<s>
A	O
custom-built	O
or	O
homebuilt	B-Device
computer	I-Device
is	O
a	O
computer	O
assembled	O
from	O
available	O
components	O
,	O
usually	O
commercial	O
off-the-shelf	O
(	O
COTS	O
)	O
components	O
,	O
rather	O
than	O
purchased	O
as	O
a	O
complete	O
system	O
from	O
a	O
computer	O
system	O
supplier	O
,	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
pre-built	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
custom-built	O
or	O
homebuilt	B-Device
computer	I-Device
is	O
usually	O
considered	O
cheaper	O
to	O
assemble	O
as	O
compared	O
to	O
buying	O
a	O
pre-built	O
computer	O
,	O
since	O
it	O
excludes	O
the	O
labour	O
cost	O
associated	O
with	O
building	O
the	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Homebuilt	B-Device
computers	I-Device
are	O
almost	O
always	O
used	O
at	O
home	O
,	O
like	O
home	O
computers	O
,	O
but	O
home	O
computers	O
are	O
traditionally	O
purchased	O
already	O
assembled	O
by	O
the	O
manufacturer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
some	O
suppliers	O
provide	O
both	O
home	O
and	O
homebuilt	B-Device
computers	I-Device
,	O
like	O
the	O
Newbear	B-Device
77-68	I-Device
,	O
which	O
the	O
owner	O
was	O
expected	O
to	O
assemble	O
and	O
use	O
in	O
his	O
or	O
her	O
home	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
hobby	O
then	O
took	O
off	O
with	O
the	O
early	O
development	O
of	O
microprocessors	B-Architecture
,	O
and	O
since	O
then	O
,	O
many	O
enthusiasts	O
have	O
constructed	O
their	O
own	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Early	O
examples	O
include	O
the	O
Altair	B-Architecture
8800	I-Architecture
from	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
and	O
the	O
later	O
British	O
Newbear	B-Device
77-68	I-Device
and	O
Nascom	B-Operating_System
designs	O
from	O
the	O
late	O
70	O
's	O
and	O
early	O
80	O
's	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
were	O
made	O
from	O
kits	O
of	O
components	O
,	O
or	O
simply	O
distributed	O
as	O
board	O
designs	O
like	O
the	O
Ferguson	B-Device
Big	I-Device
Board	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Altair	B-Architecture
8800	I-Architecture
pioneered	O
the	O
S-100	B-Architecture
bus	I-Architecture
which	O
somewhat	O
simplified	O
the	O
process	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultimately	O
,	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
home	O
computers	O
,	O
the	O
IBM	B-Device
PC	I-Device
(	O
and	O
its	O
derivatives	O
and	O
clones	B-General_Concept
)	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
industry	O
of	O
specialized	O
component	O
suppliers	O
that	O
grew	O
up	O
around	O
this	O
market	O
in	O
the	O
mid	O
80	O
's	O
have	O
made	O
building	O
computers	O
much	O
easier	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	B-Device
building	I-Device
is	O
no	O
longer	O
limited	O
to	O
specialists	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computers	O
based	O
on	O
Apple	B-Device
Macintosh	I-Device
and	O
Amiga	B-Device
computer	I-Device
platforms	B-Device
often	O
can	O
not	O
be	O
built	O
in	O
general	O
by	O
users	O
legally	O
because	O
of	O
patents	O
and	O
licenses	O
for	O
their	O
hardware	O
,	O
firmware	O
,	O
and	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Not	O
only	O
they	O
can	O
build	O
a	O
desktop	O
that	O
can	O
outperform	O
other	O
pre-built	O
models	O
selling	O
in	O
retail	O
stores	O
,	O
but	O
those	O
building	O
their	O
own	O
computer	O
may	O
add	O
whatever	O
components	O
they	O
want	O
,	O
ranging	O
from	O
multiple	O
hard	B-Device
drives	I-Device
,	O
case	B-Architecture
mods	I-Architecture
,	O
high-performance	O
graphics	O
cards	O
,	O
liquid	O
cooling	O
,	O
multi-head	B-General_Concept
high-resolution	O
monitor	O
configurations	O
,	O
or	O
using	O
alternative	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
without	O
paying	O
the	O
so-called	O
"	O
Microsoft	O
tax	O
"	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Linux	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
growing	O
popularity	O
of	O
laptops	B-Device
and	O
tablets	O
leads	O
to	O
a	O
mobile	O
first	O
design	O
methodology	O
that	O
is	O
difficult	O
for	O
home	O
builders	O
to	O
duplicate	O
