Build Your Own PC

Your CPU choice should be based on how you plan to use your PC. You'll want a more powerful CPU if you are playing the latest 3D games or editing video. If your primary use will be web browsing, email, photo viewing/editing or building a file server you will not need a high performance CPU.

There are many CPUs availible today.

There are a few factors in choosing a CPU.
1. AMD vs Intel
2. Processor speed

About Fans and Cooling devices:
All CPUs require a cooling device. Both manufacturers sell stock heat sinks and fans. In most cases these will work just fine. If you plan to overclock your CPU you will want to upgrade your cooling device.

The motherboard is the backbone which ties all of your components together. It is not, however, simply a dumb connecting device. The chip set and configuration of the motherboard will effect the overall performance of the computer.

This is where many PC owners go wrong. The amount and type of memory installed in a PC can drastically effect performance.

Not all memory is built the same. Cheaper "value" memory will have slower response times and will impact performance.

1. Applications Requiring Higher Memory Performance:
Gaming, Photo Editing, Video Editing.

For these applications you'll want 1 to 2 gigabytes of quality memory. Don't buy "value" memory.

2. Other Applications:

Most other applications will run just fine with a smaller amount of memory. But don't go too low! Never build or buy a computer with less than 512 megabytes of memory. These applications are not likely to suffer from the use of "value" memory.

There are many video choices out there.

1. Onboard Video
Some motherboards have onboard video. This is a good way to simplify and reduce the price of your PC. However, onboard video will not perform as well as a separate video card. Avoid building or buying a system with onboard video for gaming or multimedia computers.

2. Multimedia Video Cards
Want to connect your PC to your entertainment system? There are many cards that provide composite & s-video inputs/outputs for this purpose. Some also include TV tuners on the card.

3. Gaming Video Cards
If your building a gaming computer you should get the best video card that you can afford. In most of today's 3D games the video cards will make the greatest performance impact on your system.

Performance and Storage Capacity are both factors in choosing a hard drive.
(more to come)

DVD-ROMs, DVD-Writers, CD-ROMS, CD-Writers oh my!
(more to come)

Many motherboards have onboard sound and many of these are of decent quality.

You'll want to use a separate sound card if you are gaming or using multimedia applications.

Choice of a case is mostly based on personal preference. Be sure that your case conforms to the ATX form factor to ensure component compatability.

The Power Supply converts A/C electricity to the DC power required by your PC. Power Supplies are rated for wattage. You'll need to ensure that you are providing enough wattage to feed all of your system components.

You can find wattage calculators on the web.
Here is one that I use: JS Power Supply Calculator