Custom PC Building
Part 1: Types Of PC Builds and Parts
When deciding on a Custom PC Build there are a few things to consider before you begin. The first thing is to decide on what type of PC you are going to build. The easiest way to do that is to split builds it up into three general categories:
Low Performance: If you're looking for a simple PC for web browsing, email checking, or video watching, a low performance machine is probably the way to go. These machines are small, don't draw a lot of power, and are usually pretty quiet, which is great. Nettops, home theater PCs, and on a more extreme level home servers also fit into this category. Most custom-built low performance machines range from $200 to $400.
Mid-Level Performance: This is a great option for the majority of builds, since you can stretch the machine's power and your budget to fit almost any scenario. Options include a smaller and less expensive computer tower, with enough power to play some games, light editing and run more than a few programs at once. If you're looking for a multipurpose computer that won't break the bank, this is where you want to go but in general they range from $400 to $800.
High Performance: These are the big towers with an infinite number of accessories and addons. Users with high performance computers are doing things that are more resource-intensive: converting and editing large amounts of video, playing the latest and greatest games at high settings, running other operating systems in virtual machines, and so on. Be prepared to shell out a bit of cash, use a lot of electricity, and devote a lot of space to this machine. Typically a high performance machine will cost anywhere from $800 to a couple thousand and beyond.
PC Parts For Your Build
The Processor: The Processor (CPU) is the "brain" of your computer located on the motherboard. Better CPU's can perform more tasks at once, and perform them faster. Not everyone actually takes advantage of their processor's full speed, so the high-end models are only really crucial if you're performing intensive tasks like gaming, video editing, video conversion, or compiling code. It's also one of the most expensive parts of a machine, so if you aren't performing these types of tasks, you don't necessarily need to worry about buying the latest and greatest. The two big things you want to look at with a processor are clock speed and number of cores. A processor's clock speed determines how many instructions one core can carry out in one second, while more cores means it can carry out more sets of instructions at one time. So higher clock speed means your computer carries out instructions faster. Some programs can utilize multiple cores at once, making them extremely efficient with multi-core CPU s, but also multitask well since they can carry out multiple sets of instructions simultaneously. Almost all CPU's come with a heatsink and fan, which are necessary to keep your CPU from overheating. If you buy a processor labeled "OEM" you're going to need to buy a heatsink separately
The Motherboard: The motherboard connects all the other components to one another, and is the physical base upon which you build everything else. It contains a lot of your machine's core features, like the number of USB ports, the number of expansion cards you can put in such as video, sound, and Wi-Fi, and also determines how big your computer will be. Which motherboard you pick will depend on whether you build a low, medium, or high performance machine and how advanced of a user you are. As you look at motherboards you'll want to pay attention to quite a few things. Here are some of the more important features:
Socket Type: Your socket type (such as AMD's "AM2" socket, or Intel's "LGA 1155" socket) determines which processors you can use with that board. So, if you've already narrowed down the kind of processor you want, this is a good first step to narrowing down your motherboard. Look for a model with a socket type that matches your processor to ensure that the two are compatible.
Size: Motherboards generally come in three sizes: Mini ITX, Micro ATX, and full ATX. The more advanced features you need, the larger the motherboard will need to be, which will also determine the size of your case (and final machine). Generally, your motherboard will be dependent on these other factors, but if you absolutely need a super small machine, you'll want to filter your choices to reflect that.
Number and Types of external Ports: Check for location and number of USB Ports offered. Newer boards also support 3.0 USB speeds which is backwards compatible with 2.0. Do you need HDMI out? Do you want fast Gigabit LAN? Some motherboards only have 10/100, which won't give you fast enough speeds. Do you want any new, super fast USB 3.0 ports? If you want to take advantage of any USB 3.0 peripherals, you'll need compatible ports on your motherboard. If you're set on a motherboard that doesn't have a feature you need, you can add most with expansion cards.
Amount of supported RAM: If you plan on having a lot of RAM in your machine, you'll need a motherboard that supports it. If you're overclocking your processor, you also want to check the top RAM speed your motherboard supports, since you'll probably have to boost your RAM speed when you overclock.
