What parts do I need to build a computer?

Question

Please don't assume anything, like the case has USB Ports in it.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Not meaning to offend, but if you must ask, then you should consider having one built for you... despite computers coming a long way in their modularity they still require a good understanding of how they work so that you can trouble-shoot any problems.

Anyway, here is a generalized list:

- Monitor --- So you can see what is going on.
- Keyboard & Mouse --- So you can tell the computer what to do.
- Computer Case --- Holds all the following together.
- Motherboard --- All of the following will plug into this.
- Sound Card & Speakers --- So you can listen to music.
- Video Card --- Like the monitor, it helps you visualize the data
- Hard Disk Drive --- Stores data
- Floppy Disk Drive (Optional) --- like above, but kind of outdated
- Cables --- for Hard Disk Drives and so on if buying OEM parts
- CPU + Fan (must match motherboard CPU format) --- the brain
- RAM (must match motherboard RAM format) --- the memory
- Power Supply (if not included in the computer case) --- 400w+
- Optical Disk Drive(s) (CD-RW and/or DVD-RW) --- make backups
- Network Card and/or Modem Card --- talk to the world/internet

Some of the above can be excluded or combined. For example the Motherboard may have a built on Sound card, Network card of Video card.

Then you will want some software, most critical is the OS (Operating System), the OS will also have some limits on which software products you can run. I would also recommend you visit a book store and get some books on how to build a computer; such a book should also give you some trouble shooting tips once the parts are all put together.

Any more questions please fell free to contact me.

Regards,
Charlie

Answer 2

to build a computer u need:

A. a case.
make sure the case is of good quality, and big enough to fit the motherboard u want to get. also make sure it has enough holes on the front for the USB and firewire ports.

B. a motherboard.
this is the board all the other components go into. choose a good mobo carefully because it will influence what you can get for the other components. motherboards are usually designed for either intel or AMD cpu's. the cpu socket and chipset will influence what cpu u can buy. the motherboard will also come with the cables and adapters for u to put in the USB ports and power indicators in the front.

C. a processor (cpu)
different processors can go into different sockets. most intel cpus go into the LGA775 sockets, while AMD cpus use socket 939.

D. a fan for the cpu.
most cpus come with "stock" fans, but you can also buy better performing fans from companies like zalman or cooler master.

E. a power supply.
u need a power supply that is compatible w/ the motherboard. it should be between 400-600W .

F. memory.
again the motherboard determines wat kind of memory u can get. the latest memory is DDR2. 1GB is about enough, but if u want a 64-bit cpu, then 2GB is better.

G. a graphics card.
some low-end motherboards come with "onboard" graphics i.e. all processing is done by the chipset. if you want to play games however u need a graphics card. most graphics cards today are PCIe (pci express) so make sure u get a motherboard with a PCIe slot. a good graphics card has at least 256MB of memory. most nvidia or ATI cards less than two years old will do fine.

H. A sound card.
some cheaper motherboards also use onboard sound. a sound card however will give u better audio quality.

I. a hard drive.
make sure the drive is a SATA drive (serial ATA). it should have a capacity of at least 120 GB and a 16MB cache. also make sure it runs at 7200 rpm or faster. u can also put 2 smaller drives (for example 2 drives of 60GB each) in a RAID 0 array for faster performance.

J. an optical drive.
make sure it can read and burn both DVD formats (DVD+R and DVD-R)

K. a monitor.
if u want an LCD monitor make sure it has a response time of less than 12ms.

L. a keyboard.
any standard USB keyboard is fine.

M. a mouse.
any mouse is good as long as its optical and has a scroll wheel.

N. speakers or headphones.
make sure theyre stereo or (even better) surround-sound.

O. an OS (operating system)
the operating system isnt exactly hardware, but ur computer is useless without it. u can put in windows xp or the newer windows vista however i wudnt suggest vista unless u got some good components. u can also install linux which is a free OS. u can even put in more than one operating system and make it a multiboot machine.

P. and last, but definitely not the least, one real live person to put all of the above together! if ur considering building a computer then i wudnt suggest it unless u got some knowledge of how computers work first. u shud also try to get a bit of experience. choose ur components carefully and make sure everything is compatible. make sure u have a lot of patience when building ur computer. dont rush to put everything together too quickly or else when u finally turn it on something might fry!
most importantly, have fun :)

Answer 3

Buy the case you like
Buy a mother board that fit in that case (you can ask the person at the store if that board fit on that case or not.)
Buy CPUs for that mother board (you can ask the person at the store)
Buy fans for that CPUs
Buy RAM that work on the mother board
Buy s video card (choose the one you like)
Buy a Sound card (you might don't need it if the mother have the built-in one)
Buy a network card (you might don't need it if the mother have the built-in one)
Buy hard drives and cable.
Buy a DVD drive and cable
Buy mouse and key board

The mother board is the main thing, and from that mother board, ask the person at the store to find other parts that fit/work on that mother board.

