I need to build a computer.

Andre3k

New Member
Registered
Jun 23, 2005
442
0
0
38
Longview, WA
I am going to attempt to build my own computer. I was just curious as to what parts I need to purchase to build one. Any help is greatful, thank you.
 
How much experience do you have? It's not that hard, but there are some processes you want to follow, and honestly, unless you know what you're doing it can actually be MORE EXPENSIVE to build yourself than to have someone customize your rig.

What I did was look up all the parts I wanted, based on my budget on NewEgg.com (seems to be the most reliable web site out there). You'll need, at minimum, and assuming you already have a monitor and keyboard/mouse you like:

Case
Motherboard
CPU
RAM
Hard Drive
Video Card (do not rely on on-board video for gaming!!)
Optical Drive (CD or CD/RW, with DVD or DVD/RW recommended)
Case Fans
CPU Fan
Cables (IDE or SATA for the HDD, IDE for the optical drive should be it- MIGHT come with the mobo, depending on brand)

What you don't need:

Sound card (most mobos have very good 6-channel audio right on the board
Networking card (same as above)
Video Cooling fan (comes on-board with video card)

What you might want to have:

Flash Drive
Lights
Cooling Fan Bus Control


What I did was part the whole thing out on NewEgg, then I went to a local PC store, list in hand, and asked them what it would cost to build a custom system WITH THE EXACT SAME PARTS at that retailer, and I was amazed to discover that they came within about $200 of my part price. And the retailer gave me a 2-year warranty on the entire thing, as opposed to the 90-day warranty on my parts. That alone was worth the extra money.

So, unless an extra $200 is a total deal-breaker for you budget-wise, I’d pick your budget, research the parts individually (based on extensive hardware reviews- I like Tom’s Hardware personally, but Google will be your friend here), and then find a local retailer and ask them to custom build you that same system.

If the construction aspect is the thing you want to have fun with, then by all means just order parts and start building! =)

Good luck and let us know how it goes! :cookiemon
 
If you can get someone with some experience to help you out a little, putting your own computer together can be somewhat fun (and you do learn a lot). For my own experience, I already had a working monitor, mouse and keyboard, so I didn't have to spend money there. Then, I did a bunch of price comparisons online including Newegg.com. I mostly ordered parts from Newegg since they had good prices on the parts I wanted, and it was just easier to keep track of things. The case I picked up at a local store because it was bulky, and I didn't want to have it mailed.

If you don't get your PC custom built, don't forget to have some Operating System software on hand as well.
 
I've built one before but that was like a few years ago when I was super into computers....you know what they say what you don't use, you lose.
 
i think that's only true about the penis man.

obviously you need to make sure your CPU matches the mobo, and the fan. and the RAM has to be compatable. also, make sure your mobo has the slots you need. most likely you're going to want a PCI express slot at this point in the game, or a fast AGP slot, so you can get a video card that's worth its weight in gold (truly, they cost that much these days).

are you sure you don't just want to buy a 360? i never thought i'd say that...but seriously.
 
X-Box 360? I dunno...I don't want to say anything, I think there are too many 360 fans around and I don't need to get jumped at this point in time.
 
Yeah. I mean, cmon. You should just get a 360. The majority of high-profile PC games in the future and in the past few months were/will be effectively ported to the 360. And since it's just gonna cost ya $600-$700 to get a PC that can pull off some of the games that come out in the next year or two, why not just buy a 360 for 400, another contoller for 40, and Call of Duty 2, Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, Quake 4, Condemned and a year of Xbox Live and then a spicy chicken filet value meal from wendy's on your way home?
 
Seriously, if you don't have the experience don't even try to build one, it will be a waste of money.