Integrated Graphics: If all you're going to do is browse the web, use Microsoft Office, and perform other simple tasks, you may be better off choosing a motherboard with integrated graphics. You only need to shell out for a separate graphics card if you're playing video games, and maybe if you're playing HD video (though some integrated graphics chips can even do that nowadays). If you're getting a separate graphics card, it doesn't really matter if your motherboard has integrated graphics or not.
Number of SATA Ports: This determines how many internal hard drives and optical drives you can have.
Number of PCI Slots: You can only have as many expansion cards as you have PCI slots, so if you want a dedicated video card (or two), a dedicated sound card, extra USB ports, extra LAN ports, a Wi-Fi adapter, or other expansion cards you need to make sure your motherboard has enough of them.
Chipset: Your motherboard's chipset determines a lot of the more advanced features it has. Some chipsets support overclocking, some do not. Some support SLI and Crossfire (using multiple video cards in tandem), some do not. So if you want certain advanced features the chipset will narrow your selection considerably.
The Case: The case holds all of your computer's parts together and is less about features that affect how your computer runs and more about features that affect you and your home. The case effects how quiet it is, how large it is, airflow and of course, how it looks in your office. The airflow scematic of a case is the most important factor to consider when choosing your build as this will effect how your PC will run and how long your build will last.
Size: Cases come in a number of shapes and sizes, and what size case you choose should match the kind of motherboard you're buying. If you chose a Mini ITX motherboard, then a Mini ITX Tower or Mini ITX Desktop box is for you. A Micro ATX mini tower is the size you'll find in most pre-built computers, so know that mid and full towers are probably bigger than what you're used to. Unless you're going for a very high performance computer with many drives and expansion cards, a full tower is probably overkill for most users.
Airflow: Every case is a little different, and the better your fans are placed, the better airflow you'll have inside which will keep your computer from overheating.
Noise: While you want good airflow, some fans are particularly loud, which can be annoying to some people. If you want your computer to stay relatively quiet, check the user reviews and see what people say about the case's loudness.
Number of Drive Bays: If you need more than just a hard drive an optical drive, count the number of drive bays on your case and make sure you have enough. Keep in mind other things, like card readers, will take up drive bays as well. Internal 3.5" drive bays are for hard drives, external 3.5" drive bays are for card readers, and external 5.25" drives are for optical drives. Note that you can also buy adapters that will fit 3.5" card readers in a 5.25" bay, if necessary.
Ports on the Front: Almost every case you buy will have a number of ports on the front, which usually include a few USB ports, a headphone jack, and a microphone jack. If you want easy FireWire access, you'll want to make sure your case comes with one on the front.
Cable Management: As you build, you'll realize there are a lot of cables inside a computer. Unfortunately, if you just leave them hanging where they fall, they'll block a lot of air from flowing correctly through the case, so you want to organize them as best you can. Some cases have built-in holes through which you can route cables, while some leave you to figure it out yourself with zip ties. The former is, obviously, a lot less work, so see what user reviews say about cable management options.
The RAM: RAM (Random Access Memory) is like your computer's short-term memory. It stores data your computer needs quick access to to help your programs run faster, and help you run more programs at one time. Thus, if you run a lot of programs at once, you'll want a computer with more RAM. If you use virtual machines, you'll want even more RAM, since it has to run its own programs in addition to yours. RAM is an easy and cheap upgrade option for most PC's and is often overlooked on cheaper builds. The RAM seems simple, but you need to make sure it's compatible with your motherboard. When looking at RAM, these are the things you want to think about:
Amount of RAM: 4GB seems to be the average for a normal machine. If you're running virtual machines or using other RAM-hungry apps, you might want closer to 8GB, but most machines should be fine with 4GB or less. Keep in mind that RAM is cheap and only getting cheaper, so you can always upgrade in the future if you need to.
Channels: Your motherboard will support either dual or triple channel RAM. This decides how many sticks of RAM you get. If you have a dual channel motherboard, you'll want to buy RAM in sets of two—for example, two 2GB sticks for a total of 4GB (or four 1GB sticks). Triple channel motherboards take RAM in sets of three.