Note: the cost might go very high comparing to custom built at DELL or other brands. But you can find the parts you like.

Answer 4

Hi. Decide on a form factor such as ATX, chose a motherboard and CPU based on what you want to do and how fast you want to do it, choose a RAM type and amount such as 1 GB of DDR2, decide on a hard drive realizing that more is almost always better, pick a graphics card based on whether or not you're going to game at the bleeding edge, and decide if sound is important enough to buy a good soundcard. (Just about every case you buy will support USB etc.)

Answer 5

Case + Power Supply Unit (PSU)
Motherboard (USB ports usually supplied with that)
Processor + CPU fan
RAM Memory
Hard drive
CD-ROM / DVD-ROM / CD-RW or CDRW/DVD Combi drive
Floppy drive (optional these days)
Operating System (Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Linux)
Extra screws for attaching components (try ebay)
"Stand offs" (special brass screws that keep m/board clear of the casing)
Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor, Speakers
Webcam & Microphone (optional)
Cross-head screwdrivers (non-magnetic)

Here's the list of stuff I used to build mine, most of which was bought off http://www.overclockers.co.uk (except the casing, which I bought used off eBay for £5)........

ASROCK ConroeXFire-eSATA2 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard (Compatible with Intel Celeron D, Pentium D + Core2 Duo processors)

Intel Celeron D 356 3.33GHz Processor

GeIL 1GB (2x 512MB) PC5300 667MHz Value DDR2 Dual Channel RAM kit

Leadtek GeForce6200 Turbo Cache 256MB DDR TV-out/DVI (PCI-Express) Graphics Card.

SONY CRX320EE CDRW/DVD Combi Drive

Overclockers UK Value floppy drive (rebranded sony)

ICYBOX / ICYDOCK MB-122AKGF 3.5" IDE Hard drive caddy (with light up LCD panel on the front that tells me what temp. the hard drive is running at + fans inside to cool it down)

MAXTOR DiamondMax16(?) 80GB Hard drive (bought it off ebay a year before to use as a secondary drive in my old computer, but couldn't persuade it to work in that role, so used it in the new PC instead).

AKASA 45cm Rounded Ulta ATA133/100/66 IDE cable (not needed if using a SATA hard drive).

Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP2

TAGAN TG330-U01 330watt ATX Silent Power Supply Unit

Total = just under £500

Answer 6

For sample configurations, go to a custom build site such as www.dell.com and see what the major component options are and what the cost will be.

No one builds a house by asking how many nails and boards will be used. They look at drawings and plans of the finished product first to see whether it suits their needs and will fit their budget.

Answer 7

Yo he comprado de muchas veces ordenadores en los sitios information superhighway y siempre he encontrado l. a. mejor calidad, el ultimo ordenador es para una amiga, l. a. verdad es que parece especial creado para ella porque tiene un disco duro con una excelente capacidad de almacenaje y va bastante rápido por su gran memoria y su buen procesador, muy buena compra sin duda.

Answer 8

Motherboard
Processor (AMD or Intel)
RAM (Memory)
Hard Drive(s)
Video Card (if motherboard does not have built in)
Sound Card (if motherboard does not have built in)
PSU (Power Supply)
Optical Drive (CD/DVD)
Case
Monitor
Keyboard
Mouse
Operating System (XP/Vista/Linux)

A pretty basic list. You can find all of these items at Newegg.com

Answer 9

Motherboard
Processor(CPU)
Power Supply
Hard Drive
VideoCard(if not integrated into the cpu)
Audio(although most if not all come with audio)
And a case to put it all into!
There ya go! Don't forget the cables too!

Answer 10

depends what you want really but.......
case(tower)
motherboard
cpu
heatsink and fan
ram memory
hard drive/s
disk drive/s
psu(power supply unit)
fans for cooling(usually 80mm)
operating system
maybe soundcard/graphics card (if not onboard)

you can usually get cases with psu already installed and motherboard bundles that come with heat sink,cpu and memory installed for you or barebone systems where you only need to buy disk drive,hard drive and operating system.