Components You Will Need To Assemble Your Own Pc

By Author: Rybeka Parsons
Total Articles: 5
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Case - Perhaps the most obvious part of the computer is the bit you'll see while using it. The computer's case is what holds everything together and is where you can really give it a unique look. Cases come in a variety of colours and with various patterns so you can use this to really personalise your PC and help it make a statement.

Power cable - You will need a power supply to actually power the components you're using. While it may seem an obvious choice, that's what makes it so easily overlooked among CPUs and RAM.

Monitor - Obviously without a monitor you won't be able to see what your computer is doing which makes using it a bit tricky. These are external and there are various aspects to consider when picking one including size and resolution. The best monitors are flat screen and HD though you may also want to look into projectors or set ups utilising multiple monitors.

Speakers - For hearing your computer. You may wish to look into surround sound set ups etc.

Keyboard & Mouse - These are necessary for input and are easily changeable. Again there are various options for the keyboard and ...
... mouse and you may wish to play with wireless and ergonomic options.

CD/DVD-Drive - Most likely you will now want a writeable DVD drive but should also look into the speed of the drive for programmes that are required to run from the disk and copy speed.

Motherboard - The motherboard is what ties your computer together and connects all the other components which will be fastened to the board. They are distinct from a backplane in that they normally house the CPU.

IDE cables - These thick cables can be used to connect components not mounted onto the motherboard.

CPU - The CPU, or ‘Central Processing Unit', could be described as the CEO of your computer and is used to perform most of the computational processes. How fast your processor is will determine how quickly your computer is capable of running, how well it copes with running multiple programmes, and whether or not you can play the top end computer games. Today you should look at around 2GHZ or above for your processor to make sure it's capable of running all the latest software and games.

Cooling System - CPUs unfortunately have a bad habit of getting very hot which means you'll need to find a method to keep the temperature inside your tower down. There are various options here, but a fan or liquid cooling system are the two most common.

RAM (memory) - RAM, or ‘Random Access Memory', is additional memory that your computer uses in order store bits of information while it does calculations etc. In this way it is the equivalent of your brain's short term memory. Here you can make do with 1 Gigabyte but it is advisable to look into at least 4, particularly if you are going to be running Windows Vista.

Hard Drive - The hard drive is another crucial component for any PC as it is what stores all your long term data. Programmes will utilise it to store installation files, and you'll need it yourself to save documents and media files. Today anything around 250 gigabytes is acceptable, though if you want a truly high performance machine then hard drives over a terabyte (1024 gigabytes) are available.

Graphics card - The graphics card handles your computer's graphics and without one you won't be able to display the crisp images your desktop would otherwise be capable of. For those who intend the computer for casual/business use 256-512mb is serviceable, but for those who are interested in high end gaming you should look into 2-4GB graphics cards.

Sound card - The equivalent of your graphics card but for sound.

Modem - The best PCs today have in-built wireless modems.

Hopefully you can now assemble your own PC; starting with an empty computer case. Author manages launceston computer store and has assembled many computers from scratch.