The Best Computer Components List Of Essential Computer Hardware

Computer Cases come in many flavors, from the small desktop micro computer cases to the full tower gaming computer cases.

You will never have a problem finding a good computer case, but picking out the right one for you, may be a little tougher than it sounds.

People's computer cases is what is seen by everyone, and this should not only reflect your personality, but should also be appropriate for the type of computer you are building.

There are basically 3 types of computer builds, and choosing the right case can make a big difference in the final cost of your new computer.

• Plain Computer Cases - (Basic Computer Build)
  
  The Plain Computer consists of the very basic of computer components and is ideal for the home office, playing very simple games, and/or light web surfing.
  
  The computer cases most used for this type of computer system is usually a fairly inexpensive, plain, mid-sized tower case or desktop case, similar to the computer cases that a pre-built computer system comes in.



• Stylish Computer Cases - (Medium Computer Build)
  
  The Stylish computer build is a system that is built for watching movies, surfing the internet, and playing medium games on.
  
  The majority of these types computer systems are usually built in the mid-sized, or full tower computer cases which has a few more bells and whistles than the plain computer cases, such as front panel gages and controls, external USB ports and possibly a front panel door.



• Gaming Computer Cases (Gaming Computer Build)
  
  Gaming Computer cases are the top-end of all computer builds, as it requires the most processing power, memory and high-end graphics card.
  
  Along with these high-end graphics cards and processing power comes a lot of heat, and this is why most gaming computers are built in full tower gaming computer cases that have plenty of room.
  
  Not only does this provide more room for the bigger computer components, but also allows room for plenty of air flow to help keep these components cool.
  
  Building a gaming computer in a mid tower case is possible, but if it is not a liquid cooled system, then more than likely, heat related issues will eventually occur.

Side Note:
If you are planning to upgrade your computer to a gaming system in the future, then a smaller or mid-sized case may not be recommended, as you may encounter heat-related issues if your system is not liquid cooled.

Click Here To Browse For Your Next Computer Case At Amazon

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Power supplies can range from small 350 watt power supplies to over 1000 watts, and they can also have a variety of connections for your computer too.

While most older motherboards required a 20 pin power supply connection, many newer motherboards require a 24 pin connection.

Power supplies today have also adapted to this new format, Some power supplies may have a 20 pin, plus a 4 pin adapter connection to enable the ability to be used with either a 20 pin or 24 pin motherboard.

See the example at the "How To Assemble A Computer" web page by clicking here.

Also many older power supplies have all of the connectors "hard wired" into the power supply, but some of the newer power supplies are "modular".

These "modular" power supplies give you the option of only connecting the wires to the power supply and to the specific parts of a computer system that you will actually need for your particular computer build, therefore keeping your wiring job and the inside of your case looking neater.

Modular power supplies also allows for a better air flow through your case because there are no unnecessary wires hanging down restricting air flow.

Click Here To Browse Amazon's Great Deals On Power Supplies

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Most motherboards come in either of two configurations, AMD or Intel, this determines the type of computer build that you are building, and will also determine which type of processor your computer will require.

Among all of the parts of a computer system that you will need to buy, the motherboard (also known as the main board) is the most important piece of hardware that you will purchase, as it determines everything about your new computer system.


Everything that connects to your computer is connected to the motherboard in one way or another and because of this, motherboards also determine everything else about your computer too, including the type of memory, the processor and what and how much you will be capable of upgrading in the future, what type of hard drives you can install (Sata or ide).

It is important for people to choose the right motherboards when building their new computer systems because this is what will determine how long and how much they will be able to upgrade (basically the life expectancy of their computer - in a sense) their computers.

Motherboards also comes in several form factors(sizes and mounting hole patterns), and the two most popular are ATX motherboards and mini ATX (AKA micro ATX) motherboards.

Your motherboard's form factor should be supported by the case you are using (or else it will not fit properly).

Search For Your Motherboard On Amazon By Clicking Here
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Processors, also known as the CPUs (Central Processing Units) falls within two major brands, AMD Processors and Intel Processors.

These two brands both have a different type of architecture and one will not work in a motherboard designed for the other.

Each of these two brands also have a multitude of socket configurations, speeds and designs. The socket type of the processor must match the motherboard's socket type.

Processors can also come as a single core processor, or a multiple core processor. These added cores help greatly when using your computer for multi-tasking and can speed up your tasks tremendously.

When searching for processors, remember that if you order an "OEM" processor, then the processor is usually all that you will get, but while ordering "retail" processors, most of the time this will include the heatsink and fan that is needed for cooling.

For Fast Processors Click Here And Quickly Go To Amazon

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More memory for your computer is one of the easiest was to upgrade and speed up your computer, as long as your motherboard will support additional memory.

(The motherboard determines all)...

A memory upgrade is also very easy to do, just plug in or swap out the memory modules, and your operating system will automatically detect the added memory and start utilizing it immediately.

Memory modules come in a variety of types, sizes and speeds, including SDRAM (Single Data Random Access Memory), DDR (Double Data Rate), DDR2, and now DDR3.

