How To Build A PC: Selecting PC Parts

I own a simple $25 PC tool kit that was purchased at CompUSA (before it went out of business, that is...) They're fairly easy to find, and will include all of the tools you'll need, with many you'll probably never use. This is probably your best bet, as it's more cost-effective than buying all of the tools individually. The most important tools in the kit include:

• A long, thin screw driver
  Your best friend for accessing screws in tight situations! This an absolute must have. The screwdriver in my tool case is 6" long and half a centimeter thick. It also helps if the screwdriver has a ratchet handle.


• Box cutter
  This is a must-have for cutting through the human-proof plastic that many PC parts come packaged in -- you'll be using it a lot!


• Needle-nose pliers
  They'll come in handy in various situations, where you have to fasten or unplug things.


• Pen light
  Be sure to own a pen light that you can hold between your teeth, for times when you're using both hands. It really saves you from a lot of aggravation from when you're working inside of a dark PC case and have low visibility. A Mini Mag-Light can also do the trick, although you'll need a free hand to hold it.
  


• Dremel Tool
  You may or may not need one of these (although I did, when it came to cutting my CPU fan bracket). Dremel tools are inexpensive handheld circular saws that have unlimited usages. It's good to own one just to keep around the house, anyway!

Other things you'll need...be sure to have these ahead of time, so that you won't have to order them at the last minute, then sit back and wait for them to arrive in the mail!

• IDE/SATA Cables
  Peripherals such as your CD/DVD drives and hard drives will be either IDE or SATA. Be sure to get one cable for each!


• Thermal grease
  A tube of thermal grease is a necessity for when we'll install a CPU chip. Your chip might come with a tube (or it might not).
  Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound is one of the most respected brands.


• An operating system!
  Since we're building a PC, we'll need to buy operating system software separately. In this tutorial, I used
  Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit OEM edition (OEM versions are much less expensive because they doesn't include the box or manual)

So, you're looking for a new PC, but don't know where to begin in regard to buying parts. It can be VERY frustrating to figure out what's compatible with what...not to mention, acquainting yourself with today's technology!

Here's a tip...Newegg.com (you'll see me mentioning them throughout this review) contains tons of valuable customer testimonials. You can actually find compatible PC parts just by looking at customer reviews. For instance, look for a motherboard that's priced right for you, with the features you want, by sorting all boards by price or rating. After making a choice, read its reviews and note how someone may have mentioned exact processor chip they used with it. Search for that processor chip, read its reviews, and you'll see that someone has mentioned a specific heatsink fan they've used with that chip...and so on, and so forth...catch my drift?

I've actually used this strategy myself, and wound up building my dream PC. Below is a picture of all of the parts I've used, followed by a list of what you're looking at:



(from left to right, top row):

• geForce XFX PVT98FYDBU 9800GTX Black Edition graphics card


• LITE-ON 2-Tone Wired Keyboard


• Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Professional Series sound card


• (2) Western Digital Caviar SE16 640GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s hard drives


• ASUS Rampage Formula ATX Intel Motherboard


• Antec Nine Hundred black computer case with side panel window


• OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI 700W Power Supply

(from left to right, bottom row):

• ZALMAN CNPS9500 AT 2 ball CPU cooling fan/heatsink


• (1) VANTEC round IDE cable


• (3) OKGEAR 18" Serial-ATA round cables


• Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 2.66GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor


• (2) sets of Corsair Dominator 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory


• HP 20X DVD+/-R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black IDE Model 1040I-BULK


• Lite-On Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive 16x DVD, 48x CD reader, Model DH-16D3S-08

There's just a little strategy in choosing the right computer case...although, most of it is for the "look." A great feature in today's cases are their fan setups, which are devised for the best air flow possible. You'll want the inside of your case to remain as cool as possible. Therefore, a case that has a large top-mounted fan is a help, since heat rises. Front fans act as intakes, bringing the air into the case, which moves through the case and exits through the exhaust fan in the back of the box.





Above: The Antec Nine Hundred PC case.

Another good attribute in a PC case is a rear fan that's perpendicular to your processor cooling fan. No matter what your setup is - make sure it's moving air into, through and out of the case in the best way possible!

A good power supply will keep your PC going, while providing ample power to all of the parts you'll be plugging into your motherboard. Power supplies, as you might have guessed, have the cord that plugs into your wall outlet. However, they also have a "Medusa's head" of many different power connectors that connect to parts like your hard drives, CD and DVD-ROM drives, video card and more. A good rule of thumb is to get at least a 550-600W power supply. If you can afford to buy one with a larger output, go for it! Depending on how much "stuff" you have attached both inside and outside of your PC, you might require a larger power output. I'd rather have more power, than be left in the dark.

My goal was simple - I wanted overkill. I wanted to get the best of everything while getting a good bargain; although, I have to admit, I am never adverse to spending money on a new computer as I have never built a "budget system." Why? Well, I want a system that will last at least 4-5 years. I do a lot of video editing, graphic design, and some gaming here and there.

