Sunday 12 June 2011

How to build your own computer: Part 2

I read through your comments (and took on board reminders of things to include) and it seems some people are confused about blue LEDs. Blue LEDs are pretty much needed in any build because, frankly, they look bad-ass. Every good computer builder knows that you can never have enough blue LEDs! Anyway...

What kind of build do you want? What will you have to get? You have to consider a number of points.
    -Do you want high performance computing?
    -Do you want to game on your computer?
    -Will it be a server?*
    -Is it just for everyday use?
    -How much heat will everything make?
    -How powerful is the PSU going to have to be?
*A server is a computer that is dedicated to performing one task, usually something over the internet like hosting a website or running a game like Minecraft.

So think those over carefully. Remember, the more powerful your computer is, the more power it needs from the PSU (Power Supply Unit).

So lets say you want to build a gaming rig (chances are you do). What are you going to need for this? Well, obviously you'll need a graphics card. RAM is also essential here. A mid-range processor is probably the best choice here, because it isn't as processor-intensive, the load is taken by the graphics cards. You'll also want a few fans to pull as much air as possible through - graphics cards make quite a fair amount of heat. You might also want a fancy sound card that supports high quality surround sound if you have the speakers for it.

What about a high performance computer? Well, you probably don't need a graphics card for this, except in certain circumstances where certain programs use a graphics card for calculations. But the big daddy of this kind of build is a big processor. You can even have up to four in one computer, if you get a kind that supports that! We'll need a nice powerful PSU for the processor and other components. A large amount of RAM is good here, 8GB is a nice amount. A great heat sink will be needed to drain heat away from the processor - perhaps liquid cooling if it is within your budget.

That's all well and good, but I know some of you are just going to want a new computer for regular use. So what do we need for this? Well, it's fairly simple and flexible. If you choose a motherboard with built in graphics you won't need a graphics card - if you don't, you'll need to get a mid-range or lower one for that. You can have a sound card if you are an audiophile, a somewhat powerful processor is good and a fair amount of RAM for your daily activities. 4GB will probably be enough for this. Simple, eh?

Now we've got just how you can customise your build to be how you want it out of the way, next time I'll be going in to just how to decide what to get for your build, how to understand what all the specs mean for the parts and how not to get ripped off when buying. Till next time!

12 comments:

  1. Err I think if I tried to make a computer I would somehow end up making it explode knowing my luck XD

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  2. Nice, thanks for all the info, i'll be waiting for the next post so i can see what i'll be needing to buy!

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  3. nice post im sure this will help a lot of people out =)!

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  4. again I'll be using these guides soon. Keep 'em coming brah!

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  5. great post. Im looking to build a computer soon and this has helped me alot

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  6. Great post for beginners. :D

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  7. cool guide, I really like it.

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  8. going to build a new computer soon aswell, will use the tips you give thanks.

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  9. I've read both these posts now and they've both been very informative - keep up the good work

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  10. For those scared about building their own computer, don't be. With some due care and attention it's really quite easy.

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  11. Fantastic post... I'm pretty sure that I'm about to try and build my own PC. I've wanted a gaming rig forever, but don't feel like spending the insane amount of money it costs to get a pre-built one.

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