How does one build a computer??

[muse-13-bliss]

Hey guys,
i've decided that a great summer project might be to build my own computer
only one problem
i have NO clue how to do it
so i call upon you, my super smart escapist friends
please help >.<

OH!
and my budgets around 700-800 dollars (CND!)

my computer is going to be for alot of things, school work, basic internet things (MSN, foruming, and stuff)
and i also would like to do some okay gaming
play bioshock, the orangebox, painkiller..

and i live near a futureshop, bestbuy and a tigerdirect

now thanks to some great advice, i have an idea of most of what i need
just a few more questuons to come possibly

like

i need advice on motherboards
choosing a good one and stuff
anything?

 

[Time Travelling Toaster]

Are you heading for a high end gaming comp ?
Also what is your budget and then I can get my comp friend to list up the best for you and post it on

 

[cambodiancam]

Google is wondrous Id ask it, Mostly because of the length a response to this would be..

 

[mikecoulter]

Search Google foe a guide. That's your best plan of attack at this.

 

[ExodusinFlames]

Thats a really open ended question. There are alot of ways to build them, and its going to come down to personal taste vs desire to spend money vs accessibility to hardware.
Putting a computer together is pretty straight forward, and youtube has hundreds, probably thousands, of good tutorials for actually connecting the hardware. When it comes to software, again thats personal taste vs availability. I know folks that are dead set on Windows XP instead of Vista, or on owning Apple Hardware, but shelling a windows OS.

Here are a few questions to answer:
1. Do you live near a semi-major metro centre? (Parts)
2. What is this computer going to be for? (Gaming, music, work, editing)
3. What is your price range? (500-600? 900-1200? etc)

Answer me those and we can dig a bit deeper.

 

[szs0061]

use newegg.com to buy your parts its pretty easy to tell if they are compatible by reading the specs

 

[Danny Ocean]

You need:
1.A motherboard
2.Appropriate RAM (DDR2 or 3 most likely, it'll be listed with the mobo info)
3.A CPU
4.A CPU heatsink.
5.A Graphics card if you want to game.
6.A hard drive
7.A CD/DVD/Blu-ray/whatever drive depending on what you want.
8.A decent power supply.
9.And a case to put it all in!

Plus any cables and such, as well as peripherals like a good screen if you don't already have them.

 

[ExodusinFlames]

Thats the one thing I like about most privately owned computer stores. When you go in there, shelling out the bucks to build your system, they'll usually toss in a lot of freebies for you. I was building a system for a good friend of mine, grabbed the shell, the board, the chip and the RAM, and the dude at the shop tossed in, for free, the power supply, two dual layer DVD burners, all the cabling, an extra gig of RAM, the OS, a 5.1 audio card, all the cabling and etc.

If you can go local and small time, try it. Just be yourself with them, and if you have a close friend who knows computer stuff, have them go in and "Shop talk" with them. They'll bend themselves over backwards to make sure you have what you want and more than likely what you need too

 

[Abedeus]

I really don't recommend doing anything with your PC if you don't know such basic things. You might end up destroying a part or two by an accident.

 

[Isalan]

Remember when your looking at the price of stuff to include room for a monitor in your budget, they're one of the most exspensive bits and getting a halfway decent one will help immensely.

Other than that, similar advice to that above. Make sure you look up details online, and go over them a few times before the bits arrive. Also helps if you have a techie mate who can point you in the right direction and hand you screwdrivers and so on.

 

[Danny Ocean]

You're gonna NEED:

Case
MoBo (Mother Board)
Vid Card
RAM
CPU
HDD (Hard Disk Drive, aka Hard Drive)
CD Drive (Just go for DvD Drive, it plays DvDs and CDs, and is faster)
Power Supply
Peripherals (Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor, etc...)

Feeling a bit ninja'd?

 

[cas]

It's like very complicated lego

 

[insanelich]

Use Google first before asking on a forum, you have a question it'd take weeks to completely answer.

Your budget is a bit small, but it should still be fine for Orange Box, Painkiller, Painkiller: Overdose and Oh My God Who Can Stand This Bullshit?.

