PC parts & Upgrading Guide

[RDCA]

Ever thought of upgrading your system, or maybe you want a new computer and you want the satisfaction of building it yourself. Well this thread is for you. I will lead you in the right way to get the parts you need with details about what the part does and the uses. So you get what you need depending on the type of user you are, whether it be lots of ram for your multitasking needs or an amazing graphics card for some fun gaming with HD graphics. This will cover all the needed parts and a couple not needed ones as well. Hopefully this will help a lot of people as there have been a lot of questions lately.

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Here is a list of some websites in which you can buy the parts off of.

• http://newegg.com
  
• http://microcenter.com
  
• http://computershopper.com
  
• http://Tiger Direct.com
  
• http://Ebay.com
  
• http://Amazon.com
  

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Required Parts:

1. CPU
   
2. Motherboard
   
3. Graphics card
   
4. Hard drive
   
5. Ram
   
6. Case
   
7. Power Supply
   
8. DVD Drive
   
9. Monitor
   
10. Keyboard & mouse
    

Optional Parts:

1. External Drive
   
2. Additional Monitors
   
3. Pads
   
4. Microphone & Webcam
   
5. Speakers
   
6. Additional Fans
   

Also if you are assembling this yourself I suggest you get a couple tools to help you.

• Philips Flat head screwdriver
  
• Cross-head screwdriver
  
• Antistatic wrist strap (This is optional, but I reccomend this 100% as its better to be safe then sorry!)
  
• A bowl to place bolts/nuts inside of.
  
• Room - You are going to need space to work as you don't want to spill anything.
  

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CPU

• The CPU is short for Central Processing Unit and is one of the most expensive and needed parts in your PC. It processes all the info for your computer and is sometimes referred to as the brains of a computer. Modern CPUs are small little boxes with small metallic pins coming out of the bottom, this will be inserted into the motherboard, but something to keep in mind is compatibility, or whether it will work with the machine. Each motherboard will only support a certain type of CPU.
  
  
  
  Spoiler (Click to View)

  
  
  
  
• There are many types of CPUs but the most used on PCs (personal computers) is Intel, then AMD. These are the two most used and come is a wide variety. Even more so with Intel since they released there Core series.
  • Core i7
    
  • Core i7 Extreme
    
  • Core i3
    
  • Core i5
    
  • Core 2 duo
    
  • Core 2 Quad
    
  • There are more as well.
    
  As for AMD they also have a new line of top notch processors entitled Phenom.
  • X6
    
  • X4
    
  • X3
    
  • X2
    
  • Also there is the Athlon series.
    
• So as some of you may notice that the numbers between the two are strikingly similar. Well this is because they have meaning; for the number with version determine the amount of cores. By standard a CPU has one core but most modern CPUs have multiple cores, up to 6 on the i7. But thanks to imperfect algorithms two cores does not equal the power of one core plus another its about one core plus half of another. But still the more power the better, but what does having a good CPU help with. Well the CPU's power helps with a couple things, such as multitasking, giving commands, and more modern games that can utilize more then 1 CPU its really good for.
  
• So based on what type of person you are should determine your CPU. If you are a person that has a very high budget (around 10,000 USD) and you just want the best of everything you can then I suggest getting the Intel i7 extreme. Its pre-overclocked, has built in turbo-charge technology. But if you are more of a casual user then the Phenom X4 should suit you fine.
  
• Some things to look at when buying a CPU is the Cores, frequency, whether it is turbo-enabled, cache, and memory. These are the most important, things to look for specifically; under memory it says DDR3, at least 2 cores, 2.7, the socket type, and above hertz under frequency.
  

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Motherboard

• The motherboard is a critical aspect of your computer and determines everything else. Its very important that you take careful consideration when buying this part. Its very complex and can be very confusing. Also thanks to Wikipedia here is a picture with it labeling each of the parts within the motherboard.
  
  
  
  
  
  
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• Some very important things to look at when buying a motherboard is the chipset, CPU socket, type of memory that is supported, its BIOS, slots for expansion cards (video & sounds cards). Remember this should be the first part you chose when building your own custom computer as it determines everything else. Learn everything you can about your motherboard and do some research on problems that it has had. Perhaps check its reviews. As mentioned above remember to look at the CPU socket to see whats compatible as this is one of the most expensive and important parts in your computer, you don't want to buy a $1,000 CPU and have it be incompatible with your motherboard.
  
