Building Your Own Computer -- Part One

Before building a new computer you must decide what it will be used for. This will allow you to allocate your budget to purchase specialized equipment where needed. For example, if you plan to play a lot of games, you will need a powerful graphics card and specialized controllers like joysticks. If the computer is going to be used for word processing and surfing the net, your graphics card doesn't need to be so powerful. Instead, you could spend extra money on a keyboard and mouse.

Computers built for special purposes such as video editing and sound recording have particular requirements for add-on cards. These cards in turn may have special requirements of the CPU or motherboard. Knowing how the computer will be used will allow you to choose the most appropriate components for that purpose.

Re-using Old Parts?

If you have come to the point of building your own computer, you probably have an existing computer and are wondering if you can salvage parts from the old machine. This depends mainly on its age. If it is more than five years old you would probably be better using all new components. Continual advancements in computer technology give us faster and more reliable components every year.

The only old piece of equipment you might consider re-using is the floppy disk drive. Floppy disks are almost at the point of obsolescence, but you may need one occasionally.

On the other hand, if you have a computer that is less than two years old, it may have parts that could be used in your new machine. Perhaps the hard drive could be installed as a secondary drive and the CD player or DVD player may be suitable for your needs.

It's usually not a good idea to reuse the motherboard, the CPU, or the memory. All of these components are continuously enhanced, so if you care for performance (which is the reason you are building your own computer, right?) you are better off buying new.

Choosing Parts

Start to make a list of all the components that you need. Before filling in particular model numbers, just make a list with the names of all the components e.g. case, motherboard, CPU etc.

Now you need to decide on particular brands and models of each component that you have listed. There are several ways to go about this. You can build a computer system around a particular CPU, around a particular motherboard, or around an add-on card such as a professional sound or video card. As we mentioned above, the primary use of the computer will determine which is the most important component.

Most computer systems are built around a particular motherboard/CPU combination. After having chosen these two important components, you can choose compatible peripheral devices.

Retail or Mail Order?

You can usually find very good deals through Internet mail-order merchants. Local merchants are usually a bit more expensive and have less of a selection, but don't rule them out completely. They may offer better service and support than an Internet dealer.

When buying equipment you will probably be presented with the choice of OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) or retail. OEM hardware is manufactured by the same company as the retail version but is intended primarily for companies that build computers under their own name.

Although you can buy OEM equipment to use in your own computer, it usually is unpackaged (except for a static-free bag) and does not come with cables, a manual, or other accessories. OEM equipment is usually cheaper but the warranty may be less than the retail version. Cables, manuals and warranties are important -- it's usually better to pay the extra cost and go with the retail version.