Andrew Cullen ’14 | Staff Writer

This summer, Jack LaRue ’14 took on the task of constructing a working computer with parts he ordered online and with the help of video tutorials on YouTube.

LaRue said he went on YouTube and looked up tutorials on how to build a custom gaming computer. After watching a few videos, he jumped right in and started to build the PC.

 “I took ideas from YouTube,” LaRue said. “There are channels that talk about how to build computers. I ordered the parts and after reviewing more videos I built one.”

A few of LaRue’s friends had assembled their own computers in the past and he wanted to try it out, he said.

“I was interested in doing it because my friends were also doing it,” said LaRue.  “My friends were asking me to build one for gaming.”

LaRue said he also built the computer to record and edit videos, as he is  interested in YouTube and he wants to start his own channel on the video sharing website.

“I want to be able to talk to friends online and start a YouTube channel, but the problem was I did not have a computer that would allow me to edit videos or play games,” LaRue said.

For three days he toiled, taking extreme care with every component. If ever a problem came up, the “Austin Evans” channel and other YouTube tutorials would be his solution, LaRue said.

“It is amazing that he did something like that just by learning from videos,” said Nick Henderson ’14, LaRue’s friend. “It is inspirational.”

First, LaRue said he unboxed the motherboard, the component that combines each of the system’s parts using electrical circuits,  and set it on top of the cardboard box it came in to avoid static discharge that could cause an electrical short-out.

Next, LaRue installed the processor, processor fan and random access memory (RAM) into the motherboard.

The hardest part in the process was installing the motherboard, LaRue said. There are certain pins that have to go in certain places, and one mistake could lead to the motherboard shorting out.

 “Seeing all the parts was a bit overwhelming,” LaRue said. “when I started putting everything together it really wasn’t as difficult as I thought it was. I just used YouTube as my guide; every time I had a problem I would consult it.”

LaRue said the final step was putting all of the parts into the computer case and fastening in the power supply, which is the part that converts electricity from an outlet to be used by the computer. To finish, he hooked up all of the wires, and began the most time consuming task, cable management.

“After it ran I did cable management, which is basically bundling the cables and putting them in different areas so it is more efficient and not in the way of fans,” said LaRue.

Once the computer booted up, LaRue said he had to install the software he needed. This consisted of the Windows operating system and driver programs.

“I think it’s cool that someone would take the time to learn a skill like building a new computer,” said Robert Novak ’14, a friend of LaRue. “It really shows good dedication.”

Once the build was finished, LaRue said it was very satisfying and well worth the work to see the computer start up for the first time.

“The first time it booted up, it wasn’t even connected to a monitor, I was ecstatic to see it come to life,” LaRue said.