Instructions for building one's own computer

I would like recomendations for on line help (plenty of big pictures would help) for building a computer. Thanks

 

PC building

Aha! Here's something I've done twice...

My first PC was a PentiumII-233MHz with 64MB RAM, 32x CD-ROM.

My second (current) PC is a PentiumIII-450MHz with 128MB RAM, 36x CD-ROM.

Both of these I built myself, and my philosophy then (although now I'm not so sure due to competitive prices offered by computer shops) was to purchase each component of the system by name and reputation. That way, I would finish with a quality system that would be reliable.

If you are planning to build your own PC, then remember that the following components are required at the absolute minimum:

Case: I think a decent case with sufficient expansion slots is essential. Don't buy a cheap case, or you'll cut your fingers to ribbons when you try to put it all together. Check that the case is compatible with the mainboard you are buying...
Mainboard: Buy from a good name. I like Gigabyte boards, but there are several makers that produce quality stuff. Avoid on-board this and on-board that. Get your sound card and graphics card separately. If either goes wrong in an on-board system, the whole mainboard is shot. On the subject of graphics cards, go for an AGP type (probably the only type available now; I'm a little out of date here). This means you need a mainboard with an AGP slot for the graphics card.
CPU: How fast do you want to go? And what do you want to do? The average CPU speed now is 1.5GHz, going up to 2GHz. This is a fantastic speed, and necessary for the latest applications and operating systems. Stay with Intel (PentiumIV now) and AMD (Athlon). Other brands (such as IBM) in the past have given problems.
Memory: The more the merrier due to today's low prices. I think at least 128MB is needed. 512MB is better. The more you have, the more you can be doing at the same time.
Sound card: This is a matter of personal opinion. I think the SoundBlaster (Creative) series is great, but Yamaha and Roland are superb but expensive. It all depends on how much you have sound (music, games, etc.) associated with using a computer.
Graphics card: Again, this depends upon your needs. If you are playing hi-tech games, then you need a hi-tech graphics card. Cards such as those utilising ATI's Radeon and Chaintech GeForce are the norm nowadays (I checked the local shop). I reckon have at least 32MB graphics RAM on the graphics card (this has no relation to the system RAM), but 64MB is better...
Hard disk drive: The main storage device on your PC. Buy a good one. Most are good. I like Seagate and Fujitsu, because I've had them and they are reliable. Maxtor are OK, as are Western Digital. Today, they start at 20GB, but drives can go up to 150GB+! It all depends on how much you want on your system, and stuff such as music and movie clips use the most space.
Floppy disk drive: Rather like dinosaurs now, but necessary for the Windows (if you are having it) "recovery disk ". Peanuts to buy.
CD-ROM or CD-RW: The CD media is where it's at now (and DVD is also available). I recommend getting a CD-ROM reader and a CD-writer/rewriter as well. This allows on-the-fly copying of discs, and eliminates the problem of one drive failing ruining the system. Alternatively, if you want DVD, get a CD/DVD player and CD-writer/rewriter as well. If you want to write (burn) DVDs, then you may need the three of these!
Monitor: Get as large as you can afford. Ilyama make good ones, and a 17 inch will cost less that £200 ($300). But look around. The larger the monitor (and the smaller the dot pitch) the more you will be able to see! Especially if you use spreadsheets, the more you can see the better.
Other bits: You'll need a keyboard, mouse, modem, speakers, microphone. These should be available at any shop, and I don't bother getting the cheapest keyboard or mouse. They are taking the most punishment and should be robust. Check the shop.

Make sure you have the right tools to construct it all. You don't need a soldering iron, so don't worry. Just a cross-head screwdriver (and possibly a flat-head as well)

I've not built a system for over 2 years now, and any other members here are invited to correct/augment my advice.

Also, have a look at www.pctechguide.com for information about PCs and their components.
Check out www.mysuperpc.com for advice on PC building.

 

Thanks Dodge,

Re: the mainboard. I do want a seperate graphics card, I do alot of illust and photo stuff and have several of the top line programs. Being hearing impaired and not really into music or games I thought that perhaps the on-board sound card would do.

My thinking was that if I used on-board sound, UBS 2.0 and RAID that if a problem arose I could, at that time, install a card to cover the problem. If this is not the case then I would want seperate cards for sure.

What you think?

 

If you buy a good MoBo you will be able to disable the onboard sound easily if you decide to upgrade later. My work computer (specs below) actually has integrated sound. And I normally avoid anythything integrated, but ASUS makes a quality product.

BTW: the A7V333 has USB 2.0 and RAID. I think its a great MoBo

 

Smart man .... Would highly recommend going Athlon with an Abit motherboard. KG7 RAID would be a nice choice and there is one of the best MB help sites written for this MB and a fix for about any problem imaginable. My comments - don't cheap anything - you don't need to. Hardware is quite inexpensive these days. If you shop smart - you can have the best for a fraction of what you might think you were going to pay. Don't skimp - you can get great buys at www.gogocity.com , www.newegg.com , www.TCWO.com , and for some real deals from time to time try www.computergeeks.com . P/S - Leadman 400W or 500W, memory - crucial, mushkin or OCZ and at least 256. You can build a monster for $600 - $700 if you know how and where to shop for components.

Good Luck and enjoy
Rockster2U

 

In regards to the CASE

I fully agree. Do not cut costs there.

Not only more room to work and expand but also more room for COOLING FANS

Also a better case will have an AMD Certified Power Supply which will work will all MBs but some boards ( I believe ) require same.

BillyBob

 

Lots of good info, thanks everyone. But, I'm still looking for some good illustrated how-to-assemble-everything guide.

 

If you need pics, you probably shouldn't be attempting this on your own. Suggest you invest in some self-confidence. There's really nothing that hard about building your own system - the MB manual should have all the pics you need.

Rockster2U

 

csnudelman

Don't be discouraged. I built one and felt that pics would be a help and went looking and found some . Here are a few and some you might have to look around in the site to find the proper page (one is PDF). I might find a coupla more but start with these:

http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=283&p=4

http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/ComputingSolutions/0,,30_288_1274_759^2983,00.html (click on the appropriate link on this page and is a PDF

http://www17.tomshardware.com/howto/01q1/010115/index.html

Apologise for not the specific page, but you should be able to find them with a little looking. HTH.This one is simplistic and no pics, I think

 

build your own pc

You can find full recomendation at Build Your Own with details for each hard wear.