When junior Jacy Demcisak felt unsatisfied with the quality of the computer she had, she realized that there was only one option for a replacement that made sense to her.

“I wanted to get a computer that can run better, and so I started looking into ways to do that, and it made more sense to build it myself,” Demcisak said.

Demcisak has spent the last four months researching, buying and assembling the parts needed for her own fully functional computer, which she completed over Thanksgiving. According to junior Asher Danicic, a friend of Demcisak’s, he was surprised to hear that Demcisak would be building her own computer, a task that Danicic had successfully completed before.

“It’s a really good endeavor for somebody to do,” Danicic said. “It gives you a thing that you can feel proud of that you built and it’s (a) functional device you can use for work and fun.”

According to Demcisak, she started her process by researching the various parts needed and then slowly started collecting those parts over the next couple of months.

“I started watching videos, mainly on YouTube, from different tech YouTubers around the beginning of August or end of July,” Demcisak said. “And I bought my first part in late August.”

Danicic said that although he had built a computer before Demcisak had, Demcisak did not need much help or advice, doing much of the research on her own.

“We talked about it a little, it was mostly just her telling me what she got, and I was agreeing with her,” Danicic said. “She did a lot of research, and she knew her stuff, so I couldn’t really help her too much because she already got it mostly down.”

Demcisak said that she had multiple reasons for devoting so much of her time to building a computer, including economic advantages, educational experiences and staying connected during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“One of the reasons that I think it’s very important to learn about tech things is that it allows me to know what I’m using and make sure I’m getting the best performance-to-dollar,” Demcisak said. “Also, with the pandemic, everyone’s relying on technology so much right now and so knowing I can trust my system — it’s worth it.”

According to Danicic, he is not surprised by Demcisak’s success in building her own computer due to her perseverance and her resourcefulness.

“She really thinks things out. She knows what she wants and can make choices based on what she wants and needs,” Danicic said. “Also, the willingness to actually build the computer instead of having it get built for you by someone else, that’s a big part of it.”

Demcisak said that her biggest piece of advice to those who want to embark on the journey of building their own computers is to not listen to criticism.

“The entire point of building a computer is you get to choose what’s in it,” Demcisak said. “Don’t listen to people who want to make your thing theirs.”