But with such a teeny budget you probably want a Core 2 Duo (maybe the E7200), 4gb of DDR2 800mhz (probably Kingston ValueRAM), a GeForce 9600GT (the Asus Silent option is a good one) (while ATI cards have improved (a little) lately you still need intimate knowledge of cooling or you'll end up like every noob with a fried card)...

 

[tehbeard]

your gona need ath the very least:

- Case
- Power supply
- Motherboard
- RAM
- Hard disk
- Optical disc drive
- OS
- keyboard
- monitor
- mouse
- speakers

What you want the PC for, as stated above, will dicate the type, cost, and availability of parts.

Regardless of use, if you are set on an XP machine I recommend hunting around computer markets etc for OEM install disks. They are cheap compared to copies sold by retailers (I got home for £35 and Pro for about £40).

Actual construction is quite simple (I've just recently rebuilt my Uncle's PC into a new case). The usual way its done is so:
[ol]
0) Remove panel covers.

1) Take the back panel out (the big panel covering the right hand side of the case)
and attach the motherboard to it.

2) Install the Power supply in case.

3) Check hard drive and other drives jumper settings are set to master or slave
(only for IDE). Install in case.

4) Insert RAM into motherboard slots.

5) Place back panel in.

6) Install Exapansion cards (GPU, network, Sound card) if needed.

7) Attach power supply to motherboard (usually a big 2x12 connector)
and drives (4 pin white plugs).

8) Attach drives to motherboard (using appropriate cable).

8a) Place cover panels back on.

9) Connect Computer to montior, keyboard, mouse and power.

10) Boot up PC. Goto the BIOS and change the boot order to CD drive, Hard disc.

11) reboot PC and insert OS install disk.

12) follow OS installation options.

13) Once installed and booted, begin installing drivers for expansion cards.

14) install critical software packages (Anti virus, firewall, firefox )

15) Install other software.

16) Enjoy your new PC.
[/ol]

Do take note this as an absoulte guide, it is just a generalisation of the process.

 

[sneak_copter]

Case (+ Fans)
Motherboard
Video Card
Sound Card
RAM
CPU
HDD
Drives (USB, Internet, SSD, Floppy, etc...)
Peripherals (Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor, etc...)
Network Cable

Then, it's kinda like Lego. It just all snaps together.
I would reccomend buying an actual book on the subject, seems
a lot more reliable than asking a bunch of people on a forum.

 

[Roffey123]

Hey guys,
i've decided that a great summer project might be to build my own computer
only one problem
i have NO clue how to do it
so i call upon you, my super smart escapist friends
please help >.<

and i live near a futureshop, bestbuy and a tigerdirect

For you, I give a useful link: http://www.nordichardware.com/Guides/?page=1&skrivelse=432

Now then, to answer your question about chipsets and DIMMs.

1)DIMMs, as far as I'm concerned, are the RAM sticks.

2)A chipset is a lump of silicon built into every motherboard, where it controls the motherboard functions including, but not limited to, the transfer of information between PC components and the number of functions availible.

To help you on your way, I've compiled a list of components you'd like:

Now I didn't know whether or not you have any peripherals, so I added some cheapies in - but that should do you for the games you want to play.

 

[Altorin]

Thats the one thing I like about most privately owned computer stores. When you go in there, shelling out the bucks to build your system, they'll usually toss in a lot of freebies for you. I was building a system for a good friend of mine, grabbed the shell, the board, the chip and the RAM, and the dude at the shop tossed in, for free, the power supply, two dual layer DVD burners, all the cabling, an extra gig of RAM, the OS, a 5.1 audio card, all the cabling and etc.

If you can go local and small time, try it. Just be yourself with them, and if you have a close friend who knows computer stuff, have them go in and "Shop talk" with them. They'll bend themselves over backwards to make sure you have what you want and more than likely what you need too

exactly, that's the best advice I could give too

1) talk to a small computer shop
2) go with a friend who's a real techie

you'll get your computer made, cheap as possible, to your specs, without the weeks of troubleshooting a first-time do-it-yourselfer will inevitably deal with. If you want to know about all the ins and outs, get the pieces, and you and your friend put the computer together by hand.. any questions you have, ask your friend..

This is a craft that is best taught, in person, in front of a pile of computer parts, by an actual person right there.

and not from a generic shopping list and a bunch of tips from people on a webforum.... Not to put down the people on this site - it's a pretty tech savvy forum, and I'm sure these people know their stuff.. but it's definitely something that's best experienced with a friend who's done it before.

