[citation][nom]otacon72[/nom]Build: "1 : to form by ordering and uniting materials by gradual means into a composite whole"Assemble: "1 : to bring together" Know what you're talking about before you slam someone else. They mean the same thing in context 99% of the time.[/citation]
I would take your own advice. And thanks for proving me right with the definitions.
Assemble: To fit together the parts of.
You aren't ordering materials and forming them into a composite whole, you are ordering parts. The materials you ordered are pre-built and you assemble them into a computer. It's okay if you don't understand. I'm sure even a local community college could correct this misunderstanding for you. See below for more explanation.
When you assemble something, the parts remain unchanged. When you build something, they do not.
[citation][nom]Porksmuggler[/nom]That's funny, I've been building PCs for over 15 years, and yes dumb-ass, it's build. When you build a house, do you make the bricks, plywood, and nails on site? Build, construct, and assemble are all correct. [/citation]
No, you haven't been building anything for 15 years. You've been ordering pre-built parts from manufacturers and assembling them into a computer. You certainly have been using the wrong terminology for 15 years though, I'll give you that.
The house analogy is interesting and provides the chief difference between assembling a computer a building a house. On a computer you buy a case, on a house you construct a case (frame) from materials (wood). On a computer you buy a motherboard, on a house you order the parts and construct the plumbing yourself.
Understand the difference? You are ordering parts and simply putting them together. When you build a house you are ordering MATERIALS, building the parts, and then putting them together. You aren't ordering silicon and a soldering iron to make your motherboard.