Part 5: Choosing storage and operating system

In this series of articles, I will be giving my opinions on the best ways to get started in building your own computer. I’m going to go into detail about how you can select the right components for you.

We’ve already looked at why you might build your own computer and what all the parts actually do, as well as chosen a number of parts already. Now let’s continue that process with the storage and operating system options.

1. Introduction to PC building
2. Choosing a processor (CPU) and motherboard
3. Choosing a case, memory (RAM) and cooler
4. Choosing a graphics card (GPU)
5. Choosing storage and operating system
6. Choosing a power supply (PSU) and case cooling
7. Tips for actually assembling your computer
8. Example build – The “cheapest (good)” build your own PC in Spring 2022
9. Example build – The “making your money go furthest” build your own PC in Spring 2022
10. Example build – The best “high-end enthusiast” build your own PC in Spring 2022

Storage – not just space to store stuff, the biggest single upgrade a computer can receive

The storage your computer has should be used for different things. As there are different types of storage, it makes sense that they should have different use cases.

When building a computer, in my opinion you must fit at least one solid state storage drive (SSD). That means either an NVMe SSD (preferably) or at least a SATA SSD. I cannot stress this enough. There must be at least one solid state storage drive in your computer.

SATA SSDs are roughly 4-6 times faster than standard mechanical HDDs. Typical NVME SSDs are roughly 30-40 times faster. That means a set of files that take 60s to load from an HDD will take 10-15s on a SATA SSD and 2-3s on an NVME SSD.

This makes a massive difference to any computer you use regularly. If your old computer took more than a minute or two to start up, chances are it was the old mechanical HDD slowing it down. Start up times for SSDs are in the 10-15s range.

I have previously written about the usage cases for SSDs and HDDs, so let’s get straight to what I recommend. Obviously, it depends on your budget, but I would recommend a minimum 500 GB NVMe SSD as your main drive (going up to a 2TB maximum – above this and value for money drops off massively). This is the drive on which you will store you operating system (e.g. Windows) and your programs and apps, which will all load really quickly thanks to being on a really fast storage drive. I would also recommend another drive on which you can store your larger files that perhaps don’t need such quick access, such as photos and videos. This could be an SSD which would be fast (but expensive). However, I would recommend an HDD as your secondary drive, which would be slow but large and cheap.

For example:

Main drive: 1TB NVMe m.2 SSD for Windows, programs and apps. This ensures that the computer start-up time and program loading times are extremely fast.

Storage drive: 4TB HDD for files, photos, videos and music. As these files are much less frequently accessed, it doesn’t matter as much that they are on a slow storage drive. However, having a large storage capacity will be extremely useful.

Remember that additional storage drives can be added later on down the line very easily.

Operating System

If you are building your own computer, you will need to install an Operating System such as Windows on it too. This can be expensive, but there are options.

Buying a copy of Windows at retail is the most expensive way to do this. Typically, a retail copy of Windows costs around £95 for the Home edition and £130 for the Pro. However, look out for OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) licences that can be had for less than £20. The main difference between these and retail licences is that an OEM licence is designed to be installed by a system builder (which, in this case, is you). That means it comes with limited support and no ability to transfer the licence to another computer in the future. Additionally, you should be careful who you buy from and do your own research into the seller.

You may need access to another computer and a USB flash drive (such as this 64 GB one for about £9). Typically, you will be given a licence key and a link to a page on Microsoft’s website from which you can download Windows so that you know you are receiving the geniune software. Follow the instructions you are given to download directly to the USB drive, then use that to install Windows onto your fastest drive. Activate using the licence and you’re good to go!

Tip: If you have trouble installing Windows on your new computer, you might need to change the boot order in your motherboard’s BIOS.

Other operating system options

The main alternative to Windows is Linux, a free operating system that comes in a variety of different distributions. Having worked with Linux extensively in the past, I would very much recommend using Windows for most home usage situations. If you are an enthusiast with time to learn about Linux, I would recommend you try Linux out before you commit to using it on your everyday computer through a Linux Live installation, such as this one from Ubuntu. All you will need is a USB stick and you can boot your computer directly into Linux to try it out. It will make no changes to your existing computer’s operating system so you can safely try it out and see if it’s a good fit for you.

Linux has a lot of support from enthusiasts who would no doubt be frustrated that my first instinct was to advise you against installing it as your primary operating system. In my experience, Linux has its place as a powerful and stable tool for deployment in a range of situations, notably as an extremely stable server platform. However, my usage has mainly been through shell commands, a core component of using Linux. Even when I have tried to use Linux entirely through the graphical interface, I have always reverted to using shell commands for specific tasks. For most home users, although Windows certainly isn’t perfect, I would recommend it over Linux from a ease of use standpoint.