Tips For Building Your Own PC, Part 1

have never purchased a brand name computer for my home or business use. By building my own PC, I can get exactly what I want, at a very reasonable price. Read on for tips on building your own PC.

First decide what you want for your new PC. I usually pick the type, brand and speed of the CPU I want first (i.e. 2Ghz AMD, 2.6Ghz Intel, etc.) and then I build the rest of the computer around that. The following should help you decide what parts to buy. I usually buy parts from reputable online retailers, and even eBay.

Case

You will need something to install all the parts of the computer in. Although picking out a case usually boils down to what you think looks good, there are several other things to keep in mind.

* Does the case come with a power supply. If not, you will have to buy one separately.
* Make sure it can hold the size of the motherboard you are buying (see the Motherboard section below).
* Does it come with sufficient bays to hold your hard drive(s) and DVD/CD ROM.
* Does if have sufficient cooling, or space to add additional cooling.
* Do you have room in your office area for the physical size of the case. There are usually several different sizes you can choose from: Full tower, mid tower, mini tower, desktop, etc.
* Are the controls, buttons and external jacks easily accessible.

Processor

The processor (CPU) is the brain of your computer. You want to try and get the most you can for the money you want to spend. Take some time to browse the major brands (namely, AMD and Intel). The price of the processor will go up as the speed goes up. Processor speed (the clock speed) is measured in gigahertz (GHz). There are actually many other factors that determine the speed of the CPU, but these discussions are beyond the scope of this document. CPU distributors usually sell processors in a package that includes a heatsink and a fan. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! Make sure the CPU you are purchasing includes these two items. Also take note of the socket type of the CPU you are purchasing, this will become important when you are picking out motherboards.

Motherboards

A motherboard (systemboard) is the big circuit board that all the other parts plug into. If the CPU is the brain of your computer, then the motherboard is the spinal cord. Remember when you were picking out CPU’s and I said to take note of the socket type? Well this is where that becomes important. You need to make sure that the CPU you bought will fit into the motherboard you are about to pick out. Manufacturers of both CPU’s and motherboards usually make this pretty easy. If you are buying your computer parts from an online retailer, they should have a “specifications” section that will tell you what you need to know. Motherboard specifications should list the socket type, which need to correspond with the socket type of your CPU. Usually the motherboard specifications also break it down into the CPU make and model that will fit into it. You can also go onto the AMD and Intel sites and do a search for the CPU you are buying, the results usually include which motherboards are supported by each particular CPU.

You will need to decide what features of your computer will be included “on-board” on your motherboard, and which ones you will have to buy separately. This includes sound, video, disk controllers, network connectivity, etc. Whatever is not included on the motherboard, will have to be purchased and installed separately. Make sure you read the motherboard specifications carefully to make sure it has all the features you need. We will be discussing these other “add-ons” in later articles.

That’s it for Part 1. Keep an eye out for Part 2 where we will continue discussing parts that will need to be purchased, and in following publications, discuss putting it all together.