The Intel PC DIY STEM Kit gives kids interested in technology the experience of building their own devices and helps them understand how gaming computers work.
It has been clear for some time that as times change, the Australian economy needs to focus on high-value innovation rather than supplying the world with raw materials.
To be a smart country, not just a lucky one, we need a smart workforce. This starts with education, with increased attention to “STEM” subjects such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Efforts to get kids interested in a high-tech future have also led to a number of STEM kits and projects. As part of this, the Intel PC DIY STEM Kit aims to uncover the inner workings of your computer.
To test this kit, I enlisted the help of my 17-year-old daughter. My daughter is in her 12th grade and is very bright, and although she is tech savvy, she has no experience building a PC.
Intel PC DIY STEM Kit Review
First impressions of the Intel PC DIY STEM kit
At first glance, the Intel PC DIY STEM Kit struggles to live up to its “kit” expectations. It's basically a box full of PC components and a copy of Windows 11, complete with an 11-minute YouTube video to walk you through the build process.
It's worth noting that this kit is not available directly from Intel, but via Australian computing retailer Center Com's online or retail stores.
The $1,248 price tag probably seems pretty expensive for an educational kit for kids. Basically, you'll be paying retail prices for all components except the monitor, keyboard, and mouse.
They could have cut a few places to save a few bucks, but the goal seems to be to produce a mid-range gaming device, not just a low-cost PC. That's not unreasonable, considering PC gaming is making a comeback thanks in part to social media and influencers.
Although it is possible to customize the list of components, this configuration ensures that everything works well together and matches the YouTube tutorial.
Intel PC DIY STEM Kit Specifications
processor | Intel 14th Generation Core i5-14400F 10 cores, 16 threads 4.7 GHz LGA1700 |
motherboard | Asus Prime H610M-A WiFi DDR4 LGA1700 mATX |
rum | Team Group T-FORCE Delta RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4 3600MHz XMP |
storage | Kingston SNV2S 500GB NV2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD |
Graphics | Intel Arc A750 8GB GDDR6 Graphics Card |
Power | Antec PSU PSA-VP650P-PLUS |
case | Deepcool Macube 110 Tempered Glass mATX Case – Black |
operating system | Windows 11 Home 64 bit |
Price (suggested retail price) | $1,248 |
Official website | center com |
quality
Rather than reviewing a box full of PC components, it makes more sense to focus on reviewing YouTube tutorials for Intel PC DIY STEM kits. Because this is what actually makes a kit a “kit”.Hosted by Australian game developers and content creators sass queen amy.
It's been a very long time since I built a PC from scratch, and even with that experience, it's hard to judge a tutorial aimed at kids with limited hardware knowledge fairly. So I let her daughter take the lead and do all the work, only stepping in and offering assistance if her daughter got stuck because she couldn't understand the YouTube tutorials.
Thanks to the selection of components, I was actually surprised at how easy it was to build compared to my experience over 10 years ago.
You don't have to worry about bending pins when installing the CPU, and installing the heatsink/fan is much easier. On the other hand, there are no optical drives and hard drives, so you don't have to install them or run lots of extra data and power cables.
follow the tutorial
This tutorial does a good job of explaining what each component does and why it's important. Unfortunately, a quick read of the actual build may not provide the additional helpful advice you would expect from a beginner's tutorial. My daughter got stuck several times.
First of all, there is no mention of needing a precision screwdriver set to work with small screws. It's obvious that I have it in my cupboard, but many households probably lack it.
From here, some points are not clear due to too strict editing, such as the fact that the CPU release lever on the motherboard needs to be pushed down and across before it can be raised.
It also doesn't say that the motherboard screws don't come with the motherboard and are actually wrapped in the cables in the case. We thought we might have lost our little packet and looked desperately for them in the dining room, but a Google search found the answer.
This tutorial is better suited to walk you through the routing of cables inside the case so you don't read through to the end and notice your mistakes too early.
I also can't explain that you can remove two pins from one of the power supply's 8-pin PCI-e cables and connect them to the graphics card's secondary 6-pin PCI-e connector. Look up the answer on Google.
All of this may seem difficult and obvious to someone familiar with the internals of a PC, but tutorials for beginners need more improvement. It might take a little more playtesting.
How long did the build take?
The build took about 2.5 hours total to complete, not including the operating system installation. He could easily have shaved 30 minutes off by adding a little more detail to the video.
Finally, this tutorial also does not explain how to connect a keyboard, mouse, and monitor, or how to navigate the BIOS the first time you use it. Also, while we don't provide advice on installing Windows 11, we do have some tips for configuring Windows for gaming. Once again, this assumes prior knowledge that is probably not intuitive for complete beginners.
A teenager or pre-teen with no experience building a PC will not be able to complete the entire build on their own. Assistance from adults who are also new to technology will be of little use, and you will both have to seek help elsewhere.
If something purports to be a step-by-step tutorial that requires you to Google for answers or call tech support, you've got more work to do. To be fair, it doesn't take long to add these details, but Center Com says the tutorial will be updated.
Who is the Intel PC DIY STEM Kit intended for?
If your child is into PC gaming and you want to foster an interest in what's going on under the hood, the Intel PC DIY STEM Kit may be just the thing for you. This assumes he's in the market to spend over $1,200 on a gaming console, plus the cost of a monitor, keyboard, and mouse.
Please note that if neither you nor your Padawan has experience with PC components, you will have a hard time progressing through the tutorial sections.
I also feel like this kit goes against the STEM philosophy of being educational, affordable, and inspiring creativity. A cynic might say that Intel and Center Com are jumping on his STEM bandwagon only to get kids interested in spending money on PC gaming consoles. yeah.
If you want to foster your child's interest in technology, not just games, you'll probably spend more money on things like a Raspberry Pi robotics kit or an arcade cabinet (which I also built with my kids). This kind of project will stimulate creativity and problem-solving skills more than simply assembling her PC parts, especially if the young person also has programming experience.