Our daughters and I assembled a simple Windows computer for them to use for homeschooling tasks. We haven’t had a Windows system for many years unless you include the computers employers provide. I hadn’t assembled a system in ten years, though I have upgraded and repaired a few for clients.
The first-grader (as of 2020-21) insisted on installing the motherboard. She loves using a screwdriver. Her sister helped a bit, too. The little one enjoys helping Mommy and Daddy. That the new computer would be able to run her favorite educational games was additional motivation.
“It will run Adventure Academy, right?” she kept asking. That was her priority: a computer that could run Adventure Academy in full-HD without stuttering. She doesn’t like choppy sound or video.
The Raspberry Pi 4 we used for the last few months of the 2019-20 school year isn’t quite up to some of the demands. An ancient Mac mini, older than the girls, continues its service, though it struggles with several of the educational apps the girls enjoy. The Mac mini cannot run the latest operating system releases, which means applications no longer update.
Building a computer is not always cheaper than buying a system. The major vendors, like HP and Dell, buy components by the shipping container. Robots assemble most brand-name systems overseas. It’s hard to beat the price or the convenience.
Why would I still elect to spend an afternoon building a computer with two little girls if it doesn’t save money, and it certainly doesn’t save time. (Any time children “help” that means a task will take twice as long.)
Raising girls, we want them to be tech-savvy. Mommy studied engineering and technical communication. They are learning that women were among the first programmers and language developers. Women have been pioneers in science and technology.
Our girls will be STEM-ready. Whatever they study later in life, we want them to know science, technology, engineering, and math offer excellent career opportunities. Innovators change the world.
I asked the girls to start naming the computer components and what each part does. What is the solid-state drive? What does the motherboard do? Even something as minor as the fan, I want them to know there’s a reason we need thermal optimization for semiconductors, especially the CPU and GPU chips.
We built a Mini ITX system. This is the shipping list from Newegg.com (including the capitalization):
Motherboard: GIGABYTE B450 I AORUS PRO WIFI AM4 Mini ITX AMD
SSD: Crucial P1 1TB 3D NAND NVMe PCIe Internal SSD, up to 2000 MB/s
RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600)
CPU: AMD RYZEN 5 3400G 4-Core 3.7 GHz (4.2 GHz Max Boost) Socket AM4 65W
Case: IN WIN Chopin Black Aluminum, SECC Mini-ITX Tower Case and 150W Power Supply
Cooling: Noctua NH-L9a-AM4, Premium Low-profile CPU Cooler
The total cost was $670 with tax and shipping. Yes, there was shipping on some parts. But, the total was still lower than if we ordered from Amazon or another retailer. I compared prices and saved about $150 via Newegg versus every other online source I checked.
There were only six parts to assemble, including the case. If I were building for myself, and not the girls, I would have used a tower case with a 500-watt or better power supply. I’d also opt for a dedicated GPU, but the Ryzen 5 3400G impressed me once we benchmarked the system. The integrated graphics easily handle 4K video on a 55-inch Samsung TV.
Yes, the computer is attached to our Samsung TV. The performance has impressed me. It’s beautiful.
The girls now realize that there’s a lot of hardware making Word and email possible. They understand that computers are not entirely magic… though still magical.
The little one now can play Adventure Academy on a huge screen. She gets to watch her videos in HD, on a big screen. She’s pleased with herself. She made sure Grandma knew that we built a computer together and that she put in the screws and tightened them. Grandma was properly impressed, which made the little one even happier.
The girls also made sure we placed the various hardware stickers on the outside of the case. They love stickers. It’s the little things that make kids happy.
Khan Academy, Adventure Academic, DiscoveryK12, and everything else we need now works. No stuttering video or choppy sound.
Assembling the computer was a good lesson and leads to many more technology lessons.
I realize I am fortunate to be able to build a computer with my girls.
Not every family has access to technology. Virtual learning exposes the digital divide. Homeschooling exposes the divide further, as we can homeschool and other families desperately need schools to reopen so parents can return to work.
The year won’t be easy, but it will be easier than what many families face.