We have the technology... *Updated* (How to Build the Perfect Computer)

Member Name: The Duke

Product:	How to Build the Perfect Computer
Date:	20/01/01 (43 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: PC to your specifications, Cheaper

Disadvantages: Difficult for novies, Time Consuming

First things first… if you are thinking about either building your own computer from scratch, or even performing an upgrade your first step should always be research! Are you technically competent around a PC’s innards? If not, then find a friend who is, and if they’re like me, will help you out for a pint and a nice Chinese meal. (For the basis of this, I’m assuming that you want to build from scratch, but the tips should apply to upgrading a PC as well)

Get this computer literate friend of yours around, and make a list of what components you want to have. Obviously, unless you’re a millionaire, and are buying all the top gear anyway, your component selection will depend on what you want to use your computer for.

A good games machine requires a fast processor (e.g. 900Mhz or faster) plus a good video card (GeForce2) for example. If you’re doing lots of graphics work, then a large monitor (at least 17” screen) with lots of memory (256MiB) is a good idea. If you’re a music whiz, then a good soundcard (Soundblaster live! Platinum) and quality speaker system is an idea. You get the picture.

Where, or who, do you buy from? As I live in Belfast, Northern Ireland, I find that prices are quite expensive over here – even from independent retailers, so I tend to use the internet as you get a better selection of stuff and even including carriage, is usually cheaper. Some sites I’ve used and recommend are Scan (www.scan.co.uk), Dabs (www.dabs.com) and CCL Computers (www.cclcomputers.co.uk). These sites should provide you with components a lot cheaper than you would find in the shops, and as usual, it’s best to shop around.

OK, by now your computer literate friend should be telling you that your computer needs:
*CPU (or processor)
*Motherboard (or mainboards as they’re sometimes known)
*Graphics adapter (or VGA card, or graphics card)
*Monitor

*Memory
Sound card
*DVD/CD ROM/CDRW drive
*Floppy disk drive
*Hard disk drive
Speakers
Modem (if required)
*Case
*Operating System (e.g. Windows 98 etc.)

Plus all your ports, sockets and leads which you shouldn’t have to worry about as they’ll be included with any components that need them. (Items marked with a ‘*’ are the bare minimum to get your computer running, and the rest are optional extras)

So you’ve explained to your friend what you want to use your computer for, and he (or she) has suggested some components. Are you working to a budget, or is no expense spared? I’ll assume that there’s a budget involved, after all if money were no object, you’d walk into Gateway or Tiny and buy an off the shelf PC. OK, what I usually do in this circumstance, once I’ve decided what the computer will be used for, is to ignore all prices, and make a list of the stuff you want in your system.

Then, after you’ve priced your dream system, and found that it’s over your budget, you start to reconfigure your component list – perhaps an 800Mhz processor instead of a 1Ghz one? 128Mb of memory instead of 256Mb? What about a “vanilla” (i.e. unbranded) graphics card instead of a branded (e.g. Creative, Guillemot etc.) one? It is possible to build the system you need a lot cheaper than buying one in the shops, and you get all the stuff you want, and not some generic computer that Tiny, Time or PC World will knock out. OK, now have you figured out that your component list is compatible with the other pieces? Is it the right motherboard for the processor? Does it have an AGP port for your graphics card? Do you want, or need USB ports for scanners, printers etc? Check all this stuff with both your computer literate friend, and with the person you are buying your stuff off before you make your order, and things will go a lot smoother in the
next phase.

OK – easy part over. Now comes the hard part. You’ve got all your stuff, and it’s sitting in nice little boxes around your living room. What do you do now? Easy! Phone your computer technical friend, and get them to do all the hard work for you! Generally (i.e. skimming over some stuff), the motherboard, memory and CPU go in first to the case, and these it’s switched on to make sure that they are running properly. Then try the hard drive, graphics card and monitor. Once these bits are all in and working, it’s just a matter of adding the rest of it 1 piece at a time, while installing your drivers. (If you are installing a modem, once you have everything up and running, I recommend log onto the Internet and upgrade all drivers if you can as the ones on your CD’s have probably been superseded)

And there you are – a nice shiny custom built PC for you to use as you wish. It’ll probably be cheaper than the one from Tiny, Time or PC World, and it will have all the quality components that you want. The good thing about home built PCs is that, not only are they usually, cheaper, but you get the components that you want, rather than the components that the retailer tells you to have. For example, this means that if money is limited (and if it isn’t, can I borrow a tenner please?) you could skimp on one part of it (e.g. smaller hard drive) while improving another part (e.g. larger montor).

Hang on I hear you cry - what about the manufacturers guarantee that Tiny etc. will give? Well, I would smugly reply, every single piece of equipment that you bought, comes with it's own one year guarantee, doesn't it? So if goes pear shaped, then you're still ok! The likelihood of something breaking is a lot less than it used to be when home computers first came out.

As for a telephone helpline or whatever, well, you have your PC friendly chum to help you when needed! Sorted!

Summary: