[UE]Reported Post by KerokeroCola

KerokeroCola · Dec 31, 2010

KerokeroCola has reported a post.

Reason:

Thread title change, please.

â€¢ â€¢ Kero's Guide to PC Parts & Assembly â€¢ â€¢

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Post: â€¢ â€¢ Kero's Guide to Assembling a PC â€¢ â€¢
Forum: General Computing
Assigned Moderators: Magic Arrow, Greg

Posted by: KerokeroCola
Original Content:

Kero's Guide to PC Parts & Assembly
A Dummy's Guide to Buying and Assembling aCustom PC
by KerokeroCola

Motherboard? Fans? Heat sink? CPU? GPU? PSU? RAM? HDD? Whatttt???

Building your first hand-built PC is both economical and exciting. However, it can be daunting to a first-time builder, as well. Many first-time builders get lost in the sea of new words and give up before they start. Don't fret! Just follow these guidelines and you should be good to go!

Part 1: All about PC Building

The following are reasons why you should build a PC rather than buy!

Save hundreds of dollars!
Buying a PC from Best Buy, Comp USA, or even Wal Mart can be expensive. Standard desktops with minimal settings can be $800 or more. Building an equivalent bare-bones PC yourself can cost as low as $400!

You get a much better system!
But who wants a bare-bones PC? Spend that $800 and get yourself a PC that can tackle practically any game, any process, and looks cool to boot!

You can customize what you want!
You can go to Best Buy and say, "I need a PC that will handle games really hard, burn discs like a pro, but I don't care much about the hard drive size." Chances are, they will not have a PC for you. You'll have to either compensate with more money to get a PC with a large HD, or less quality in what you need. With a hand-built PC, you can put a GPU that will run Crysis at full-high detail but only has 150 GB of data space if you want!

No crappy adware that you get from brand-name PCs!
Most brand-name PCs (especially the cheaper ones like Dell, HP, Toshiba) come with at least a dozen adware programs that give your computer a poor start in life. The computer companies literally sell harddrive space on new computers, so it means you have to spend less. These programs are simply annoying, but there's no avoiding them.

However, with a hand-build PC, all that comes installed are the core drivers and Windows itself. Nothing to bloat up your PC before you even start on it!

It's fun!
'Nuff said here. ^_^

The following is the only reason why you should not:

It can be daunting to an inexperienced person.
Yes, but you're reading this guide--you'll be experienced in no time! So that's really a silly reason.

Five(and more!) reasons FOR building a PC and only one silly reason AGAINST it? Seems like an obvious decision. :laugh:

Part 2: Where to Start

Most towns have internet hardware stores, but their prices are absurd. Plus, gas is expensive these days. The best place to buy computer hardware is on the Internet. There are many websites that deal in computer electronics, but by far the best is Newegg.com.

Newegg.com

When you navigate to Newegg, you'll see a menu bar. The following menu tab is your one and only stop for buying PC Parts:

As you can see, that's a LOT of hardware to buy. Don't worry, I'll tell you what you need and what you don't need.

Part 3: The Hardware

You'll need the following to get your PC working: A case, a mobo, a PCU, a CPU (and a heat sink and a fan), a GPU, some RAM, a HDD, a disc drive, some peripherals, and other sundries. It seems like a lot, but I'll walk you through what each term means and what to look for.

The Case
This thing houses your PC. It holds all of the components, and it blows in cool air and blows our hot air. It's important to get a well-ventilated case to avoid overheating your system. It's also important to find a case that can fit all your parts. Don't buy a slim case if you have a over-sized motherboard. However, case is as much about style as it is about cooling. A lot can be judged about a PC gamer just based on the case he uses.

Most cases today will have quality cooling systems, so you can usually trust that what you get will work. So choose the one that fits your budget and your style! Read the reviews to make sure it's sturdy and dependable, though.

A NOTE ON CASES: Newegg charges very high prices for shipping cases, unless you qualify for free shipping. Make sure you're not getting charged too much
on a case! Best Buy has cases for sale that are less than the price of a Newegg case plus shipping.

The Motherboard
The motherboard houses all of the main components in a computer. Anything that is plugged into your computer will be routed through the motherboard. Though they don't play a direct role in computer processing, a crappy motherboard can jeopardize an otherwise well-built PC. Shorts in a mobo can also short out other chips, etc. etc. It's important to pick a mobo that's well-built as well as one that can house all of what you need.

Basic motherboards come with slots for one CPU, one GPU, two/four RAM chips, one PCU, and some others. If you plan on using more than these amounts (which is unnecessary), pay attention to the chipsizes. Also, pay attention to the type of chip provided. There are many types of CPU sot, RAM slot, etc. Know what other chips you want before you pick your motherboard.

