| Many people now opt to build their own computer so | | | | But it is best to get a cooler that is more efficient and |
| that they are more in control of the specifications they | | | | quieter than the one included in the package. |
| want and save more than just a few pounds. There | | | | Remember to get a thermal compound to put onto the |
| are a multitude of DIY's found all over the Internet, and | | | | CPU core. |
| yes, it is possible to build one yourself! But before doing | | | | Motherboard |
| so, you must choose the right components for your | | | | Choose a motherboard that matches your processor's |
| computer. Here are some of the very basic | | | | socket type and supports the same bus speed as the |
| components you need to get: | | | | CPU. |
| Computer Case | | | | RAM |
| Computer cases now come in a variety of designs | | | | Similarly, choose a RAM that is compatible with the |
| and colours. Some now even come with a panel | | | | motherboard's bus speed. Get at least 512MB of RAM. |
| window where you can see the inside parts through. | | | | Hard Disk Drive (HDD) |
| What is important when buying a case is that the size | | | | The HDD is your permanent storage for system files, |
| of the case should support the size of the | | | | applications, documents, games and so on. Get the |
| motherboard. A mid-tower case is highly | | | | largest hard drive capacity that you can afford. If you |
| recommended as it has enough room for all the | | | | are on a tight budget, you can get at least a 60GB. |
| hardware. | | | | Most motherboards have IDE slots for hard drives. |
| Power Supply | | | | Newer ones also have SATA connectors for SATA |
| The power supply must provide you at least 300 | | | | HDDs, which are quite faster than IDE HDDs. |
| watts and fit right into the computer case you choose. | | | | Graphics Card |
| If you are one of those who extreme users or | | | | If you use the computer for regular office work, you |
| gamers, you may want to buy a bigger power supply | | | | can get a motherboard with a built-in video card. If you |
| to feed additional cooling, USB devices and case | | | | use it for gaming, you might want to buy a separate |
| lighting. | | | | video card. Video cards usually use an AGP slot or a |
| Processor | | | | PCI Express slot on the motherboard. |
| The processor is the most important choice you need | | | | Sound Card |
| to make in setting up your own computer. You have | | | | Most motherboards have built-in sound cards which |
| to know exactly what kind and how fast you need. | | | | generally have good quality. If you use sound mixing or |
| There are a variety of options from AMD and Intel, for | | | | audio/video editing, you can get at least a 24-bit sound |
| example: AMD Athlon, AMD Sempron, AMD Duron, | | | | card for better quality. |
| Intel Celeron, Intel Core Duo, among others. If you only | | | | CD/DVD |
| use the computer to surf the web, do word | | | | Of optical drives, it is best to seek for a DVD/CD-RW |
| processing, gaming and some graphics editing, the 1.8 | | | | combo or a DVD±RW; the latter is a better |
| GHz - 2.0 GHz might be enough. Extreme gaming, 3D | | | | choice. DVDs have larger capacity to allow you to |
| rendering and video editing would need at least a | | | | store more music and movie files and back-up data. If |
| 2.4GHz processor. | | | | you do not expect to burn disks, you can opt for a |
| CPU Cooler | | | | CD-R or a DVD-R drive. |
| Processors usually come with a fan and a heat sink. | | | | |