How to build your own computer
There are two ways of bringing home a computer:
a) You buy a pre-assembled computer in a store
b) You buy separate hardware and put it together yourself
We recommend you to assemble your own computer, not only because it is much more fun and cheap, but also to avoid incompabilities and be able to use hardware that generally is of higher quality.
Finding hardware
An older machine can be recycled from parts commonly thrown out by large companies. Find their dumpsters (as long as you have permission or are sneaky enough) or a landfill and seek parts. A nice white box machine should be the general for anything that's more than 5 years old, anything newer will be black or grey. Best to find decent pre-assembled machines in a highly populated area with auctions.
A second option that will be the choice for most people, is to buy new hardware. As far as computer parts go to assemble your own machine, recommended sites are:
http://www.newegg.com
http://www.axiontech.com
The modular nature of PC systems makes them ideal for most purposes. It's a nice contrast to the Macintosh, where dead video or printer port meant replacing the entire machine. Therefore we recommend you to avoid the commercials that say you need a "hip" and "cool" machine; computers are working machines and thus any superficiality over design, brand, market etc. is just a way of selling you garbage for a high price. Think smart and read the technical specifications, instead of going for popularity ratings and market analysis.
One you've decided to build your own computer, you will need to track down the essential parts for making it work.
Motherboard (Mainboard)
The motherboard is the heart of the computer. It can be compared to a large electronic card, routing all essential information beween different hardware and connecting these together. Without motherboard, no computer. Today the motherboards are often sold as "integrated motherboards," meaning they contain sound card, video card, and different kinds of ports like USB and Fire Wire, to push the prices down and create something with promised stability. It will be up to you for decide, whether you'll go for an integrated motherboard or a regular one. Integrated motherboards are, as mentioned, often cheaper and convenient to use. However, a standard motherboard offers a greater selection, in case you want to use hardware of different brands.
Hard drive
The hard drive can be compared our memory; it stores all information and saves it permanently. The data is stored on disks that rotate with high speed within a metal shield. The speed of the disks is measured in RPM, Revolutions Per Minute. The faster these disks spin, the faster your hard drive will be - and since all information is read and written from and to this hard drive, you want to make sure this component is of high performance and stability. 7200rpm is the standard RPM speed you should go for. However you need to make sure the hard drive you buy is compatible with your motherboard. Serial ATA (most recent), SCSI, and IDE are different interfaces used. There are also different transfer rates, typically 100, 133 and 150. You must ensure your motherboard has the appropriate features to accommodate the HD you buy.
A hard drive that "crashes," e.g. stops functioning for a technical reason, will take all of your precious documents, photos, music etc. with it. Therefore, and this goes for all brands, don't forget to make back-ups of your important data, on either CD-R, DVD-R, or to external hard drives that you nowadays find for a fairly cheap price.
Video Graphics Adaptor
The video card brings picture to your monitor. There are basically two kinds of graphics card that you must choose between:
a) Powerful and feature rich cards, often with advanced 3D accelerator
b) Standard video card with basic features to a cheap price.
A) is for people who wish to work with visual media and/or playing games. As we will focus on using the computer as a working machine, we recommend you to buy something in the middle; that is, a card that is not too cheap and can manage video playback, but also not too expensive and follows the latest trends that appeal mostly to gamers.
There are several different interfaces and speeds available on display adapters and you must ensure your mother board is compatible. These include PCI (100, 133 speed), AGP (different speeds; 2x, 4x and 8x) and PCI-Express (latest).
Processor (CPU)
If the mother board is the heart, and the hard drive is the memory, the processor is the brain of the computer. It processes all information and calculates mathematical equations in an extremely fast speed. This speed is today most commonly measured in gigahertz (GhZ). These processors become faster each year and thus more advanced in architecture, but as a regular computer user, the average CPU of today will be more than enough to satisfy your needs. The standard is raised each year, but anything over 1 GhZ is a decent processor, over 2 will perform most tasks you could wish for, and over 3 is a high performance CPU.