economically	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
rise	O
of	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
headsets	O
(	O
VR	O
)	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
HTC	O
Vive	O
,	O
the	O
demand	O
for	O
high	O
performance	O
computing	O
has	O
risen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Practically	O
all	O
PCs	O
and	O
some	O
laptops	B-Device
are	O
built	O
from	O
readily	O
interchangeable	O
standard	O
parts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Even	O
in	O
the	O
more	O
specialized	O
laptop	B-Device
market	O
,	O
a	O
considerable	O
degree	O
of	O
standardization	O
exists	O
in	O
the	O
basic	O
design	O
,	O
although	O
it	O
may	O
not	O
be	O
easily	O
accessible	O
to	O
end-users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
motherboards	O
are	O
specialized	O
to	O
work	O
only	O
with	O
either	O
Intel	O
or	O
AMD	O
processors	O
,	O
all	O
other	O
parts	O
like	O
Graphic	B-Architecture
processors	I-Architecture
,	O
RAM	B-Architecture
,	O
Chassis/Computer	O
cases	O
have	O
been	O
standardized	O
to	O
fit	O
any	O
setup	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
So-called	O
white	B-General_Concept
box	I-General_Concept
PC	O
manufacturers	O
and	O
commercial	O
"	O
build	O
to	O
order	O
"	O
services	O
range	O
in	O
size	O
from	O
small	O
local	O
supply	O
operations	O
to	O
large	O
international	O
operations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
kits	O
include	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
hardware	O
(	O
and	O
sometimes	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
software	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
)	O
needed	O
to	O
build	O
a	O
complete	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
the	O
components	O
are	O
pre-selected	O
by	O
the	O
vendor	O
,	O
the	O
planning	O
and	O
design	O
stages	O
of	O
the	O
computer-building	O
project	O
are	O
eliminated	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
builder	O
's	O
experience	O
will	O
consist	O
solely	O
of	O
assembling	O
the	O
computer	O
and	O
installing	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
barebones	B-Device
computer	I-Device
is	O
a	O
variation	O
on	O
the	O
kit	O
concept	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
barebones	O
system	O
typically	O
consists	O
of	O
a	O
computer	B-General_Concept
case	I-General_Concept
with	O
a	O
power	O
supply	O
,	O
motherboard	O
,	O
processor	O
,	O
and	O
processor	O
cooler	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
either	O
case	O
,	O
the	O
purchaser	O
will	O
need	O
to	O
obtain	O
and	O
install	O
whatever	O
parts	O
are	O
not	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
barebones	O
kit	O
(	O
typically	O
the	O
hard	B-Device
drive	I-Device
,	O
Random	B-Architecture
Access	I-Architecture
Memory	I-Architecture
,	O
peripheral	B-Device
devices	I-Device
,	O
and	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
many	O
home	O
computer	O
builders	O
are	O
gamers	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
and	O
because	O
gamers	O
are	O
often	O
young	O
people	O
,	O
barebones	B-Device
computers	I-Device
marketed	O
as	O
"	O
gaming	O
systems	O
"	O
often	O
include	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
neon	O
lights	O
and	O
brightly	O
coloured	O
cases	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
features	O
more	O
directly	O
related	O
to	O
performance	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
fast	O
processor	O
,	O
a	O
generous	O
amount	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
,	O
and	O
a	O
powerful	O
video	O
card	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
kits	O
and	O
barebones	O
systems	O
may	O
be	O
specifically	O
marketed	O
to	O
users	O
of	O
a	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
such	O
as	O
Linux	B-Application
or	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
BSD	B-Operating_System
variants	O
,	O
with	O
components	O
guaranteed	O
for	O
compatibility	O
and	O
performance	O
with	O
that	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
sometimes	O
necessary	O
to	O
build	O
a	O
computer	O
that	O
will	O
run	O
an	O
