Build Your Own Beast is a PC building resource for people who want straight answers. No hype, no jargon walls, no affiliate-driven recommendations that put commission ahead of your build. Just honest, practical guidance from someone who’s been doing this for a long time.

Who’s behind this

My name is Ryan Cole. I’m based in Cape Town, South Africa. I work in IT during the day and build PCs during the rest of it. I’ve been taking computers apart and putting them back together since I was about fourteen, which means I’ve made most of the mistakes you’re trying to avoid — bent pins, backwards fans, a PSU that turned out to be a fire hazard. The usual initiation rites.

I started Build Your Own Beast in May 2026 because every time a friend asked me for help with a build, I’d go looking for a link to send them — and everything I found was either buried in jargon, padded with filler, or clearly written to push whatever product paid the highest commission that month. So I wrote the guides I wished existed.

What this site is

BYOB covers two things: explainers that break down individual PC components in plain English, and how-to guides that walk you through the actual building process step by step. Every article is written for beginners and intermediate builders — people doing their first or second build, upgrading an aging rig, or just trying to understand what the specs on a box actually mean.

We currently have over 25 articles covering everything from CPUs and GPUs to cable management and BIOS updates, with more on the way.

What we believe in

A few principles that guide every article on this site:

  • Honesty over affiliate revenue. If a product isn’t worth the money, we’ll say so — even if we could earn a commission by recommending it. Trust matters more than a click.
  • Plain language. If you need a computer science degree to understand the explanation, the explanation has failed. Every concept gets a plain-English definition before any deeper dive.
  • Opinions are stated, not hidden. We take positions. “Don’t buy a used PSU. Ever.” “Skip the hard drive entirely.” You’ll always know where we stand, and you’re always free to disagree.
  • Respect for the reader. No breathless hype, no clickbait, no “INSANE DEALS.” You’re an adult spending your own money. The content should treat you like one.

How we make money

Build Your Own Beast is supported by display advertising through Google AdSense and affiliate links (primarily Amazon Associates). When you click a product link and buy something, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This never influences our recommendations — we recommend what we’d actually put in our own builds, and we’ll tell you when the budget option is the smarter choice.

Get in touch

Got a question, a correction, or an idea for an article? Head to the contact page and drop me a line. I read everything, and I’m genuinely interested in what you’re building.

Thanks for reading. Now go build something.