The Processor
The Central Processing Unit (CPU) does all of the work in a PC. When you open a program, run processes, move files, your CPU is what the computer does to "think". It's basically the brain of a PC. It's very important to buy a CPU that can handle your workload.

The "power" of a CPU is measured in Hz, which stands for "processes per second". A computer with more Hz can work faster and process more at once. Many CPUs actually have several integrated "cores" in them (called dual-core, quad-core, etc), which essentially increases the processing speed by the amount of cores. A 3.0 GHz (about 3 million Hz) dual-core processor has an equivalent of 6.0 GHz of processing speed. A 3.0 GHz quad-qore has 12.0 GHz total.

There are two major brands of CPU: Intel and AMD. I usually don't go into brand picking, but it's an important distinction here. Intel CPUs work better with NVIDIA GPUs (Graphics Processing Unit) and ONLY work with Intel mobos; AMD CPUs work better with ATI GPUs and ONLY work with AMD mobos. Know what type of CPU/mobo/and GPU you are buying!

The socket type for a CPU varies based on the CPU. Pay attention and make sure the socket matches your mobo!

Another thing to add in here is the heat sink. This is most pertinent to the CPU because the CPU often produces the most heat in a PC (followed by the GPU in most gaming builds). The heat sink is a thermostat in your computer and controls the speed of your PCU fan. Both a heat sink and a PCU fan are included in most CPUs, but you have the option of upgrading them if you feel you aren't cooling your PC fast enough.

The Power Supply
The Power Supply Unit....surprise!.....powers your computer. It's what you plug into the wall, and it gives power to all of your chips. There are two important things about a PSU: the wattage, and the types of cable. The wattage is the total amount of power: the higher, the more stuff you can add; the lower, the cheaper energy costs, but the less stuff you can have. A typical "nice" gaming computer with a quad-core CPU and a nice GPU will need about 500-600W. Such a PSU usually has the right cables, so don't worry. Check out the reviews of the one you link to see if anyone is complaining about the cables... if not, it's probably safe to go.

The Video Card
The Video Card (GPU for short) operates any graphics processing that goes on to your computer. It separates this task from the GPU and RAM to allow more efficient graphics. If you're a hardcore gamer (especially if you play shooters), a GPU means a lot. These are measured in core clock (Hz, similar to CPUs) and total memory (measured in bites). The core clock is the overall graphics speed, whereas the memory is the total capacity of graphics that can be processed in a given moment. Both are very important!

Most games play fine on a low-core clock (~250 MHz) and medium memory (~512 MB), but games like COD: Black Ops on high def require something much higher to be so pretty. Hardcore gamers shoot for clocks of 1000+ MHz and 1024 MB (1 GB) or more of memory. However, it's important to make the distinction that graphics cards can vary on many aspects; for example (as Gurtaton says in a reply), running a game on a 30" monitor can be very taxing on a video card, whereas it'll purr lightly playing the same game on an 17". If you have a large monitor, you'll need a larger GPU to be able to organize that many more pixels.

Another thing to look for in a GPU (and a monitor, for that matter) is 3D compatibility. Most new GPUs are now able to play games in 3D, but make sure--just in case you want to use it--that yours will support it.

Random Access Memory
RAM chips allow your computer to "remember" processes to take loads off of your CPU. Tasks that are repetitive and don't involve "reactions" are exported to the RAM to process. RAM is also measured in core clock and memory size.

Picking a RAM chip often depends on your motherboard of choice. Most mobos only have one type of RAM slot, so make sure you get the right one! The most common slots in today's mobos are DDR2 and DDR3 slot. This refers to the core clock speed; DDR2 is a little slower than DDR3. Most people don't realize that RAMs even have a clock speed, but it can make a big difference in laggy computers. For most computer usage, though, 4 GB total memory and ~800 MHz clock speed on the chips is perfectly fine.

Hard Disk Drive
The HDD (hard drive for short) stores all files longterm on your computer. Everything from the core drivers (the stuff that tell your computer parts how to run) to your operating system to your music to your temporary internet files are on your HDD. Picking the right HDD is important to any PC user.

HDD, like RAM and GPUs, have a speed (this time in RPM, or how fast the disk spins) and a memory size. They also have a cache, measured in bites, which determines the amount of memory available for processing requests. Generally, all you'll ever notice in a HDD is the memory size. You can buy HDDs up to 1-2 TB memory for relatively cheap, but might be hard-pressed to fill them. 1 TB is about 250,000 songs. Unless you back up all of your movies, games, songs, and everything to your hard disk, I suggest maxing out at a 1 TB drive. The speed and cache are important for data transfer and data writing, but really most new HDDs are good enough for general usage. Additionally, you have the option between a normal HDD and a Solid State Disk Drive (SDD). SDDs are similar to Flash Drives in composition but are designed to work inside your PC as your main drive. They have colossally high data access/transfer rates when compared to normal HDDs, but they can get extremely hot and have limited size. For the user who knows a lot about cooling his case and needs the extra-fast speed, SDDs are the way to go.