obsolete	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
(	O
such	O
as	O
Windows	B-Device
98	I-Device
)	O
or	O
other	O
proprietary	O
software	O
for	O
which	O
updates	O
are	O
no	O
longer	O
available	O
and	O
will	O
not	O
run	O
properly	O
on	O
a	O
current	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Homebuilt	B-Device
computers	I-Device
are	O
often	O
customized	O
to	O
suit	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
needs	O
in	O
regards	O
to	O
quality	O
,	O
price	O
,	O
and	O
availability	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Homebuilt	B-Device
computers	I-Device
can	O
also	O
be	O
made	O
to	O
recycle	O
an	O
older	O
computer	O
,	O
or	O
to	O
upgrade	O
internal	O
components	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
motherboard	O
,	O
CPU	O
,	O
video	O
card	O
,	O
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Homebuilt	B-Device
computers	I-Device
can	O
be	O
made	O
to	O
build	O
high-end	O
computers	O
using	O
only	O
top-quality	O
parts	O
for	O
gaming	O
,	O
multimedia	O
,	O
or	O
other	O
demanding	O
tasks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Homebuilt	B-Device
computers	I-Device
avoid	O
trial	O
software	O
and	O
other	O
commission-driven	O
additions	O
that	O
are	O
usually	O
made	O
to	O
mass-market	O
computers	O
before	O
they	O
are	O
shipped	O
to	O
end-users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Homebuilt	B-Device
computers	I-Device
ensure	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
industry-standard	O
parts	O
for	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
compatibility	O
or	O
to	O
upgrade	O
the	O
original	O
build	O
at	O
a	O
later	O
date	O
with	O
little	O
hassle	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Homebuilt	B-Device
computers	I-Device
ensure	O
that	O
one	O
has	O
all	O
the	O
individual	O
driver	O
and	O
OS	O
discs	O
,	O
provided	O
if	O
the	O
user	O
can	O
source	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
manufactured	O
computers	O
usually	O
come	O
with	O
one	O
or	O
two	O
discs	O
—	O
one	O
containing	O
the	O
OS	O
,	O
and	O
another	O
containing	O
the	O
drivers	B-Application
required	O
,	O
plus	O
all	O
the	O
shovelware	O
that	O
was	O
initially	O
installed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Homebuilt	B-Device
computers	I-Device
offer	O
enjoyment	O
,	O
personal	O
satisfaction	O
,	O
and	O
educational	O
experience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Homebuilt	B-Device
computers	I-Device
tend	O
to	O
use	O
higher-quality	O
parts	O
from	O
third-parties	O
,	O
as	O
OEMs	O
tend	O
to	O
use	O
cheaper	O
,	O
lower	O
quality	O
parts	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
keep	O
the	O
prices	O
of	O
their	O
prebuilt	O
computers	O
low	O
and	O
affordable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Assembling	O
a	O
homebuilt	B-Device
computer	I-Device
requires	O
the	O
user	O
to	O
be	O
skilled	O
and	O
have	O
some	O
basic	O
knowledge	O
and	O
education	O
of	O
computer	O
hardware	O
before	O
building	O
a	O
computer	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
how	O
all	O
the	O
components	O
work	O
and	O
how	O
they	O
interact	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Things	O
like	O
air	O
flow	O
,	O
compatibility	O
of	O
each	O
component	O
with	O
other	O
components	O
,	O
space	O
constraints	O
inside	O
the	O
computer	B-General_Concept
case	I-General_Concept
,	O
PCIe	O
lanes	O
and	O
slots	O
are	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
important	O
points	O
for	O
people	O
to	O
educate	O
themselves	O
on	O
before	O
building	O
a	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
lack	O
of	O
technical	B-General_Concept
support	I-General_Concept
and	O
warranty	O
protection	O
other	O
than	O
what	O
may	O
be	O
provided	O
by	O
the	O
individual	O
component	O
and	O
software	O
vendors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Assembling	O
one	O
's	O
own	O
computer	O
(	O
especially	O
for	O
white	B-General_Concept
boxes	I-General_Concept
)	O
is	O
usually	O
more	O
expensive	O
than	O
buying	O
a	O
pre-built	O
one	O
from	O
a	O
manufacturer	O
,	O
especially	O
if	O
the	O
build	O
costs	O
more	O
than	O
what	O
the	O
person	O