As for which brand, this changes so frequently, that comparing these can be tricky. AMD and Intel are the leading brands and also the ones we recommend. Intel is generally regarded to maintain the highest quality and will give you a stable performance. AMD is also a quality brand that you can trust. One thing is for sure - don't buy the latest technology, because it's overpriced. Go for one or two speeds below and you'll be getting great performance for a cheap price. Stay away from low-cache (cache: temporary memory inside the CPU) budget CPU's such as Celeron and the AMD equivalent. These are for gamers on a budget and will reduce performance significantly when using certain multimedia applications.
There are also compatibility issues. AMD CPU's must have an AMD motherboard, and likewise for Intel. Furthermore, there are different sockets used. You have to ensure that it's compatible with your mother board. For Intel: LGA775, s478 and Socket A are standards. There's also a lot of different sockets used for AMD. You will have to check the socket type on your mother board and purchase a CPU fitting that socket.
You also have to ensure the motherboard can handle the speed of the CPU. When speaking of speed, there are two kinds: a) The one mentioned above, e.g. clock speed, and b) the bus speed, meaning the transfer speed between processor and memory (will be explained in detail later on). To summarize, you need to check the:
- socket type
- clock speed
- bus speed
These vary from year to year as the development continues. The important thing here is to check the compability and see that it matches.
Since this processor performs so many calculations, it will get very hot. Some form of cooling system is therefore needed. For most computers, the fan in the power supply is enough, but new hardware often generates quite a bit of heat, especially processors with a clock speed close to 3 GhZ. The processor itself will have a cooling fan attached to it. You may reduce the heat even further by placing cooling paste on the CPU, to lead the heat from the intensive parts of the processor (the manual will explain how to put this on, or else, turn to general computer forums on the Internet; it's a standard cooling method that all people use today.). If you wish to increase the cooling, you will need to buy a separate cooling system.
CD/DVD Burner
You will need some form of CD-Rom that reads CDs, so that you can install an operative system and software. While at it, you might as well pick a CD/DVD burner, especially if you want to be able to back-up important data. A DVD burner today is cheap and reads most disc types on the market.
RAM
RAM, or Random Access Memory - usually called "memory" - is a memory similar to the hard drive. The main difference between RAM and the hard drive, is that the RAM only stores data temporarily, which means the data is gone when you turn off your computer. The RAM stores all running programs when you work with your computer. The bigger and faster your RAM is, the higher performance you will reach. All major brand RAM comes with a lifetime warranty, meaning you can call the manufacturer, let them know you're shipping it back, and they'll send you a free replacement.
Once again there are many different types, speeds and connections, which you must ensure are compatible with your mother board. Single Data Rate (SDR SDRAM), with speeds of 100 and 133 mhz, Double Data Rate SDRAM with speeds of 200 mhz (pc1600), 266 mhz (pc2100), 366 mhz (pc2600) and it goes on, up to pc3200 and even more...
The common standard today is DDR2, which is the latest technology and it has a large range of speeds to select form. The size of the RAM may vary, but 512 MB or more is recommended for good performance. RAM memories are known to cause compability problems, so if you for instance run a mother board with an Intel chipset (kind if like a small computer inside the mother board), choosing Intel RAM (even if more expensive) is a water proof choice. Things to compare in regard to compability are:
- clock speed
- size
- RAM type
- (brand, if possible)
Sound card
Unless it's integrated with the mother board, you will need a sound card for the computer to produce sound, e.g. play music, error messages etc. Basic sound cards are today very cheap. You will most likely not need anything special, unless you plan to work a lot with audio editing, in case you will want to purchase something more advanced. Concerning sound cards there are often no special system requirements at all (except when it comes to very expensive and advanced models), outside of the connection type. For most cards this will be a PCI slot, which is standard on more or less all mother boards.
Network card
If you want to be able to connect to other computers and/or visit the Internet now and then, you will need a network card. This can, like with the sound and the video card, be either integrated with the mother board, or bought separately. For the latter, you will most often connect it to the PCI slot. There are two main speeds on the network cards: 10/100 Mbit/s and 1 Gbit/s (1000 Mbit/s). These speeds control the bandwith of the traffic flow. For the average user, the 10/100 model is more than enough. If you live somewhere with an optic fibre broadband connection, and has got a new and quick mother board, the 1 Gbit model might be more appealing, but generally, 10/100 is the way to go.