Memory prices also fluctuate a lot meaning the price of memory today, may not be the same as it was yesterday or tomorrow.

Side Note:

If you have more than 2 dimm slots on your motherboard and will not be using them all for your memory, read the specifications on your motherboard for which dimm slots to use as this can greatly increase your system's performance (having the right modules in the right slots).

Don't Forget Your Memory - Amazon Has It

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Hard drives also come in many sizes, speeds, caches and connection types.

With sizes of hard drives that range from small 10 gigabytes or less, up to 2 terabytes, these hard drives can spin at speeds of 5,400 rpm up to 10,000 rpm, with the 7,200 rpm drives being one the most common desktop hard drive speeds.

Most 10,000 rpm drives are used by gamers while many of the 5400 rpm drives are installed in laptops.

The size of the cache in the hard drives will also influence the drives performance, and by having a bigger cache, the performance will be better (in other words, cache=bigger=better).

Another factor in the speed of the hard drives is the type of interface (connection type) with the motherboard. Although the rpm and speed of the hard drives are the same, the data transfer rate between the hard drives and the motherboard is increased or decreased depending on the interface used.

The IDE interface has the wider ribbon type of interface and is one of the older slower ways to transfer data (100 megabytes a second) between the hard drive and motherboard, while many newer hard drives interface with a Sata connection (3 gigabytes a second), and these are much faster.

But which ever interface you choose, your motherboard must support it, as said earlier, the motherboard determines all.

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The CD/DVD drive (or Optical drives) is needed for installing the operating system, playing and/or installing games and burning discs to save pictures, music and other data on, Bluray dirves are also optical drives.

Optical drives also come with two main connection types, either IDE or Sata and they too have a cache with the same standards, Sata is the fastest and the bigger the cache the better.

While years back, most Optical drives for the general public could only read data and most disc burners were for commercial use only, today things are different. Many (if not all) pre-built computers are sold with CD and/or DVD Drives that are readers and writers(known as cd or dvd burners).

Optical drive speed is not determined by the rpm like the hard drives (example 7200 rpm) are, the speed on a optical drive is referring to the read and write speed that the drive is capable of performing on a disc ( 8X, 16X, 24X).

Even tough the read speeds of readers and write speeds of burners are a different number system from what a hard drive's speed is, the basics are still the same... The bigger the number, the faster the drive.

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Graphics cards prices can vary from around $50.00 to up in the thousands.

If you are a gamer, then you know that good graphics cards can make a big difference in not only how your game looks, but also how it plays.

If the graphics cards is sub-standard for the game you are playing, then you will likely experience stuttering in your game play also known as lagging. This makes game play aggravating and cumbersome.

While graphics card's prices can range in the thousands, there are still some good graphics cards for gaming that may cost as little as a couple of hundred dollars or less.

Of course, if your not a gamer or graphics artist, a cheaper graphics card may be all you need (you don't need to spend $1000.00 on a graphics card if you're only going to be surfing the internet).

Recommended Game Of The Month :

Rage by Bethesda Softworks

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Monitors, like everything else, comes in a variety of brands, options and sizes.

Finding a good monitor that meets your needs is essential if you are a PC gamer and have invested a lot of money in a good graphics card.

Your computer and graphics card may be showing a fantastic picture, but if your monitor can't show it, then you can't see it.

There a several factors to consider when choosing a good monitor and whether you are a gamer or just like to cruise the web, below are a couple to think about.

If you use many office programs such as word or excel, the graphics may not need to be superb, but having a wide screen monitor will enable you to have multiple full size documents or spreadsheets open side by side at the same time.

This may help increase your work performance and make working in multiple programs a lot easier.

If you're a gamer enthusiast, having a good size monitor with a fast response time (2ms) will make your games much more enjoyable and may even help to increase your gaming scores.

To read my review of a great monitor, visit the Asus 24 Inch LCD Monitor web page by clicking here.

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Keyboards have changed over the years from the standard 101 keyboards of yesteryear.

With new ergonomically designed keyboards that are wireless, back-lit keys and some even have LCD screens mounted on them, there truly is a keyboard design to fit almost anyone.

A good keyboard can range in price of up to $200.00 or more, but luckily there are still many decent keyboards for much less.

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The computer mouse, just like keyboards, have also changed over the years and the plain old wired PS2 mice may soon become extinct as these new rodents are coming with so many new options and designs that we may eventually forget what the original mouse looked like.

From 2 buttons to 7 or more, and considering the new designs and colors incorporated into some of the new gaming mice, one day you may find that to use your new mouse, you will need to grow a few more fingers on your hand.

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Although the operating system is not truly a computer component in the sense of being hardware, it is still necessary for all the computer components in your system to communicate.

A good operating system and drivers installation, provides a smooth stream of communication between you, the operating system and all the components that make up your computer system.

Determining the best operating system for your computer is like saying "which tastes better, chocolate or vanilla?", as this is just a matter of personal opinion.

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More great Computer Component resources to consider:

Component List

Computer Parts List

Desktop PC Parts Checklist

How to Buy the best Gaming Computer

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