Piecing it All Together: Building Your Own Computer

There are advantages in building your personal computer (PC). Before, most individuals would assume that building a PC, instead of buying the entire unit, would prove to be more cost-efficient. In the long run, it will save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars, though initially that is not the case.

Truth be told, almost all computer manufacturers can put together a PC unit at a much cheaper cost compared to the price tag of assembling your own. This is due to the bulk purchases made by companies. And more often than not, they would try to land on the best package deals for the most affordable components.

While this may deter any desire to build a PC, one should consider looking at it in a prospective point of view. Sure you can save money when you buy a computer set, however, maintaining your unit will dictate that you let go a few hundreds to defray the costs of such. Do not forget the additional fee will be given if you hire an expert. One must understand that most companies fabricate their units from generic parts. This will render you devoid of any control with regard the quality of core components of your PC.

Basics

Certainly, assembling your own PC will demand that you put in more hours and legwork. Research is necessary, and this is not only for the components and how much it cost but as well as the compatibility of these items with your system. A lot of potential builders drop any future project because their first try proved faulty due to compatibility issues.

The Purchase

After an exhaustive research, here are the essential components:

1. Case
2. Motherboard
3. CPU or Processor
4. Graphic/Video Card
5. Hard Drive
6. Optical Drive/s (CD-Rom and DVD Drive/Burner)
7. Power Supply
8. Operating System
9. Cooling Devices (fans and heatsinks)
10. Peripherals (monitor, mouse, keyboard, printer, etc.)

For sure, there are a lot of gadgets that may be added, but these are the necessities. Armed with the list of the basic components, you may opt to canvass prices online. The process of comparison may take some time, particularly when you do not have all day. But this is worth the effort. Many users purchase their components too rashly and impulsively, and they usually end up getting the short end of the stick.

Build

Once you receive the parts, stop. Do not go diving into every box and bubble wrap connecting cables to various slots. Though eagerness is a good characteristic, reading the manual is a better option than mindlessly fitting pieces together. Oh, and remember to keep the invoice.

Steps

Of course, you need to set up the power supply---this means installing, not letting electricity flow. If you do the latter, be prepared for the shock of your life.

Next is the processor. Position said device in its socket on the motherboard. A motherboard is the core component where everything is plugged into. It holds the memory slots and the processor as well as all other cables connecting to component cards (video and sound card).

If the CPU does not come with a fan or a cooling device, you can install it by following the instructions provided by the manufacturer. The motherboard as mentioned earlier, must be installed too. There are CPU cases with removable motherboard tray, try to buy this one. It is easier to assemble the motherboard using a removable tray as opposed to attaching it in the case itself.

With the motherboard installed, plug in the cards, slip in the hard drive, and slide the optical drives. The cables are, of course, connected to the motherboard. Tighten the screws and position everything.

Moving on, the power supply, this is the thing that has a bunch of cables, connectors, and wirings stemming out from it. Locating where the connector goes is quite simple. Just match the connector to the slot where it fits. If you are not confident with your matching skills, you can always turn to the manual for help. Last is to attach the front panel connectors to each matching slot on the motherboard.

We are nearly finished.

Connect the power cable to the power supply and outlet. Plug the VGA (cord at the back of the monitor) to the video card as well as the mouse and keyboard in their respective ports. (The last two is frequently color-coded.)

Let in the surge of electricity. Turn on the PC and install the operating system. Simply insert the bootable disk in the optical drive. Follow the steps as shown in the monitor.

See here, if you have the basics of installation down, the knowledge on how to choose parts, and the familiarity on system/hardware/software compatibility issues, then you need not get a professional to perform magic on your PC.