It's time to try XDB Builder, a new PC-building tool that respects your budget

Published Oct 30, 2026, 5:05 PM EDT Andrew Heinzman is a seasoned tech writer with over half a decade of experience. He specializes in delivering insightful tech news and detailed product reviews, particularly focusing on audio and video technology, as well as computers and smartphones. His journey in tech writing includes a two-year stint as the News Editor at Review Geek, the former sister site of How-To Geek. Throughout his career, Andrew has consistently provided readers with valuable insights and up-to-date information on the latest developments in the tech world, earning recognition for his clarity, depth, and relevance. In his free time, Andrew likes to explore music and read books, just as he did when earning his bachelor's degree in English literature. Our friends and coworkers at XDA just debuted XDB Builder, a super-streamlined tool for designing, optimizing, and buying the components for your next PC. XDB Builder is an exciting culmination of XDA's ever-growing authority and expertise in the PC hardware space. But it's also an all-around great utility for novice and expert PC builders alike. We're proud to feature XDB Builder here at How-To Geek, and although I can't say too much today, I want you to know that similarly exciting developments are coming to our website, too. Budget-focused PC building Build a new PC (or upgrade an old one) based on how much you want to spend Is there life after the RAMpocalypse? Now more than ever, homelabbers, gamers, and PC enthusiasts are forced to ask themselves whether they should even bother with another build or upgrade. XDB Builder was conceived as a tool that helps people answer these questions. Yes, it offers all the standard stuff you'd expect from a PC building utility, like compatibility checks and automated best-price finding, but it can also put your budget and your needs into perspective. If you come away from XDB thinking "I should set aside my money for a few more months," that's a good thing. Each build with XDB starts with three simple questions: Do you want to build a new machine or upgrade an old one, what kind of PC are you working on, and what's your budget? Once you've answered these simple questions (which you aren't forced to answer, you can also build from scratch) XDB Builder guides you through a components-picking process. You can even use the built-in "Ask AI" button to get intelligent assistance for parts that you're not sure how to pick out. Need to step away from XDB for a bit? Just save your build and come back later. You can even share completed builds with other people, or throw away all your work and start anew with a preset build designed by XDA's experts. Let XDB do the picking for you Don't feel like digging through parts? Just describe what you want While it's easy to appreciate XDB as a parts-building companion, some people, myself included, don't really feel like picking out components piece by piece. That's where XDB's "Not sure yet" button comes in handy. It lets you write out exactly what you want from your next machine, be it a gaming rig or even a NAS, and then it picks the ideal parts based on whatever budget you've specified. You even get to watch a cool 3D animation while XDB chooses, rejects, and modifies components. Of course, XDB isn't designed to blow smoke. If you go in and ask for a $500 gaming PC that runs like butter in 4K and supports cutting-edge local LLMs to boot, it's going to suggest components at a more appropriate price. Even if you prefer to choose parts by hand, the ability to get an instant sanity check from XDB is an undeniable asset, especially with all the unpredictable price fluctuations we're living with today. XDA wants feedback, so give it to them! I didn't contribute to XDB Builder, but I've had the pleasure of watching it grow from afar. It's kind of wild that a concept you hear about on a random Thursday can pop back into your life months later as a functional beta. To see XDA Builder as a live service today is impressive, to say the least, and the amount of care that's gone into it should be evident to anyone who gives it a shot. But I need to point out something important; a product or service is never truly complete until it's put to the test. You're the final piece of the puzzle. In order for XDB to reach its full potential, you need to play with it, investigate all of its fine details, or even try to break it. Visit xdb.xda-developers.com and give XDB Builder a few minutes of your time. Build your next PC, build a NAS, or just screw around with the shiny new toy. When you're done, leave your feedback in the comments section of this article, or reach out to the Content Director of XDA and How-To Geek, Rich Woods, by email. Thanks for celebrating XDA's latest milestone with us! And again, keep an eye out for big news coming to How-To Geek. It's our 20th anniversary, after all.