It'll also help you bond with your friend, and give you an excuse to hang out having a laugh and working with your hands for a couple days. I found building my computer, that was the best part.

 

[jonnopon3000]

Ummmmm.....like if u dont have any idea how to build a computer...why dont you simply not do it?

It's cheaper to build one, but i mean u have to know something...or go to a shop and ask someone. Getting instructions from here simply won't cut it if you want the product to actually work. There are only a select few who can simply work it out themselves, fewer still that could do it completely correctly first time without explicit instructions. So get proper help, or buy a computer!

 

[Gruthar]

It's really not that difficult these days. There are guides all over the place, and anything that isn't covered in the guide will be in your motherboard's manual (stuff like wiring the case switches, LEDs, USB ports, etc.) Assembly has been made virtually foolproof.

I would go to Tigerdirect for your parts, they tend to have good prices (at least online). Best Buy is expensive, and I don't particularly like some of their sales tactics. I'm not sure BB sells all the parts you would need anyway.

If you have any more specific questions, there are plenty of people who would be willing to help you out, myself included.

 

[jasoncyrus]

It depends entirely on what your rig to do.

If its for mostly gaming i wouldn't trust the spec provided by roffey123.

Case: http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/product.php?id=Njkz this is the one you want for gaming. Nice high end case - (c&p from site)

* 12 drive bays
* Compatible Motherboards: Mini-ITX, microATX, Standard ATX
* Unique power supply option:
- Mounts either a standard size power supply or Antec's exclusive CP Series power supply
* Perforated front bezel for enhanced air intake
* Washable air filters reduce dust build-up in your system
* Advanced cooling system:
- 1 top 200mm Big Boy 200? blue LED fan
- 2 rear 120mm TriCool? blue LED fan
- 3 front 120mm blue LED fan
- 1 (optional) side 120mm fan to cool graphics cards
- 1 (optional) middle 120mm fan to cool CPU or graphics cards
- Water cooling platform for reservoir or pump
- Compatible w/ Antec's 200mm Radiator (designed exclusively for the Twelve Hundred)
* 7 expansion slots for greater customizability
* Top mounted I/O ports for easy access
- 2 x USB 2.0
- 1 x eSATA
- HD Audio In and Out
* Top component tray stores your music player, camera and more
* Dimensions:
- 22.9" (H) x 8.4" (W) x 20.2" (D)
- 582mm (H) x 213mm (W) x 513mm (D)

*multiorgasms*

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Monitor: One of the most important pieces of kit.

http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Displays/Monitors/TFT+24+%2B/24%22+Yuraku+Widescreen+LCD+Monitor+DVI+HDCP+?productId=30640

This is the one i have, VERY good monitor, might be hard to find though, lots of out of stock and might be discountinued on some sites.

*********

Graphics card:

I wont post a specific but instead set a bar that you should get an equal to or better.

Anything from the nvidia 8800 range or upwards. Depending on your tastes ATI can do some pretty good cards for a reasonable budget.

*********

Peripherals:

Microsoft mouse and any bog standard keyboard will do for intermediate to advanced gaming depending on the game you play and what kind of keyboard you normally use.

You don't *need* speakers, theya re an optional extra, a pair of headphones will do just as good plugged directly into your card.

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HDD: If you are planning on becoming an avid gamer (and possible downloader of other unmentioned things which we all know about.) A 500GB drive is a good choice, samsungs do pretty well, mine hasnt given me any problems so far. A further 1TB backup drives for your other things is advisable too incase of any disasters.

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Optical drives: Generally 2 dvd ram drives come in very *very* handy. Plus if you import legally, you can set one to region 1 and one to region 2 (or whichever regions you prefer).

Not much difference between most but i would advise be caustious of LG drives, I'd have problems with them before.

***********

Memory: Crucial ram has gone really well for me, never gotten any problems with it, hear good things about corsair too. 2GBs *minimum* Get a decent Mobo that'll allow you to expand upto 6 and beyond.

***********

Motherboard: all deends on which chip you want to put in it. For a reasonable budget a quadcore will do nicely and still perform really well.


Thats about all i can think of in my sleep deprived state. G'luck mate.