CD/DVD/Blu-Ray Drive
Although not necessary to run a computer, a disc drive is very imporant to most PC users. If you plan on installing Windows, you'll need a disc drive to run it. We all know the important uses of a disc drive, so I'll not waste time listing them. Let's just say that it's virtually necessary in a computer these days.

You have a lot of options here, so let me help. A CD/DVD drive is essential if you play music and use any large discs (the Windows disc is a DVD now). A Blu-Ray drive is really only useful for watching Blu-Ray movies--it's cool, but usually excessive. Also important is if the drive is "RW" or can write on "RW" (rewritable) discs of that type. Pay attention to the write speed and find one that fits your needs. A lot of discs can't be read if they're written at a slow speed, but usually 16x is much more than enough.

Peripherals
Peripherals refer to anything that you add into the computer for indirect use of the computer. Mouse, keyboard, monitor, speakers, webcam, external drives, etc. I won't go into much detail because these are all self-explanatory and vary a lot, but don't forget buying some when you buy your PC. It's just your luck to spend $800 on a new PC, hours trying to figure out how it all goes together, and then not have a mouse to use. These are all relatively cheap in retail stores, but Newegg sells them, too.

One thing to pay attention to is if your motherboard and graphics card have the available slots. Don't buy eight USB peripherals and only have six USB ports on your motherboard. The monitor is the only thing that will plug into the GPU, so make sure it has the right input/outpit (DVI, VGA, or HDMI).

Cords & Sundries
You'll need some cords to connect all the stuff together in your case, as well as various other things. A small jeweler's phillips screwdriver and a normal size phillips screwdriver are often the only tools needed, but you'll need some other stuff to get it all to work. Buy some SATA cables--these connect your disk drives (HDD, CD/DVD, etc) to your mobo--and make sure you have enough cables on your PSU to power everything. If not, buy some extenders (or upgrade your PSU--if you have more stuff than cables, chances are you'll max out the wattage and short out your PC). One thing to also have is thermal grease, a conductive compound that seals your CPU to your heat sink. Some CPUs come with thermal grease; some don't. You'll hate to order the one that doesn't have grease and not be able to put your PC together. For like $5 a tube, just get some grease now rather than later.

It may also behoove a person expecting to run their PC long and hard (such as a botter) to invest in other case fans. Look into these now and see if your desired case supports extra fans. More air flow never hurt a PC, but restricted ventilation often fries components.

Part 4: Assembly

Assembly of the PC is often the most overwhelming part. However, it's extremely difficult to explain in simple typing. If you have a friend who built a PC, I suggest asking him for help. Though it seems baffling, it's very easy to learn from experience. I can sum up what to do, but it's difficult without visual examples. You should also consult the manuals that come with your case and your motherboard. Some products have specific ways to do it that are different than normal. For example, most cases have you screw in your disk drives; however, some cases come with special clamps that allow for easy detaching of these devices. Be sure and read your manuals, as well!

One thing to be sure of when assembling your parts is never do it on any surface that can add static. This includes carpets, beds, blankets, towels, laundry, etc. Static electricity can surge through your partially assembled PC and potentially cause a lot of damage to your components. NEVER install a computer on a static-prone surface! I always use my wooden kitchen table.

You need to follow these steps to successfully complete your PC:

• Screw your motherboard and power supply into your case
• Attach the disk drives (hard drive & DVD drive) to the case
• Attach the CPU, then the heat sink and CPU fan
• Attach the RAM chips to the motherboard
• Attach the GPU to the motherboard
• Connect all ports to their respective motherboard slots (using SATA cables, etc.)
**Note: Many cases have USB/LED/stereo cables that need to be attached, too.
(Consult your mobo handbook to see where to insert these wires.)
• Finally, connect the PSU ports to the motherboard, the GPU, the disk drives, and the fans. Make sure your PSU is off and not plugged in while you do this.

I repeat that it is very difficult to simply write out how to install all of these components. The steps above are more-or-less guidelines; you should try and learn by observation, if at all possible.

For those of you without peers to observe, YouTube can do almost as well. Here are two videos on computer installation:

Shorter video, less in-depth:

Longer and more step-by-step:

Click to expand...

Log in or Sign up

[UE]Reported Post by KerokeroCola

KerokeroCola Hero

Log in or Sign up

[UE]Reported Post by KerokeroCola

Thread Tools

KerokeroCola Hero