So what are the advantages behind building it yourself?
There’s a whole host of advantages to building your own computer.
As complex as it may sound, overall it’s a relatively simple clip and screw process.
You’re unlikely to have to pull out the soldering iron and any other tools besides a Phillips screwdriver or two.
There’s the advantage of the money it will save you.
Buying an off the shelf computer is by no doubt the easy way out of things. But if you choose to build your own, then you’ll find out that you’re going to be paying less for a machine that does more for you.
There’s also the psychological advantage once the computer is built.
When everything is put together and you plug it in for the first time and power it up, there’s a feeling of satisfaction knowing that you built it and you made it work.
Further advantages to building your own computer include that should you ever want to upgrade it, doing so should be a painless process.
The computer cases are designed for easy access and the components you put in are often more versatile.
What do you want your PC to do for you?
Each of us will want our computer to do something different for us.
You may just be looking to use a computer for simple web browsing and looking at family photos, playing a bit of music etc. etc.
You could want to build your computer to be the meanest machine out there, capable of running any game you throw at it at lightning speed without the slightest hesitation.
Whichever is the case, you can build a machine to meet your demands.
Are you building to a budget?
Chances are that if you’re planning on building the ‘mean machine’ I mentioned in the previous section, you’re not going to be too concerned on the money front.
Though it’s still going to save you a chunk of money going with a home build as opposed to buying a known branded gaming PC.
If you’re a home user who wants the computer for little more than web surfing and a listening to a bit of music. Perhaps are running on a bit of a tight budget.
You could still be saving yourself a fair bit of money for a machine running the same specification as the computer you saw on offer in the shop the other day.
So where do you start?
You need to plan what you are building! It’s going to be a real downer if you just pick parts off at random and when they all arrive become disheartened when your shiny new CPU doesn’t fit into your shiny new motherboard because the two are incompatible.
Putting together a shopping list for your new computer is almost essential. As a rough guide, below is a short list of the parts a generic home user will need: –
- Motherboard
- CPU/Processor
- RAM
- Hard Drive
- Power Supply
- Disk Drive
- Case
- Cables and screws
- Operating System
…and if you’re planning on building a gaming machine you need to take into consideration the following items as well: – Graphics Card/s – Sound Card – 3rd Party CPU Cooler/Water Cooling/Fans
As a general rule of thumb when you find a part you want to include in your build, go back and check the motherboard specification.
All of the components lead back to here so you want to make sure that they’re all compatible!
It’s often a good idea to work out what processor you want first and then choose the motherboard based on the socket type.
It should narrow down your selection considerably and make life a lot easier too.
With computer parts, as with most things, you generally get what you pay for. It’s often worth spending a few more pennies going for a reliable brand as opposed to shipping cheap unbranded parts over from China.
How do I go about the build?
Once you’ve got your parts you can start piecing things together.
There’s not any particular order to do things in, but of course you’re going to want to put your CPU in before you try and put the heat-sink and fan in.
Once everything is plugged in correctly inside the case and all the components are screwed or clipped down securely, you can put all the cables in the back and start it up.
Your new computer’s not going to do much for the very first time you turn it on as no operating system is installed. This will most likely be in the form of a CD/DVD that you need to put in and boot up from.
Once the operating system is installed and updated, you’re almost good to go.
Make sure that you install any drivers that the components you bought may have come with so that everything works as it should and then you can sit back and admire your work!
Century IT Services are based in Totton, Southampton. Hampshire and can help you with the installation or on going I.T support of your computer, server and network. We offer a broad range of I.T services covering, internet, email, anti-spam, anti-virus solutions, we are experts in virtually anything Microsoft Server based and have extensive troubleshooting skills.
If you have an ever growing list of I.T niggles or need a server, or network installed, you have come to the right place. You can contact us on Tel. 023 80 070101 or email us at sales@century-it.co.uk for a confidential, no obligation discussion of your requirements.