How do you begin choosing the parts for your dream PC? It all starts from square one: researching a motherboard. The motherboard, of course, is the backbone of your system - everything else plugs into it and basically helps all of the other parts of your computer communicate with each other. Motherboards have tons of features these days, mainly geared toward the gaming crowd. However, they also have made things easier on PC builders, with LED indicators and easy-to-configure BIOS screens.



One thing has never changed through the years, I am a total ASUS fanboy, and always will be. ASUS is considered one of the most elite motherboard manufacturers, and I've found them to be the most reliable, ever. I have never been disappointed in any of the ASUS boards I've built in my life. As this review continues on, you'll hear how my new ASUS Rampage Formula is no exception!

What if your new computer only be used for e-mail and Microsoft Word? If you actually are looking for a budget system, sift through today's selection by price. Keep a price bracket (i.e., $25-$50) in mind, and sort those selections by customer testimonial. Narrow your choice down to 2 boards, and compare their features and customer testimonials.

When you've finally chosen your new motherboard, it's time to move onward to the other "guts" -- namely, the CPU (Central Processing Unit) or processor chip. These are two PC parts that require a little bit of knowledge (or, a knack for doing quick and dirty research) to purchase.

You'll notice that your motherboard has a "socket type" - a 3-digit number - assigned to it. Just look at the motherboard's specification sheet, and you'll find it! Your processor chip will have to match that number. So, if your motherboard has an LGA 755 socket, your processor chip will also have to be a LGA 755 socket type. The socket type is nothing more than the pin setup underneath your chip, and the "socket" it fits into, on your motherboard. The most commonly used socket type is 755.

Processors come in single, dual-core and quad-core (and as you can imagine, those rates are doubling in the near future). Multi-core processors combine more than one processor core in the same neat little package. They work around various computer-related tasks in different ways. As with anything, bigger is better, and more software programs are adapting to embrace these technologies. The two major manufacturers of chips are Intel and AMD. Both companies are outstanding in what they do. I personally go with Intel chips. Be sure to read customer reviews of the top rated chips to see what the average pros and cons are!

Don't expect many (or most) of today's software to take full advantage of a quad core processor - though. Don't worry, you can still use all of your favorite programs on a quad core machine.

When you buy a processor, it comes with a cooling fan, which is usually made of copper, and screws on to the motherboard directly against the processor chip.

It's wise to purchase a better aftermarket fan that does a better job of heat dispersion, as the stock fan might not be able to keep up with the payload you'll be dishing out with your gaming and graphic design escapades. The undisputed champion of processor cooling fans is Zalman.

Finding the right RAM (aka "memory") certainly is tricky for someone who isn't into the tech scene.

Much like that of the CPU, RAM also has a certain space it needs to fit in, which comes in the form of a pin setup. Go back to your motherboard's specification sheet, and look under "memory slots." Mine said "240 pin," so, I had to find 240 pin RAM...it's that simple.

RAM also has lots of other little perks and features, such as speed, latency and timing. While many of these features won't mean much to non-hardcore computer nerds, it's always best to see what people are buzzing about and adjust your final decision accordingly. As with everything, you'll want to get hardware that will last you in the long-run.

One final note on RAM, there are many "flavors," from SDRAM, DIMM, DDR, DDR2, DDR3 and others that will make your head spin. Most people go with DDR2 SDRAM these days, as DDR3 is still in its infancy and not quite advantageous, not to mention, grossly expensive. You'll also need a special motherboard to accommodate it - so, leave DDR3 for future developments and stick with DDR2 SDRAM.

Corsair, Crucial, OCZ and Kingston are excellent RAM manufacturers, and have been well respected for years.

This will be your easiest purchase. Simply look for a drive that has the fastest read and write speed! Refer to my earlier statement of sorting all of the drives by customer rating. Narrow your choice down to the top two or three highest rated drives, and choose the best name brand/performance combo. Top name brands for CD and DVD drives would be HP and LiteOn. Remember, a "read" drive doesn't burn discs.

When it comes to DVD-R and DVD+R, the - and + designates which type of blank disc the drive can recognize and use. 99.9% of the PC population burns on DVD-R drives (I'm not even sure why the + ones even exist). These discs also have different compatibilities with CD player stereos and DVD players. Be sure to check the manuals of these devices to see which discs they can read!

You might come across a drive that has a capability called LightScribe. This is a cool feature you may have read about a few years ago, where the DVD burner can burn a label directly on the top of the disc itself, after it's done. In order to put this feature to good use, you'll need to seek out and buy LightScribe-ready blank discs (they have special tops that can have designs burned into them with your DVD writer drive's laser).

