if your projects become particularly large. A current platform with DDR5 and a motherboard that supports future CPU upgrades will generally give you a better upgrade path than buying an older platform just to save money.
The basic compatibility rules are still familiar: the CPU must match the motherboard socket and supported chipset, and the motherboard determines which memory type you can use. Pick the CPU first, then select a compatible motherboard, RAM, cooler, case, and power supply. A build-planning site such as PCPartPicker can flag many incompatibilities and give you a useful price estimate, though you should still verify specifications and shop prices yourself.
For storage, two separate NVMe SSDs are a straightforward option: one for the operating system and family use, and one for work or projects. They install directly into M.2 slots on the motherboard. That is not the same as dual booting; dual boot means installing two operating systems and choosing between them at startup. Separate drives can be easier to manage, but important files still need independent backups.
That clears up the distinction between two drives and dual booting. I’ll probably use SSDs in the motherboard’s M.2 slots and keep backups elsewhere rather than making the setup unnecessarily complicated.
I’m happy to aim for about £2,000. My son will definitely want to game, but I also need it for Fusion, AutoCAD, and learning more 3D CAD, so I’ll start by looking at graphics cards that suit both uses rather than jumping straight to a flagship model.