If you've ever wanted to assemble your own computer, but felt intimidated, this video is for you. In all reality, it's quite easy. This is the computer I built back in December of 2010. It's based on the AMD Phenom II x6 1090T. The video quality is not the greatest, but I hope it will help.
Please note that it is important to be wary of static electricity. Static electricity can damage sensitive electronic components. I am wearing an anti-static wrist strap connected to the case in parts of this video and I am also standing on a ceramic tile floor, which is of course, a non conductive surface. If you don't have an anti-static wrist strap, just keep touching the case.
The first component you'll want to choose when building any type of desktop computer is the processor, which is otherwise known as the CPU. Take note of the socket type it uses and then look at the motherboards that have that socket type at a site such as TigerDirect. The usual choice of motherboard uses a form factor known as ATX. Compare the features of each board and decide which one is right for you. Take note of the memory types supported by the board, the interface speeds, etcetera. For a gaming computer, you'll most likely want a motherboard that supports two video cards in SLI (Nvidia cards) or Crossfire (ATI cards) mode.
Next, choose the appropriate memory type and find a good brand such as Corsair, G.Skill, Kingston, or Mushkin. Then look for an adequate video card. The latest use a PCI Express 2.0 or 2.1 slot, (the later revision number being the newest of course). If you choose to purchase a high end processor and motherboard, then make sure you get a good video card as well. You don't want a bottleneck at the video card end of things if you're looking to build a serious gaming system. If you choose to go with two video cards, or plan on upgrading to two later, remember to get the same card.
Hard drives can be a luck of the draw sort of thing sometimes. I have personally had good luck with Seagate and bad luck with Western Digital, but others will tell you exactly the opposite. Speed wise, SSD hard drives are the fastest, but also very expensive when compared to conventional drives. I went with Seagate's hybrid drive
for storing the OS, programs, and games. There is also a new SATA III interface that runs at 6 Gb/s that will speed things up. I'm sure faster speeds are coming soon enough. There are quite a few brands when it comes to hard drives, so Seagate and Western Digital are not your only choices.
For an all in one type solution for optical drives, you can go with something like the Sony BD-5300S-0B 12X Internal Blu-Ray Writer
. I just used some older drives I already had in addition to a Blu-ray drive. I find I don't use optical media nearly as much as I use to since hard drives have increased so much in storage size and are relatively cheap. Devices like audio players take advantage of flash memory and are obviously prevalant as well.
The next two products you'll need are the power supply and the case. For the power supply, make sure you get one that will meet the requirements of all your components. The wattage listed on each power supply is based on the maximum output. It would be wise to research the power consumption of each one of your components just to be sure you'll be getting enough power; however, an 850 watt power supply or above should generally cover most users. DO NOT skimp on the power supply! It is very important to choose quality over value. Time and time again, I have seen cheap, lightweight power supplies blow and they just love to take other components out with them.
As far as the case goes, pick one that will hold all of your components and has adequate ventilation. Most people go with mid-towers. Purchase a full-tower if you plan on loading it up with a lot of drives. I personally do not recommend any type of mini-tower due to the limitations in space, but if you do decide to go with something small in size, be aware of the different motherboard and power supply form factors.
Acronyms and Terms You Might Want to Familiarize Yourself With:
ATX - Advanced Technology Extended
CPU - Central Processing Unit
ZIF - Zero Insertion Force
RAM - Random Access Memory
ROM - Read Only Memory
DDR - Double Data Rate
HDD - Hard Disk Drive
SSD - Solid State Drive
IDE - Integrated Device Electronics
SATA - Serial Advanced Technology Attachment
PCI - Peripheral Component Interconnect
USB - Universal Serial Bus
Please note that it is important to be wary of static electricity. Static electricity can damage sensitive electronic components. I am wearing an anti-static wrist strap connected to the case in parts of this video and I am also standing on a ceramic tile floor, which is of course, a non conductive surface. If you don't have an anti-static wrist strap, just keep touching the case.
The first component you'll want to choose when building any type of desktop computer is the processor, which is otherwise known as the CPU. Take note of the socket type it uses and then look at the motherboards that have that socket type at a site such as TigerDirect. The usual choice of motherboard uses a form factor known as ATX. Compare the features of each board and decide which one is right for you. Take note of the memory types supported by the board, the interface speeds, etcetera. For a gaming computer, you'll most likely want a motherboard that supports two video cards in SLI (Nvidia cards) or Crossfire (ATI cards) mode.
Next, choose the appropriate memory type and find a good brand such as Corsair, G.Skill, Kingston, or Mushkin. Then look for an adequate video card. The latest use a PCI Express 2.0 or 2.1 slot, (the later revision number being the newest of course). If you choose to purchase a high end processor and motherboard, then make sure you get a good video card as well. You don't want a bottleneck at the video card end of things if you're looking to build a serious gaming system. If you choose to go with two video cards, or plan on upgrading to two later, remember to get the same card.
Hard drives can be a luck of the draw sort of thing sometimes. I have personally had good luck with Seagate and bad luck with Western Digital, but others will tell you exactly the opposite. Speed wise, SSD hard drives are the fastest, but also very expensive when compared to conventional drives. I went with Seagate's hybrid drive
For an all in one type solution for optical drives, you can go with something like the Sony BD-5300S-0B 12X Internal Blu-Ray Writer
The next two products you'll need are the power supply and the case. For the power supply, make sure you get one that will meet the requirements of all your components. The wattage listed on each power supply is based on the maximum output. It would be wise to research the power consumption of each one of your components just to be sure you'll be getting enough power; however, an 850 watt power supply or above should generally cover most users. DO NOT skimp on the power supply! It is very important to choose quality over value. Time and time again, I have seen cheap, lightweight power supplies blow and they just love to take other components out with them.
As far as the case goes, pick one that will hold all of your components and has adequate ventilation. Most people go with mid-towers. Purchase a full-tower if you plan on loading it up with a lot of drives. I personally do not recommend any type of mini-tower due to the limitations in space, but if you do decide to go with something small in size, be aware of the different motherboard and power supply form factors.
Acronyms and Terms You Might Want to Familiarize Yourself With:
ATX - Advanced Technology Extended
CPU - Central Processing Unit
ZIF - Zero Insertion Force
RAM - Random Access Memory
ROM - Read Only Memory
DDR - Double Data Rate
HDD - Hard Disk Drive
SSD - Solid State Drive
IDE - Integrated Device Electronics
SATA - Serial Advanced Technology Attachment
PCI - Peripheral Component Interconnect
USB - Universal Serial Bus