Type: Most RAM nowadays is "DDR3" which is the latest generation of RAM. You shouldn't have to worry about this too much. Just check your motherboard's spec list to find out what type of RAM it supports and buy accordingly.
Speed: Your motherboard will support a number of different RAM speeds. When you buy your RAM, it will have one of these numbers attached to it, and it doesn't really matter what speeds you get. RAM speeds won't make a noticeable difference in performance unless you are overclocking your processor.
The Graphics Card: The Graphics card (GPU) is a processor specifically designed to handle graphics. It's what you hook your monitor up to, and it's what draws your desktop and your windows on the screen. Some motherboards come with a GPU already integrated, which is enough to manage your desktop, but not enough for watching high definition video or playing 3D games. For those, you'll need a dedicated graphics card, since it can do the legwork needed to draw those complex images.
The Hard Drive: Your hard drives are what store all of your data, ranging from your operating system to your documents, music, and movies. If the RAM is your computer's short-term memory, your hard drive is the long-term memory. It stores the things you want to keep around for awhile. The kind of hard drive you choose will be determined mainly by how much data you need to store, but certain kinds of hard drives like solid state drives can also affect your computer's speed and performance. Some things to consider:
Size: You want enough space on your hard drive to hold all your data, with room for expansion. Like RAM, hard drives are very cheap and easy to upgrade, so you can always add more later if you're on a budget.
Speed: The faster your hard drive is, the faster your computer will boot, launch programs, and open files. You probably want to look for a 7200 RPM drive. Most drives will run on SATA 3.0Gb/s, though if you have 6Gb/s-capable SATA ports on your motherboard, you might want to pay extra for a SATA 6Gb/s hard drive. Note that these aren't actual data transfer speeds—those you'll find in the specs of each hard drive.
Solid State Drives: If you really want a fast drive you can shell out for a super-fast solid state drive, but you'll probably still want a regular drive in addition to the solid state one, since they tend to be quite small. If you have a big enough budget an SSD is one of the best upgrades you can make to a machine.
The Optical Drive: An optical drive more commonly known as a CD or DVD drive, is what you'll use to read CDs, DVDs, and even Blu-Ray discs. Not everyone needs an optical drive in his/her computer, but since you can buy one for about $20, there's little reason not to have one. If you're buying a CD or DVD drive, you probably won't find a ton of difference between the different models. Most burn discs at around the same speeds. If you're looking at Blu-Ray drives and Blu-Ray burners, though, pay attention to the read and write speeds. The higher the read speeds, the faster you can rip a Blu-Ray disc, and the faster the write speed on a burner, the faster you can burn a Blu-Ray disc. Obviously, you'll have to pay more for higher speeds.
The Power Supply: The power supply directs electricity to the other components in your machine. If you have a high performance computer with a fast processor, a graphics card, and a few hard drives, you'll need a higher wattage power supply than you would if you were building a low-end PC. This is probably the last component you'll shop for, once you've nailed down your other parts and how much electricity they'll require. Things to consider:
Wattage: Obviously, if you have a low performance machine, you'll need fewer watts to power it than you would a high performance machine. Give yourself 100 more watts than you need in case you end up upgrading the computer or using that power supply in a later build.
Efficiency: Most units will have a percentage value that denotes how efficient they are. For example, an "80 plus certified" 400W PSU will actually pull something like 500W from your wall. So look for something with a high efficiency, as they'll run cooler and save you money on electric bills.
Cable Types: Try to look for a "modular" power supply if you can. This means that the cables come detached from the power supply, so you can use only the ones you need and not have the others wasting space in your case. Also make sure it comes with long cables, since cables that are too short can make your build difficult.
Noise: Like your case, your PSU is going to contribute a lot to the amount of noise your system makes. Efficiency will help bring it down, but it's also worth checking user reviews to see which PSUs tend to be louder than others.
Uninterruptible Power: This is a specific kind of power supply that can keep you from losing all your work in the event of a power outage. It isn't required, but if you have particularly sensitive work, it could be nice to have.
