Building Computers
Many people build their own computer so that they can have a system suitable for their personal needs.
An Introduction
Depending on the type of computer you need, building a computer can save you money, or cost you a fortune. This is because different types of computers require different parts, components and budgets.
For example, gamers might appreciate a fast graphics card and processor, a Graphic Design artist might require an expensive monitor, and a video professional might require a fast processor and lots of memory. Some people simply want the best, the latest, or maybe just the cheapest.
Building your own computer is easier than most people think. (On a very basic level, it's a bit like playing with Lego in the fact that you simply plug or connect the parts or components together.)
After realizing how simple and rewarding building your own PC can be, you might never buy another stock PC again!
How do you start?
FIRST DECIDE YOUR NEEDS AND YOUR BUDGET. Why do you want a PC?
Are you replacing an old one? Why? What is wrong with the old one? What will the benefits of having a new PC be?
RESEARCH
You will need to research. But it can be plenty of fun. It's all about parts, price, performance and compatibility.
THE PARTS:
CPU (CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT)
There are 2 main CPU manufacturers..
Intel and AMD. Intel CPUs and AMD CPUs are different. They have a different connecting pin configuration and therefore require motherboards with the appropriate SOCKET type for those pins to attach. Because of this, manufacturers make motherboards that cater for either an AMD CPU or an Intel one.
As the years progress, Intel and AMD produce newer CPUs which require a newer and different socket type. The motherboard manufacturers then make the appropriate motherboards to cater for these latest socket requirements, be it for AMD or Intel.
GPU (GRAPHICS PROCESSING UNIT)
Just like there are 2 main CPU manufacturers, there are also 2 main Video Card (GPU) manufacturers NVIDIA and AMD.
(It used to be NVIDIA and ATI but AMD bought ATI.)
Unlike the CPUs, GPUs from roughly the same generation, share a similar connector type or plug. So you can often buy the same motherboard for an AMD or NVIDIA GPU.. at least for when you only use a single GPU (a single card).
To find out about the performance of computer components you should visit hardware websites or online shopping sites which have Customer Reviews.
A site like Tom's Hardware offers performance charts for the latest CPUs, GPUs and other components.
To get the opinions of the masses - a huge online shopping site like Newegg has lots of customer reviews for all of their products.
With these types of resources, plus many online forums, you can easily focus in on the ideal parts for your computing requirements.
MOTHERBOARD
After deciding what kind of CPU might be ideal, you will need a motherboard which will run it. (The motherboard is the main board onto which all the other components attach and connect.) When deciding on a motherboard we have a few things to consider.
A. How many graphic cards are you going to need?
Many motherboards can support up to 2, 3 or 4 graphic cards (GPUs) at the same time.
However, you can't mix 2 different GPU manufacturers together. ie. you can't have one AMD GPU and one NVIDIA GPU plugged into the same motherboard at the same time. Also, some motherboards can only support dual, triple or quad AMD cards and some can only support dual, triple or quad NVIDIA cards.
The latest boards however, are able to accept dual, triple or quad NVIDIA cards or dual, triple or quad AMD cards.
Please note: You can't have an AMD card and an NVIDIA card on the same motherboard at the same time.
Most people only require one graphics card for their system. Some gamers however like to have 2, 3 or 4 cards connected together to improve their graphics performance or frame rate (fps: frames per second) when playing games. For these people, it is necessary to find a motherboard capable of holding this many cards.
Some years ago, the GPU manufacturers developed their own technology to allow for 2, 3 or 4 of their own cards to run connected together.
ATI (now AMD) called their technology CROSSFIRE and
NVIDIA called their technology SLI.
These terms are still used today.
Once you have decided which CPU (processor) is ideal for your needs and which GPU or graphics card will be suitable - you can choose a compatible motherboard. Of course, you could always choose a motherboard first and then choose compatible components to go with it..it's up to you.
One other thing to consider also is does the motherboard have enough PCI slots for your peripheral cards? EG. graphics cards ,TV cards, sound cards, etc. etc.
So what's next?
Well, we need data storage, cooling, memory, power and of course a computer case to house everything.
DATA STORAGE
For data strorage we need traditional hard drives or the more recent SSDs (solid state drives). Solid state drives are faster and don't have any moving parts and are therefore less prone to fail. The emphasis is really on speed though because SSDs are much faster.
By speed - we are talking about the time it takes to read or write data. A program installed on an SSD will open up much quicker than the same program on a traditional hard drive.
When choosing our drives we need to have enough room for the operating system like Windows, Linux etc.
We also need enough room for installed programs, as well as music, videos or whatever files you expect to use or store. Fortunately, you can usually have a few hard drives
in one system to store pretty much whatever you want.
Choosing the SSD or hard drive is pretty simple. Just weigh up space, speed and reputation.
Again, read the reviews and performance charts to see what is ideal for your budget or goal.
The latest motherboards support USB 3.0 and 6 GB/sec Sata data transfer speeds (as of 2011).
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