Do you really believe this? I've actually looked into buying a gaming rig recently, and the amount of choices one has to make is impressive. Plus, even if picking and assembling hardware is easy (and it isn't for the average person), there is the aspect of system administration. I haven't admin'd a Windows box for a long time, but it's not a responsibility I'd take lightly.
Yes, if you are even the least bit technically orientated it's extraordinary easy. There are many incredible resources online with prefab builds and suggestions. It's the easiest time in history to do so.
All of my clan friends none of whom are programmers or even in the tech industry all managed to do it fairly easily with help from guides and friends online.
IME, every time I go to buy a new PC (haven't bought a new PC since 2006!) I'm told to "wait" until the next, better buttkicker or core i13 comes out. I end up not buying anything.
LOL... well as soon as Ryzen 3000 series drops on July 7th, then get that, or see if they have some good deals on previous generations at that time. If you need something now, just go with a Ryzen 5.
Yes, I really do. Just because there are a lot of options, doesn't mean it is difficult, just that you didn't have enough knowledge at the time that you felt comfortable with to make a decision.
I'd encourage if you're going to buy to build it yourself. It is really easy, and pretty much everything is color coded. There are thousands of great videos you can watch too. Figure out what size of mobo and case you want, grab a Ryzen (my preference) CPU, and one or two Samsung M.2 drives. If you don't pick a case with a power supply, then add that to your cart and figure out what kind of graphics card you want. The RX 580 is a great deal, especially if you plan on using Linux. Grab some RAM and a compatible motherboard and you're good to go. All this for $800 or less, depending if you just stick with one hard drive.
Installing Windows is super easy. You just plug in a USB drive and startup your computer. I'm not sure what kind of system administration you're looking for. If you're looking for a bunch of bloated unnecessary spyware, then yeah you'd prob be better off buying a computer at Walmart, but then again I am surprised you're on Hacker News if that is what you're after.
It's like as hard as putting together some legos. For $800 you can get a great setup these days.