Fans: The fans come in two main categories, the CPU fan and the Case Fans, both play an important part in your build providing fresh air intake and heat removal. Fans range in size and power requirements and come in a variety of options depending on your specific needs. Most cases will have predetermined requirements or suggestions on fans and placement of the units for proper airflow and cooling.
Soundcard: The soundcard is often not needed as most all motherboards will offer integrated audio with the basic options and outputs. More advanced users prefer soundcards for the better audio output and software available with them. Soundcards usually expand your input and output connectors as well as quality of audio.
Other Parts to Consider: In Addition keep in mind any ribbon cables and sata cables you will need, most cases and motherboards come with the necessary components for your build. If you're going to use Wi-Fi instead of wired Ethernet for accessing the internet, you'll need to buy a Wi-Fi card. If you take a lot of photos, it's probably worth getting an internal SD card reader for easily loading your photos onto your computer. If you have any Bluetooth peripherals an internal Bluetooth card, and if you video chat with friends, you'll want to pick up a webcam. If you don't already have them, you'll need a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. These are just a few of the extra things you will need to plan and work into the budget for your custom PC build. Check out some pre-built systems comparable to what you want to build and that will help you figure out what kind of processor and motherboard applies to your level build, how much RAM and other components being used for those PC's. You should also consider the operating system you want to run, and the programs you'll be using, and check their recommended system requirements.
If you're going to do a lot of gaming, a high-end processor and video card are crucial. If you're building a home theater PC, you'll want a "good enough" video card, a low-end processor, and a large hard drive to store all your movies. Take your time and pick whats going to work best for you. Once you have decided on all your parts and got them ready to put into your new custom PC Build come back here and follow the link below to start your build.
>>>>>>>> Part 2 - How to build a custom PC<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
When deciding on a Custom PC Build there are a few things to consider before you begin. The first thing is to decide on what type of PC you are going to build. The easiest way to do that is to split builds it up into three general categories:
Low Performance: If you're looking for a simple PC for web browsing, email checking, or video watching, a low performance machine is probably the way to go. These machines are small, don't draw a lot of power, and are usually pretty quiet, which is great. Nettops, home theater PCs, and on a more extreme level home servers also fit into this category. Most custom-built low performance machines range from $200 to $400.
Mid-Level Performance: This is a great option for the majority of builds, since you can stretch the machine's power and your budget to fit almost any scenario. Options include a smaller and less expensive computer tower, with enough power to play some games, light editing and run more than a few programs at once. If you're looking for a multipurpose computer that won't break the bank, this is where you want to go but in general they range from $400 to $800.
High Performance: These are the big towers with an infinite number of accessories and addons. Users with high performance computers are doing things that are more resource-intensive: converting and editing large amounts of video, playing the latest and greatest games at high settings, running other operating systems in virtual machines, and so on. Be prepared to shell out a bit of cash, use a lot of electricity, and devote a lot of space to this machine. Typically a high performance machine will cost anywhere from $800 to a couple thousand and beyond.
PC Parts For Your Build
The Processor: The Processor (CPU) is the "brain" of your computer located on the motherboard. Better CPU's can perform more tasks at once, and perform them faster. Not everyone actually takes advantage of their processor's full speed, so the high-end models are only really crucial if you're performing intensive tasks like gaming, video editing, video conversion, or compiling code. It's also one of the most expensive parts of a machine, so if you aren't performing these types of tasks, you don't necessarily need to worry about buying the latest and greatest. The two big things you want to look at with a processor are clock speed and number of cores. A processor's clock speed determines how many instructions one core can carry out in one second, while more cores means it can carry out more sets of instructions at one time. So higher clock speed means your computer carries out instructions faster. Some programs can utilize multiple cores at once, making them extremely efficient with multi-core CPU s, but also multitask well since they can carry out multiple sets of instructions simultaneously. Almost all CPU's come with a heatsink and fan, which are necessary to keep your CPU from overheating. If you buy a processor labeled "OEM" you're going to need to buy a heatsink separately
The Motherboard: The motherboard connects all the other components to one another, and is the physical base upon which you build everything else. It contains a lot of your machine's core features, like the number of USB ports, the number of expansion cards you can put in such as video, sound, and Wi-Fi, and also determines how big your computer will be. Which motherboard you pick will depend on whether you build a low, medium, or high performance machine and how advanced of a user you are. As you look at motherboards you'll want to pay attention to quite a few things. Here are some of the more important features:
Socket Type: Your socket type (such as AMD's "AM2" socket, or Intel's "LGA 1155" socket) determines which processors you can use with that board. So, if you've already narrowed down the kind of processor you want, this is a good first step to narrowing down your motherboard. Look for a model with a socket type that matches your processor to ensure that the two are compatible.
