Building a gaming PC for the first time can feel like an incredibly daunting task. Between gathering the required parts, making sure they all work together, fiddling with delicate wires, and trying not to destroy expensive components, the entire process is anxiety-inducing. Hardware maker NZXT now offers what I consider a genius solution to those first-time PC-building jitters by bundling together parts with step-by-step instructions, a tool kit, and covering the whole thing with a two-year warranty, just in case.
Aimed squarely at first-time builders working up the nerve to get their hands dirty, NZXT’s new BLD kits are designed to hold your hand through the entire procedure. Each kit comes with a box filled with clearly labelled parts that are guaranteed to join together into a working gaming PC. That includes the case, motherboard, CPU, storage, memory, power supply, video card, cooling fans, and even a copy of Windows 11. All the tools, screws, and thermal paste you’ll need for assembly are in the box.
What really makes the BLD kit something special is the illustrated instruction book. Like instructions for a Lego set, the book walks new builders through every step. It’s called the Adventurer’s Map for PC Building, very wistful. Different building steps are presented as different adventure levels, with simple illustrations as well as QR code links to video walkthroughs.
![I always install memory in the wrong slots the first time through. (Illustration: NZXT)](https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/21/6db01e8bc7a9683e3e424a0685ce2b5c.jpg?quality=75?quality=75)
Once you’ve finished the book, you should wind up with a pretty cool little gaming PC. The BLD kit comes in two models, the $US1,400 ($1,864) Starter Pro and the $US1,600 ($2,130) Streaming Plus. Both come with the NZXT’s striking H510 compact mid-tower case (not the NZXT model that used to catch on fire) in either white or black, Gigabyte RTX 3060 Ti graphics cards, and the Kraken liquid CPU cooler.
![I have this same case on my personal PC, only much sloppier. (Photo: NZXT)](https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/21/9853b09e4cf3b7324906ad252558cd16.png?quality=75?quality=75)
Yes, it’s still less expensive to source all of your own parts separately. If you can do that, you don’t need something like the BLD kit. NZXT’s PC-in-a-box is for folks want to build their own PC but are afraid they might screw it up. With clear instructions, a fun presentation, and parts picked for their mutual compatibility, it sounds like it’s pretty hard to screw up a BLD. And if you do, everything is under warranty and NZXT has technicians available for emails, calls, and chats.
It sounds a lot more fun than my first PC build, which involved crying, one destroyed motherboard, and an Intel i386 CPU that mysteriously disappeared and remains missing to this very day.
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