building a custom computer
why build a computer?
Building a computer by hand allows you to maximize your "bang-for-buck" in terms of computer power. You know exactly what's in your system and what it's capable of. It's also a rewarding experience. These days there are many competitive options for excellent pre-built computers but if you wanna save a buck or you like working with your hands, building one might be for you and with my simple guide, you'll be able to start building too!
what you'll need
-Anti Static Mat
-Philips head Screw Driver
-Thermal Paste or Gel
-Computer Motherboard
-Computer Case
-Compatible Processor
-Compatible RAM
-Compatible Hard Drive
-Computer Monitor
-Mouse and Keyboard
-Operating System (Dependent on what you want to do)
-Philips head Screw Driver
-Thermal Paste or Gel
-Computer Motherboard
-Computer Case
-Compatible Processor
-Compatible RAM
-Compatible Hard Drive
-Computer Monitor
-Mouse and Keyboard
-Operating System (Dependent on what you want to do)
how to start
First you have to buy the parts. And when buying the parts, you have to decide what you want your computer to be able to do, and how much you are willing to spend on it. If you just want a computer for internet and general business, it would probably be better to buy one from Dell (my personal favorite). However, if you want to game or watch a lot of High Definition Blu Ray movies, it's a good idea to build a computer. Next, if you've decided to build a computer, you have to decide how much money to sink into it. 400 dollars would be a good start, and can get you decent parts. Then you could do two things, 1. Buy the parts from a local retailer, or 2. Buy the parts Online. Buying online is generally cheaper, but you have to wait for the product to be shipped, buying locally costs more but you don't have to wait for the product to be shipped.
buying the parts
Buying a power supply unit
The Power Supply Unit (PSU) is essential because it supplies power to your computer, it also converts AC to DC. Gold and up rated Power supplies are designed to be efficient and will keep your system running with no hiccups. Power supplies are also a part you shouldn't cheap out on. A cheaper power supply often cannot keep up with power demands and simply die (Ask me how I know). Make sure it's big enough to power your components comfortably, if you plan on upgrading give yourself headroom. My suggestion as a good all-rounder is a 750 watt powersupply.
buying a motherboard
A gaming Motherboard
The Motherboard is the most important component to any computer. the Motherboard determines what processor, RAM, Video Card, and Storage drives you can use. It also determines what and how many expansion cards you can use. When buying a Motherboard, look for one that has features you need, and supports the processor you want to use (You wouldn't pair a Core i9 with the cheapest motherboard you can find, but that doesn't mean you need to buy the most expensive unit either). Make sure to purchase from a reputable maker, reading reviews is a good tip.
buying a processor
The Processor is the "Brains" of the computer. It's what your computer is thinking about this very second. What to get depends on what you need it for. A gaming computer will want a CPU with strong single thread performance and at least four cores, workstation and server CPU's generally favor core count so it can "think" about more.
buying RAM
RAM is important. Without it, your computer will not boot up. Not even the BIOS. As with a processor, your RAM type is defined by your Motherboard. DDR1 SDRAM a much older RAM type, and is slower, and can't hold as much data. Their biggest sticks is One Gigabyte. DDR2 SDRAM is middle aged. It can be much faster than DDR1, and holds more date. Their biggest stick is a Four Gigabyte stick. DDR3 SDRAM is the latest, and the fastest. As a comparison, a computer using One Gigabyte of DDR3 RAM is faster, and better than a computer using Two Gigabytes of DDR1, or DDR2. The minimun to game decently is 6 gigs of at least 1600 MHz RAM sticks, while the maximum being 16 gigs of 2100 MHz sticks, anything with more data storage is just over kill.
buying a video card
A Video card is very important for people who want to do any kind of gaming, or video editing. As stated above, a Motherboard defines what video card you can use, and how many you can have. A good video card, paired with a fast processor will equal a very powerful computer. There are two types of video cards. CAD cards (Professional cards meant for video rendering, not gaming) and Gaming Cards (Cards meant to be used to play games) A good gaming card would be a GeForce 660 Ti, or a Radeon 7970. For people who do a lot of video editing, a Nvidia Quadro is the card to go with, they have the speed required complete the job very fast, but lack other features for gaming.
buying a hard drive
A Hard Drive is where all your data is stored. A good hard drive is one with a one Terabyte, and a 6 gigabyte per second transfer rate. A Hard Drives efficiency is more about its speed, and less about it's data storage. The data storage is for those people who have a lot of pictures, music, or just a lot of games installed on their computer. Choose a hard drive with the amount of data storage that you need. Do you have a lot of pictures? Music? Do you like having all your games on one computer? Or is it all three? choose one with at least 60 more gigs of storage than you need, this way you have extra storage if you need it.
buying a case
A Case is important because both holds the parts together, in a sleek and aesthetically pleasing fashion, it also controls the airflow and thus the cooling inside the case. It's always important to choose a computer case that can hold all of your parts comfortably to allow for proper airflow. It's also important to choose one with a design you like.
buying a monitor
Most people say that they already have a monitor, why get another one. A lot of monitors use only VGA (Video Graphics Array), which is an analog signal from the computer. While not bad, Monitors with these kind of connectors can not display high definition resolutions and pictures. When getting a new computer, it is best to buy a monitor that has at least a DVI (Digital Video Interface), which is a digital signal and is capable of high definition resolutions, and pictures. HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is almost exactly the same as DVI but HDMI is capable of transmitting Audio Signals, which is useful if you use a TV as a monitor. HDMI also can transmit MUCH higher signals that can be translated into MUCH higher High definition resolutions. DisplayPort is a new standard that allows for many of the same advantages of HDMI, but it also supports new 4k and up resolutions. Display port takes advantage of Nvidia gysync and AMD Freesync, syncing the monitor to what the GPU is outputting (Dependant on GPU hardware.)
buying fans or Water cooling
Fans and Water cooling systems do relatively the same thing, cool down your computer. And for computers with a lot of hardware installed, or big hardware, it is very important to have a cooling system. Fans work to create an airflow to disperse the heat from heat sinks and blow the hot air out of the computer. Water cooling uses water in pipes to cool down the computer, and is very efficient. For a smaller computer, fans will do just fine, with bigger computers, a combination would become necessary.
buying a operating system
When buying a Windows Operating System, there are a few things to look for and understand. There are four Windows Operating Systems still under Microsoft support, and there are different versions of those same systems that exist as well. Most motherboards support Windows 7 ,8.1 and 10. Windows 10 is considered the fastest of the bunch due to how it handles its processes and assigns resources, and has grown to have more support than both Windows 7, and Windows 8.1. for Windows 7, the best version to use for gaming based on a cost ratio is Windows 7 Home Premium, which goes same for 8.1 and Windows 10, though now shortened to Home.
Where do I buy from?
NeweggNewegg is a very popular computer retailer site, and they have everything, even PCI video cards! The site is also very easy to use, and is safe and reliable.
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tigerdirectTigerDirect is another popular website. They too have a lot of computer parts for sell, but don't have sales as often as Newegg does. Still, TigerDirect is very reliable and safe
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