• Some other things to think about when getting your motherboard with whether it has a built in video and or audio card. As this is very important when building your pc. As if it does have a built in one you must not add an additional video card before at least booting up once or else you could face some problems. Some things to worry about is temperature and reliability. Motherboards have a built in feature called a heat sinks, which cool with motherboard with air. So look for the amount of GPUs and whether it has any problems. I will be going in depth about cooling later.
  

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Graphics card

• This piece of a computer determines the quality and ability of your PCs ability to process graphics data, including 3D capabilities. Of course your screen needs to be able to display this data as well but that's another section. So what exactly do we need a graphics card for some may ask, well have you ever wanted to play the newest game but yet it doesn't look as good as you thought, well chances are its due to your graphics card, if a game can't be run then it will lower the quality settings making the game look worse, but with a good graphics card you can even get 3D screens and total HD. Also graphically dependent applications will be less likely to lag.
  
• Some things to think about when purchasing a graphics card is whether your motherboard already has one, 3D capabilities, the memory, chip set and brand. So the truth is when purchasing your graphics card is to think about what you are going to be doing. If you are just a casual user that plays little flash games on the internet and go on youtube then a regular graphics card built into the motherboard should be good for you, or just a regular one if your motherboard doesn't have a built in one. If you are more of a video editing and design person then its better to get a professional graphics card instead of a gaming one, but if you like to play the newest games then go with the best gaming one you can find, as they are going to be a bit expensive but the looks will leave you in awe.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Spoiler (Click to View)

  
• As you guys can see in the above picture you can see three female endings, each for a different kind of output. You can also see a fan on the card itself, this is to keep it cool as it can get very hot as well. As for memory on these cards there is a small amount of ram (see later for better description) on them, but they also use some of the systems ram, so if you have a powerful graphics card be sure to have a good amount of ram, or you can risk a freeze or crash.
  

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Hard Drive

• The hard-drive is a unique piece that comes in many sizes and forms. It stores all your data, programs, user info, and preferences. So they come in a wide variety of sizes shapes and even colors. So to better understand your hard drive lets get a brief overview of how it works and how it fits into the motherboard, as this is yet another component that will be placed within your motherboard. So how exactly does your hard drive work some may ask, well it uses magnetism to store binary data to a piece of the hard drive called a "platter" in which it can be read later. So this piece just plugs in via a sata cable were the info is transferred and then processes. Now as for sizes here is a little lesson on that.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Spoiler (Click to View)

  
  
  
  
• Hard drives are measured in MBs, which is short for a mega-byte. A MB is equal to 100,000,000 bytes and every byte is a bit of info. But some of you may of heard the term, gigabyte or in Laymen's terms the gig. Most standard hard drives that come with pre-built computers are either 200, 500, or 650, but every machine varies to be honest. So just make sure to read. Also here is a list of the different sizes.:
  • Byte
    
  • Kilobyte
    
  • Megabyte
    
  • Gigabyte
    
  • terrabyte
    
  • There are bigger sizes, the biggest being the Yottabyte but chances of you buying on are slim to none.
    
• So each of this ranks relate to each other by size. As for each 1000 of the first rank you get the next rank, as an example, 1000 gigabytes is equal to one TB. So this rapidly grow in size as you guys can imagine, basically if looking at it from a number point of view you are adding three zeros to the end, like this 1000 ---> 1000,000, and that would be a kilobyte. So this makes memory conversion simple to a point.
  

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RAM

• RAM is an abbreviation for the term "Random Access Memory" which is another type of memory, but this is different then the type your hard drive has, as it doesn't store data after the machine is turned off. RAM is used to store data within it so its not loaded onto the hard disc, which essentially speeds the PC up. So if notice long waiting times for certain things it may be due to your ram, as if you have a low amount, less can be stored on it, which means that it has to be omitted every time you want to use that data. So RAM is a very useful part of your memory and you use it more then you think. It makes multitasking very easy to do. As you face less lag when having multiple applications open.
  
• But there is different types of RAM, the most modern and probably most used now is DDR3 ram, also remember your motherboard determines your type of ram so make sure you get the right kind, whether you are upgrading or building a computer yourself. So as for the different types of RAM here is a list.
  • DDR
    
  • DDR2
    
  • DDR3
    
• Also note there is other kinds of RAM, but the one we are focused on is Synchronous dynamic RAM. So if you are more interested a Google search could help you a lot. Some things to think about when choosing RAM is the Cas timing, and the frequency speed. With these two values you can figure out which piece of ram is better, for the most part it is going to be the DDR3, so always go for that when you can.
  
