PC building while fun can be a little overwhelming at times and keeping track of components during the planning and buying part is a nightmare, especially if you are on a budget and buying as you go rather than all at once, which is exactly how I was building.
To help me keep track of my components during the build of my first AMD system and more importantly the first system I’ve built in about 10 years I used the System Builder from PCPartPicker.co.uk.
So what is the System Builder and how does it help?
Basically it’s a shopping list for PC components, allowing you to compile a list of the components you want in your system, and you can mark them off when you buy them and you’re able to enter how much you paid.. OK so far, so basic.. but the system builder will also flag basic incompatibilities, from basic “that’s impossible” to subtle concearns like you’ll need to flash your motherboard to the latest bios before it’s compatible with the CPU you want which is not something you want to figure out during your first switch on.
The System Builder will also find the cheapest prices currently for the components you want, so realistically you can use it to save money or as I did, a gauge to figure out “can I spare enough to finish my build right now”