PC building, just like almost everything in life, has some unsaid rules that the community will never cease to remind you of. I’ve written about the recommended tips for building balanced PCs and ways to avoid bottlenecks on your PC, since that’s the “appropriate” thing to do. However, many of the so-called rules that we PC builders take to heart are little more than safe generalizations. After building PCs for over 20 years, I’ve decided that I’m done following the rules I don’t really believe in — here are six that I’m starting with.

Buy only Gold-rated PSUs

All that glitters is not gold

I admit I’ve been guilty of propagating this one ever since I had enough money to buy high-quality components. On my first few builds, I always valued affordability more than anything else, so much so that I often used terrible components that I shudder thinking about now. I’ve used my fair share of no-name PSUs with questionable construction, but only when I had no choice. Once I was able to invest in quality PSUs, I realized the importance of PSU ratings and durable internals. However, this notion that anything lower than 80+ Gold efficiency is out of the question doesn’t sit right with me.

Of course, you should consider buying high-quality PSUs if you have the budget to spare — after all, you’re spending a few extra dollars to safeguard thousands of dollars of sensitive hardware. That said, efficiency alone doesn’t tell the complete story. PSU quality depends on the construction, tolerances, and quality-of-life features. A Bronze-rated power supply from a reliable manufacturer can beat a Gold-rated one from an unknown brand hands down. You should consult third-party reviews, PSU tier lists, and Reddit accounts to form a complete picture of a PSU’s overall quality.

MSI MAG A750BN PCIE 5

$73 $95 Save $22

The MSI MAG A750BN is a PCIe 5.0, 750W, Bronze-rated power supply for budget PCs that need the ability to upgrade to more powerful GPUs and CPUs in the future.

Perfect cable management is necessary

Sure, if you want to flaunt the insides of your PC

This one is a bit divisive, but I believe most of you will agree with me that perfecting your cable management isn’t as essential as it’s made out to be. Sure, cable management is important to an extent — you don’t want to mess up your airflow with a jungle of cables dangling around inside the case. Even from an esthetic and convenience perspective, doing a good job of routing the cables during a build will reap dividends down the line. However, the pressure from the community is often unnecessary.

No one is willingly making a mess out of the cable situation on a new build. Most PC builders make a genuine effort to dot the i’s and cross the t’s as far as the bulk of the cable management process is concerned. Once they’ve routed the largest cables correctly and neatly, stuffing a few other cables haphazardly in an invisible corner of the case isn’t such a big deal. As long as undue pressure isn’t threatening the integrity of the cables, it’s not going to make any difference to the performance or safety of the build. Perfect cable management is one of the things I never stress about when I’m building a PC.

Avoid used hardware

Avoid such fearmongering instead

I understand the apprehension toward pre-owned components — you can’t be 100% sure there will be zero issues going forward. Plus, there are times when used PC parts are simply a bad idea. However, to completely write them off is to your own detriment. The used PC hardware market is home to many great deals and genuine sellers simply moving on to newer hardware. To be safe, you can avoid buying some components used, such as storage drives, motherboards, and ancient power supplies. CPUs, GPUs, RAM, fans, and cases are fair game, though.

The used market is often the only refuge for people who can’t afford today’s overpriced components. You can not only get older-gen, high-end components at a great price, but sometimes that’s the only option available — think anemic stocks and scalpers. Besides, there are more than enough ways to protect yourself before buying used components, such as asking for proof of purchase, inspecting for physical damage, and running stress tests (if possible). If you buy from sites like eBay, buyer protection policies will ensure you don’t get scammed by faulty products. It’s time to embrace used PC hardware with open arms.

“Invest” in an expensive thermal paste

Stock and budget pastes are just fine

There are enough thermal paste myths to fill up an article — oh wait! This is one of the areas where more money doesn’t give you an equivalent increase in quality or performance. The stock thermal paste that you find pre-applied on your cooler heatsink might not be as good as one from Noctua or Thermal Grizzly, but it’s not worthless either. The stock thermal paste has come a long way over the years, and it’s more than enough to keep your CPU or GPU cool for years. Even if you want to replace it when re-installing your cooler, a budget aftermarket paste is still a better buy than a fancy alternative.

Numerous tests have shown that the brand of thermal paste you buy almost doesn’t matter. Of course, you might see a 4℃ drop in maximum temperature, but is that going to make a difference to your PC’s performance, noise levels, or longevity? Both your stock and budget thermal paste are going to last 2–4 years without any issues — you should repaste your cooler once every 2–3 years anyway. So, stop being gaslighted into wasting money on expensive thermal paste, and focus on optimizing your PC’s airflow, which will yield bigger benefits.

Arctic MX-6

$9 $10 Save $1

Electrically conductive No

Density 2.6 g/cm³

Viscosity 45,000 Poise

Operating temperature -50~150 ℃

Color Grey

The Arctic MX-6 is the direct successor to the popular MX-5 thermal paste solution. It’s promised to deliver an uplift of 20% in thermal performance with increased viscosity. If you want the best overall thermal solution for your CPU, this is it.

Always do a clean Windows install

Not remotely necessary anymore

The advice that one should always prefer a clean Windows install on a new build does have validity. The reason is that if you clone an existing Windows installation to a new SSD or just use your old SSD with new hardware, you could introduce some weird errors. Modern operating systems, however, are more adept at handling hardware swaps. So, your old copy of Windows will work just fine with your new CPU, GPU, motherboard, etc.

Another concern is carrying over any issues present on the old installation. For instance, undetected malware, registry conflicts, and underlying OS corruption can cause problems on your new PC. However, it doesn’t have to be this way. Even without a fresh Windows install, you can ensure your old copy works just fine on your new hardware. You just need to run a deep malware scan, and fix any file corruptions with scans like SFC and DISM.

I’m still using the Windows 10 installation that I started with back in 2017, having cloned it to my new SSD in 2022. I’ve not faced any issues that I could attribute to the old setup. Any problems that have persisted on my Windows 10 installation also existed before migrating to the new PC. A clean Windows install gives you a fresh start, but if you can’t be bothered to do it, cloning it and moving on isn’t a big deal at all.

Value for money above all else

PC building is deeply personal

As I said earlier, PC building advice often boils down to generalizations, but the one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t always work. For instance, recommending every PC builder to maximize performance per dollar at the cost of esthetics or nice-to-haves doesn’t often fly. People don’t build PCs for functionality or value alone; they also crave creative expression and hardware that “feels” nice. Metrics like FPS per dollar fail to take into account other intangible aspects of a build, which every PC builder decides for themselves.

Splurging on an overkill motherboard, high-end graphics card, or OLED monitor may not be “smart” decisions, but they’re not meaningless either. If a Gen5 SSD, fancy case, or AIO liquid cooler makes one happy, what’s the harm in indulging oneself? Of course, you shouldn’t go out of your way to buy stuff you can’t realistically afford, but otherwise, spending more than what’s “necessary” on a PC is a personal choice. Of course, I can easily share my opinion on the right budget for a modern PC, but again, that’s a generalization that doesn’t apply to everyone.

PC building rules are meant to be broken

The so-called rules of PC building might have stood for a long time, but they fly out the window when you dig a little deeper. If you’re prepared to get your hands dirty if things go slightly off course, most of these rules don’t apply to you. You can build a great PC without adhering to value, safety, and esthetic rules. I’m done sticking to outdated advice and limiting “tips” that keep me chained to a build that’s technically right but doesn’t “feel” right to me.