has	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
build	O
quality	O
and	O
the	O
total	O
amount	O
of	O
the	O
parts	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
almost	O
all	O
mass-manufactured	O
PCs	O
ship	O
with	O
some	O
version	O
of	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
pre-installed	O
,	O
individuals	O
who	O
wish	O
to	O
use	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
other	O
than	O
Windows	O
(	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
Linux	B-Application
or	O
BSD	B-Operating_System
)	O
often	O
choose	O
to	O
build	O
their	O
own	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Their	O
reason	O
for	O
doing	O
so	O
is	O
not	O
always	O
related	O
to	O
saving	O
money	O
on	O
an	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
is	O
the	O
de	O
facto	O
standard	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
for	O
PCs	O
,	O
hardware	O
device	B-Application
drivers	I-Application
of	O
different	O
qualities	O
can	O
readily	O
be	O
found	O
that	O
will	O
enable	O
virtually	O
any	O
component	O
designed	O
for	O
the	O
PC	O
architecture	O
to	O
function	O
on	O
a	O
Windows	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
same	O
is	O
n't	O
true	O
for	O
alternative	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
like	O
Linux	B-Application
and	O
BSD	B-Operating_System
,	O
so	O
these	O
system	O
users	O
have	O
to	O
be	O
careful	O
to	O
avoid	O
hardware	O
that	O
is	O
incompatible	O
with	O
their	O
choice	O
of	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Even	O
among	O
hardware	O
devices	O
that	O
technically	O
will	O
"	O
work	O
"	O
with	O
these	O
alternative	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
,	O
some	O
will	O
work	O
better	O
than	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Therefore	O
,	O
many	O
users	O
of	O
non-Microsoft	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
choose	O
to	O
build	O
their	O
own	O
computers	O
from	O
components	O
known	O
to	O
work	O
particularly	O
well	O
with	O
their	O
preferred	O
platforms	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
less	O
common	O
but	O
still	O
relevant	O
option	O
for	O
people	O
who	O
choose	O
to	O
go	O
another	O
route	O
when	O
building	O
their	O
own	O
PC	O
and	O
choosing	O
their	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
may	O
choose	O
to	O
configure	O
what	O
is	O
called	O
a	O
Hackintosh	B-Operating_System
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
means	O
that	O
the	O
user	O
of	O
the	O
computer	O
builds	O
the	O
computer	O
specifically	O
with	O
the	O
macOS	B-Application
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
in	O
mind	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
often	O
a	O
very	O
tedious	O
process	O
to	O
installing	O
macOS	B-Application
in	O
a	O
non-Macintosh	O
system	O
,	O
but	O
this	O
has	O
n't	O
stopped	O
curious	O
enthusiasts	O
from	O
achieving	O
success	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Homebuilt	B-Device
computers	I-Device
are	O
most	O
common	O
among	O
gamers	O
,	O
engineers	O
,	O
or	O
other	O
people	O
who	O
demand	O
more	O
performance	O
from	O
a	O
specific	O
component	O
than	O
the	O
average	O
user	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
major	O
difference	O
between	O
a	O
high-end	O
PC	O
and	O
a	O
gaming	B-Device
PC	I-Device
is	O
likely	O
to	O
only	O
be	O
the	O
choice	O
in	O
video	O
card	O
since	O
they	O
will	O
share	O
a	O
majority	O
of	O
other	O
components	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
a	O
general-purpose	O
high-end	O
computer	O
may	O
be	O
put	O
to	O
use	O
in	O
a	O
render	B-Operating_System
farm	I-Operating_System
or	O
as	O
a	O
file	B-Application
server	I-Application
,	O
and	O
be	O
provisioned	O
with	O
components	O
targeted	O
at	O
this	O
use	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
fast	O
GPU	B-Architecture
for	O
rendering	O
or	O
high-performance	O
storage	O
for	O
serving	O
files	O
)	O
,	O
most	O
gaming	O
takes	O
place	O
in	O
real	B-General_Concept
time	I-General_Concept
so	O
with	O
a	O
gaming	B-Device
PC	I-Device
all	O
the	O
components	O
matter	O
in	O
creating	O
a	O
flawless	O
and	O
seamless	O
experience	O
.	O
</s>
