Best answer: Creating your own PC truly is the next best thing after your child grows out of the Kano Computer. Why? Because creating your own PC can be just as rewarding as putting together the pieces for your Kano Computer. Though be warned, it can get complicated. Thankfully, we've got a kit here that'll help you start out.
Newegg: PC Kit Combo: 3859739 ($604)
Why should I build a PC instead of buying one?
As someone who doesn't like building things, I can understand why some folks would rather just buy a PC instead of going through the hassle of just creating your own PC. However, there are so many more advantages of building your PC from scratch, and let's be honest, if your kid enjoyed creating the Kano Computer, then they are going to love getting stuck in and building their own PC from the ground up.
The first, and rather obvious benefit is that it's cost-efficient to build your own PC. Going to Best Buy and just buying a regular PC can cost up to thousands of dollars. What's worse, sometimes these kits don't even have everything you need, so you're spending money, and not even getting what you need. That's why you should instead focus on studying what you'll need for a great computer, and then go shopping to get all the parts.
Another benefit is that building a computer takes skill. You may not think it, but even when your child was building their own Kano Computer, they were learning about the bits and pieces that make up the machine. Building your own PC isn't all that different, it just has more parts. Regardless, knowing how to build a PC puts you at a clear advantage against those who don't. Depending on what your child decides to do in the future, this could be a make or break skill.
There are a number of reasons why building a PC is better than buying one: developing new skills, cost efficiency and even giving you peace of mind knowing where everything is. But the main reason is simple: the satisfaction of your child saying they've built something is a hard thing to pass on.
The basic components of a PC
You'll first need to know the anatomy of building a PC, which is much more difficult than slotting the pieces of your child's Kano Computer together. Thankfully, there are a lot of places out there that'll help you get the PC build you want for what you want. You are able to buy simple kits online with absolutely everything you need, but if you don't intend to buy them and would rather figure out how to do things for yourself, that's fine too.
Listed below are the main components you'll need for your very own PC.
The Processor: Without the processor, you won't be getting very far. While the motherboard may the heart of your PC, the processor is the brain that'll help get your PC running.
The Motherboard: So you may have the brain, but now this is the heart. The motherboard is a circuit board, much like your Raspberry Pi, that hosts the processor and RAM. The motherboard is also where you plug in your hard-drives, network cables and your SSDs.
The Power Supply: If you have a laptop, you'll remember that heavy, rectangular brick that comes with your wires to power your machine. For your PC, you'll also have a heavy brick, but you won't be lugging it around. With the power supply, it is genuinely better to have more power in case you upgrade your PC in the future.
The RAM: The RAM will handle all the heavy stuff, such as your graphics and the memory of your PC. Depending on what you're going to use your PC for, you might seriously consider investing in faster RAM. It's more expensive, but if your child is a gamer and wants to code their very own game, the more RAM the better.
The Storage: Storage is everything. HDD or SSDs, it doesn't matter. You need storage otherwise your going to be running a PC that, to be metaphorical, is constantly dropping all of your stuff.
The Case: The case is surprisingly harder than it looks. First off, you'll need a case that fits absolutely everything mentioned above, which may be quite tricky if you've not built everything right. Secondly, you can't get too tight of a case, otherwise that'll help with overheating and overheating is something you most definitely don't want to happen to your PC.
The Monitor: Again, this is obvious. There's no point in having a PC only to have nothing to show for it! Your monitor can be an actual PC monitor or even a TV screen, whichever suits you best.
If you're still unsure just what works with each component, we can't recommend PCPartPicker enough. Not only will it give you different ideas that'll help you in creating the perfect PC, but it will guide you step-by-step on whether PC parts are compatible or not.
But, if you're still struggling on how to put those parts together, I'd recommend following this 'How to build a PC' guide from Windows Central.
Our pick
Combo Computer Kit: 3859739
Be a pro with little time
This computer kit will help you get started in creating the PC you deserve. Here you'll be able to look at just what it takes to build a PC, with not too many parts that'll leave you scratching your head.
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