I’m a longtime PC builder, but this boutique PC taught me some lessons

Building your own gaming PC is one of the most satisfying experiences you can have in the hardware world. You’ve got the entire arsenal of PC hardware and components to choose from. If you’re up to the challenge, it’s fun to make these parts all work brilliantly together. Sometimes, things go wrong — and you learn, and do it again better in the future. In the end, you’re left with a sense of satisfaction if you stick with it. Did we mention it’s often cheaper, too?

Even if you’re a seasoned PC builder yourself, what lessons could you learn from a custom, boutique PC? That’s the question I asked myself. After having built dozens upon dozens of gaming PCs for fun (and for science!), I decided to order a Falcon Northwest Tiki.

we adore fnw's ferocious, immaculate fragbox

Falcon Northwest FragBox (Intel 14th-gen)

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This is not a question about if “building it yourself” is better than an PC built by someone else. It’s about what a DIY builder can learn from an iconic boutique PC builder who is experienced in the “art” of building PCs. Falcon Northwest, founded in 1992, was one of the first companies dedicated to building bespoke gaming PCs. You’ll find there are many more similarities than expected, and lots to learn.

What I learned throughout the process was surprising — and added to my PC knowledge toolbox. (The Tiki is a pretty impeccable machine, too.) Let’s discuss the most important lessons that all DIY PC builders can learn from the oldest custom PC builder around, and what you can incorporate in your build process. For more context into how FNW’s attention to detail translates to an actual computer you can buy, be sure to check out our 5-star review of the virtually flawless Falcon Northwest Fragbox.

Be sure to subscribe to Thiago’s YouTube channel, Classical Technology, for detailed PC analysis like the video below and near-daily coverage of graphics card trends.

Lesson #1: Planning your build

When I get the idea to build a PC, I’m the type of person that just wants to get up and start going right away. You know the drill — order the parts you’re enamored with and ask questions later. As long as they’re compatible, you’re fine, right? Use any leftovers for a second, or third, or fourth “fun build.” I’ve learned the hard way that this isn’t always the best approach.  

What can go wrong? Remember that GPU you wanted? Sure, it fits the case you chose — but not without some adjustments. Oh, and you forgot that this GPU has a different airflow pattern than your last one, making it run too hot in your new case. How about that powerful Mini-ITX motherboard you chose? Sure, it’ll perform great – but now you need to swap out to lower profile ram since the CPU cooler won’t fit.

Thiago Trevisan

Thiago Trevisan

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    </div></figure><p class="imageCredit">Thiago Trevisan</p></div>

That’s the first lesson I learned from the Tiki — having an organized “system” in place throughout the build process. Due to the small nature of this case, this is even more vital. It is packing an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 from Asus, the ProArt. Why not a Founders Edition? It won’t fit. Everything was carefully chosen to properly fit inside this custom-built enclosure.

To mitigate heat issues, the case also has updated ventilation openings for dual fans that blow directly onto the GPU, keeping gaming temperatures in the 60s Celsius. You’ll see this trend in a lot of newer DIY PC cases, but it’s something Falcon Northwest has been doing for a while. There is a big emphasis on airflow focused designs to keep up with beefy hardware temperatures.

You can’t slam any CPU in your system without proper planning, either. This diminutive Tiki only has the space for a small 120mm liquid cooled AIO. If you throw an Intel 13900KS in there, that’s not going to work. You’ll need either a 13900 (Non-K with a lower TDP), or the AMD Ryzen 7800X3D.

While research will get you a long way to ensure part compatibility, new platforms such as AM5 have had teething issues. Certain DDR5 ram has proved difficult to stability work across different motherboards, for example. The QVL motherboard ram lists can be useful, but not always the final say. While most people won’t want to test out various kits of ram, one can learn a lot from the part selection from a builder such as Falcon Northwest.

You’d think a higher priced custom-PC builder would want to push the limits of performance by choosing the most expensive motherboards and highest speed RAM, right? Not so fast! They’re often more conservative in their selection. That’s an important lesson to learn here. The bleeding edge hardware can put up impressive numbers, but often it’s so niche that it can have outlying issues that aren’t as widely known. Less is often more here, to use an apt phrase.

Thiago Trevisan

            <div class="lightbox-image-container foundry-lightbox"><div class="extendedBlock-wrapper block-coreImage undefined"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large enlarged-image"><img decoding="async" data-wp-bind--src="selectors.core.image.enlargedImgSrc" data-wp-style--object-fit="selectors.core.image.lightboxObjectFit" src="" alt="Boutique PC" class="wp-image-2085809" width="1200" height="973" loading="lazy" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><p>Imagine the planning required to fit all of this into a small Maingear Turbo. Answer: A lot!</p>

Thiago Trevisan

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