Most people just assume that a new computer is a Dell or Gateway. Few people (other than the technically inclined) know that Dell and Gateway skimp on the parts inside the computer. What you're left with is a third-rate computer that costs much more than it should have. This article is to guide people down the right path of building a computer.
Firstly, you must gather the must-have parts for your computer to even boot up…
1.Motherboard - This is the essential piece that all other components of the computer hook into. If you are building a great computer, look for a board that contains PCI-Express slots for a killer graphics card (2005), plenty of RAM slots for memory, a good bus speed for fast processing, and 2-4 USB 2.0 slots would be nice for digital cameras, printers, etc. The motherboard is processor dependent (different types needed for different CPU's). 2.CPU - Major brands right now are Intel and AMD. Everyone has his or her own opinions, but AMD gives more bang for the buck. Go for the Athlon 64 model and a socket 759 or 939 motherboard as it's not ridiculously expensive and has great value. If you are an Intel fan since they are a little more stable, go with a Pentium 4 and a socket 775 board. 3.RAM - Again, dependent on the motherboard. A higher ranking is generally better but more expensive. I would go with 2 sticks of 512 MB DDR RAM as the minimum. 4.Hard Drive - They are being sold cheaper and cheaper. If you want one that will last for a long, long time...SATA is a must, 100-200GB recommended. 5.Case - A full tower if you are interested in a server class computer (very, very powerful and easy to upgrade) or a mid-size tower for a standard PC. They are usually the perfect size to stash it away and still have enough space to upgrade easily later on. 6.Monitor - I'd go with a 17" or 19" LCD monitor. They are much sharper the CTS (the boxy ones) and will leave your desk less crowded. 7.Keyboard & Mouse - It doesn't really matter much unless you love First Person Shooter games. Get a cheaper one if you don't. An additional option is to get wireless so it's less congested. If you love FPS games, then you should go with a corded, optical mouse (less lag) that has a nice feel and weight to it.
Well, that's all you need in order to build computers, but you still have the option to get an operating system (Windows, Mac, Linux), a CD/DVD Drive, Ethernet card, Floppy Disk Drive, Printer, Digital Camera, etc.