Case & Power supply
The case is the "body" of the computer, on which you place the mother board to keep the different components safe from dust, humidity, and other nasty things that might ruin a computer. Be sure the case you buy is the right size for your mother board - check the form factor. Also be sure the power supply in the case (if it comes with one) supplies enough power for all your system components. The power supply provides your computer with electricity. It should lie around 350-500 watt range, but the main thing here is to make sure it can handle all of your components.
Monitor
Of course you need a monitor to see what you're doing. An old one works fine, but in case you want a new, we can recommend these brands:
Proview
MAG
Sony
Viewsonic
Note: if you go with a flat panel display like a LCD display, they cost a bit more, so make sure you read over your warranty before purchase.
Mouse & Keyboard & Speakers
Mouse and keyboard are cheap these days and most times you don't need something special. These are excellent to take from old work places or similar; clean them with a humid rag and they will look like new. Mouse and keyboard most often use special ports on the mother board, but some newer mice and keyboards use USB connection, something that today is standard on all mother boards. If you lack one, consider buying a PCI card with USB-connections (these are also very cheap to get by), because USB is a standard connection format which digital cameras, MP3 players and much more, are using.
Speakers for your computer will be much like speakers for your stereo system: better quality means higher price. A cheaper alternative is to use headphones - or both, after situation. Both speakers and headphones will be plugged in to the sound card.
Operating System
Windows: Comes in many different editions, 2000 (Professional) and XP (Home/Professional) being the best choices. Quite a few security holes and not always 100% reliable, but in turn very easy to manage and with high hardware compability.
BSD: The BSDs are extremely stable, small, and secure. They are primarily server operating systems, but there are some BSD operating systems with decent desktop support such as FreeBSD and DesktopBSD. Will not have any game support or ATI video card drivers. OpenBSD is probably the most secure OS in the world, with only one exploit found in the default installation in the past six years. NetBSD will run on almost any hardware.
Linux (to be avoided usually): Somewhat of a median between the two. Not as stable or secure as BSD, but more secure than Windows. Many distros have their own purposes. Many open source programs are "ugly looking" and buggy. Has much more hardware support than BSDs when it comes to multimedia devices such as video and sound, though ATI users will find their drivers lacking. Recommended distros are Debian, Ubuntu (for people new to Linux), Knoppix for boot disc, and Puppy Linux for USB boot devices or CD-R writable boot disc.
The Assembly Process
When assembling, make sure you have no static - touch pieces of metal, or use one of those gimmicks that gets rid of static. A static charge can destroy expensive pieces of equipment, therefore you want to be careful with this when you touch the components.
Just like a car, when you can't use Ford parts on a Honda, that doesn't work unless you match things up. Most parts come with complete instructions on how to put the things together, just read the manuals thoroughly before assembly, make sure you have no static on you as this can damage some parts. Save receipts in case you need to return anything to a local shop.
It's as easy as Legos. Stay calm, and have fun! It's not as complicated as it may sound.
General tips
- Purchasing a surge protector is a good idea. It protects your equipment from voltage spikes and power surges. PRO POWER is good, but highli recommended is APC, as they offer warranties in case a surge gets passed in and destroys your equipment. The company will reimburse you for your losses.
- Free software, in the form of FreeBSD, BeOS (which has been discontinued, but usually somewhere for free download) or any other free operating systems and associated applications prevents you from having to participate in the upgrade cycle that produces needless mountains of toxic waste. Even if you don't build your own computer, you'll come out ahead with models from Averatec (http://www.averatec.com) or Acer (http://global.acer.com), HP (best for Printers like high quality ones and laptops), Gateway (best for laptops & server related systems but NOT for Desktops), Compaq (best again for laptops and servers but not recommended for Desktop systems), and Toshiba (great laptops and portable devices, and one of the greatest hard drive manufacturers along with Seagate & Western Digital).
- Ad-aware and anti-virus software is not a bad idea, but avoid installing too many programs on your computer, especially unknown P2P filesharing programs. Always update your software and operative system with the latest security patches to avoid other people getting into your machine. Be clever when surfing the Internet and leave porn sites etc. be.
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