When it comes to choosing a CD and DVD reader/writer drive, you'll find that they come with one of two connection types:

In ye olden days of computing, computers were stuffed with long, flat, wide ribbon-like connectors known as IDE Cables. They connected the hard drive and CD-ROM to the motherboard. IDE has become an obsolete technology, and is replaced by the more advantageous and space-efficient SATA cables (see the image to your right).

What the heck does this mean to you? Well, just get SATA hard drives, SATA CD-ROMs and SATA burners, and don't worry about the specifics! You can still find IDE devices for sale today, and there's nothing wrong with purchasing and using them, except for the fact that you're using older technology -- and something better and more efficient is already available. If you're going for an IDE device, you can pick up a round IDE cable. It's extremely space efficient, as manufacturers have ditched the old flat/wide cables.

When it comes to IDE drives, you have to piggyback the cable amongst two drives in a master/slave combination...the IDE cable has three connectors - master (which goes to the top-most drive), slave (which goes to the 2nd drive underneath it - if there is one), and the motherboard connector. This is mainly where the loss of performance can be seen. SATA cables connect each peripheral directly to the motherboard, eliminating this bottleneck of performance.

The good news is that the prices on hard drives have dropped significantly in the past few years. We're now in the terabyte age! So, take a look at some high capacity hard drives (2 will cover your video & audio needs).

When looking for a new hard drive, there are several key attributes to look for. First off, more hard drive space means more storage, but you already knew that. Just note that larger hard drives are not always "better." If you've ever tried to virus scan or defragment a huge hard drive, you'll know what I'm talking about! Things like this tend to take longer with a big HD, but once again, that's a laziness factor, I suppose. The bonus is that large hard drives mean more virual memory for your system to play with.

Secondly, there's hard drive speed, measured in RPM (rotations per minute). Faster hard drives assist in moving data more quickly. A 7200 RPM drive is an ideal choice for anyone, these days. There are 15,000 RPM drives, if you hunt around for them - but they are extremely expensive. Beyond speed, look at the hard drive cache. This represents the temporary storage that the hard drive uses as it accesses and writes data (bigger is better, here!).

Lastly, refer to my section above, in regard to a SATA connection. By all means, buy a hard drive that has a SATA connector instead of an archaic IDE drive, and help keep its data flow as smooth as possible.

I typically like to have two hard drives - one will have nothing but the operating system and software programs, and the other is used to store MP3s, saved projects and all of my other big files. Since I'm kind of paranoid, I also like using a third external USB drive to back everything up, just in case there's a hard drive crash!

As for brands, Western Digital and Seagate are two of the most reputable hard drive manufacturers around!

Sound cards are yet another simple purchase, unless you're a music composer and plan to hook up an expensive keyboard to your computer. If not, simply follow the same routine of seeking out the highest rated sound cards (SoundBlaster is still the frontrunner) and choose amongst the top three. Most people these days go for cards that enhance the whole PC gaming experience.

When it comes to video cards (sometimes referred to as graphics cards), a little more effort has to be put into finding the right one for your means.

This is another case where you have to ask yourself what you want out of your system - are you a gamer? Graphic designer? Video editor? If so, you'll probably want a top of the line card.

Personally, I don't spend much time researching video cards, as I always get the best commercial one on the market (notice how I used the word "commercial," as the best card on the market costs in the thousands).

The two major players in the video card scene are nVidia (of "GeForce" fame) and ATI (of Radeon fame). Fanboys will battle out the nVidia vs. ATI debate until the end of time: some say ATI cards generate more heat than nVidia, some say nVidia's gaming performance is better, the list goes on and on. The truth is - unless you intend on sitting around and doing benchmarking tests to compare digits, you probably won't see a noticeable difference between the best cards of both manufacturers. Personally, I'm a big nVidia fan.

Both nVidia and ATI cards are made by other manufacturers, too, who put their own "flair" or spin on the card. Manufacturers like PNY, XFX, Gainward and many others create their own versions of the cards based on the nVidia or ATI chipset, and include different fan and heatsink setups to improve heat dispersion and other performance-related aspects. While some video cards are simple and small sized, others are double-width and monstrous. Be sure that the card you want will fit in the case you bought! Note that it is highly worth your while to research and buy from these separate manufactures rather than buying direct from nVidia or ATI, as the 3rd party cards almost always have better performance ratings!

One last thing...you'll start hearing more about a feature called CrossFire as you research ATI's line of video cards. If an ATI video card (and your motherboard) support CrossFire, it means that you can use more than one video card at the same time (up to four cards, actually!). The result is a boost in bandwidth, as well as resolution. It's an exciting new feature that hit the graphics world in the mid 2000s, and has only increased in popularity. You certainly don't need a CrossFire setup, as there are single cards that can serve their purpose and then some. If you're a car fanatic, compare it to a sports car with a huge single turbo, vs. a sports car with a small twin-turbo setup!

On to the next step, Installing the Motherboard & Power Supply >>
...or, go back to the main page: How to Build A PC