  
  
  
  
  Spoiler (Click to View)

  
• So as you can see yes this is another part in which gets inserted into the motherboard. So somethings to keep in mind is how many slots do you have for ram, and how many gigs are your cards. As each stick of ram contains a certain amount of gigs, usually 4 or 8. Also they usually come in sets of two sticks. So make sure you have two open spots on your motherboard if upgrading.
  

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Case

• This part is going to hold everything together, this isn't much to say about this. But there is a couple things to think about; whether it includes the tools that are necessary for assembly, if it has fans, the spacing, other cool features. So some cases have cool features, such as color temperature coordination, LEDs, and other miscellaneous features. So just pick one within your budget and that you like.
  

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Power Supply

• The power supply is a very important part of the PC, it gives all the power to the motherboard in which it redistributes to the need parts. So somethings to think about here is temperature, power rating and efficiency. Make sure you have enough power to supply your machine, some things to take into consideration are any extra cards, CPU, and other extra features you added.
  
• So these parts are known as PSUs and they are very complex for a simple task. They have multiple connectors in which some connect to the motherboard, to the case, and to other peripherals as well. Luckily them come with instructions to it shouldn't be tremendously hard. If you find you are having trouble a good google search or asking on a forum may help you. Do not do anything you are not certain of as you can easily damage or fry your machine.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Spoiler (Click to View)

  
• The above picture shows a a PSU with the top removed to show the internals, though you don't have to worry about those. Also this is a slightly bigger one as well. But it is as example for you guys to take a gander at.
  

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DVD Drive

• This may be one of the most over looked part of the PC, but it is needed. There isn't much detail you need on these. Some things to look for though is the ability to burn, as well as that it support dual layer CDs which most do. So just get something cheap but yet reliable, as your going to need this to install your OS (operating system).
  
• This as well plugs into your motherboard and requires to cables to be inserted into it, one for power and the other a transmitter/receiver. So setup for this part should be fairly self explanatory, but as always a little search or asking for help could never hurt.
  

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• The monitor is something you should really think about, as even if you buy the best graphics card if your screen cannot display the data then it is useless. So something you might want to look for are, HD compatible, 3D Compatible, and also as an extra the ability to accept regular input instead of VGA.
  
  
  
  
  Monitor
  
  
  Spoiler (Click to View)

  
• So this is one of the one external parts of a PC, as for hooking it up its just plugging in a VGA cable to the back of the screen, then turn on the screen and then turn on computer and it should work fine. Also you may want to buy screen cleaner to keep your monitor clean as dirt, and dust and make a screens quality appear to be less.
  

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Keyboard & Mouse

• This can be one of the hardest things to buy, as there are so many and a myriad of features and abilities. For my suggestion think about what you are mainly going to be doing on a computer, if you are more of a professional guy then just go with something ergonomic as you can use it a long time without the risk of getting a "carpotunnel". If you are more of a gamer then go with something with extra buttons and cool features. Most gaming mouses have extra button with macro support so you can add useful features to this buttons.
  
  
  
  
  Spoiler (Click to View)

  
• As for the setting these up, its just usually a simple USB (universal serial bus) that plugs in the back of the case, thus making this an easy assembly. As for setting up the macros, you most do that after the OS has been installed. Also remember there are other things besides mouses, such as trackpads, and you can also get writing tablets, which allow you to be able to get your writing into a document.
  

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Thanks to Wikipedia and Google for the images.

[bradandrews4]

WOW. Thanks for this, I've been thinking of making a new PC but never was quite sure what I needed exactly! This is the perfect tutorial/guide. Its so detailed!

Seriously, 10/10 on the tutorial

Yours,
Brad

[EarthShaker]

wow I have never even thought about making a computer but great tut.

[Prince]

Great compilation of information,helped a lot

[Sam]

Always build your own PC over a package one. If you're technical enough of course.

[RDCA]

Always build your own PC over a package one. If you're technical enough of course.

Exactly, it helps you so much if your computer breaks as you know everything about it. Also upgrading and everything else is so much easier. Plus it is just an amazing experience to build your own computer.