Size: Motherboards generally come in three sizes: Mini ITX, Micro ATX, and full ATX. The more advanced features you need, the larger the motherboard will need to be, which will also determine the size of your case (and final machine). Generally, your motherboard will be dependent on these other factors, but if you absolutely need a super small machine, you'll want to filter your choices to reflect that.
Number and Types of external Ports: Check for location and number of USB Ports offered. Newer boards also support 3.0 USB speeds which is backwards compatible with 2.0. Do you need HDMI out? Do you want fast Gigabit LAN? Some motherboards only have 10/100, which won't give you fast enough speeds. Do you want any new, super fast USB 3.0 ports? If you want to take advantage of any USB 3.0 peripherals, you'll need compatible ports on your motherboard. If you're set on a motherboard that doesn't have a feature you need, you can add most with expansion cards.
Amount of supported RAM: If you plan on having a lot of RAM in your machine, you'll need a motherboard that supports it. If you're overclocking your processor, you also want to check the top RAM speed your motherboard supports, since you'll probably have to boost your RAM speed when you overclock.
Integrated Graphics: If all you're going to do is browse the web, use Microsoft Office, and perform other simple tasks, you may be better off choosing a motherboard with integrated graphics. You only need to shell out for a separate graphics card if you're playing video games, and maybe if you're playing HD video (though some integrated graphics chips can even do that nowadays). If you're getting a separate graphics card, it doesn't really matter if your motherboard has integrated graphics or not.
Number of SATA Ports: This determines how many internal hard drives and optical drives you can have.
Number of PCI Slots: You can only have as many expansion cards as you have PCI slots, so if you want a dedicated video card (or two), a dedicated sound card, extra USB ports, extra LAN ports, a Wi-Fi adapter, or other expansion cards you need to make sure your motherboard has enough of them.
Chipset: Your motherboard's chipset determines a lot of the more advanced features it has. Some chipsets support overclocking, some do not. Some support SLI and Crossfire (using multiple video cards in tandem), some do not. So if you want certain advanced features the chipset will narrow your selection considerably.
The Case: The case holds all of your computer's parts together and is less about features that affect how your computer runs and more about features that affect you and your home. The case effects how quiet it is, how large it is, airflow and of course, how it looks in your office. The airflow scematic of a case is the most important factor to consider when choosing your build as this will effect how your PC will run and how long your build will last.
Size: Cases come in a number of shapes and sizes, and what size case you choose should match the kind of motherboard you're buying. If you chose a Mini ITX motherboard, then a Mini ITX Tower or Mini ITX Desktop box is for you. A Micro ATX mini tower is the size you'll find in most pre-built computers, so know that mid and full towers are probably bigger than what you're used to. Unless you're going for a very high performance computer with many drives and expansion cards, a full tower is probably overkill for most users.
Airflow: Every case is a little different, and the better your fans are placed, the better airflow you'll have inside which will keep your computer from overheating.
Noise: While you want good airflow, some fans are particularly loud, which can be annoying to some people. If you want your computer to stay relatively quiet, check the user reviews and see what people say about the case's loudness.
Number of Drive Bays: If you need more than just a hard drive an optical drive, count the number of drive bays on your case and make sure you have enough. Keep in mind other things, like card readers, will take up drive bays as well. Internal 3.5" drive bays are for hard drives, external 3.5" drive bays are for card readers, and external 5.25" drives are for optical drives. Note that you can also buy adapters that will fit 3.5" card readers in a 5.25" bay, if necessary.
Ports on the Front: Almost every case you buy will have a number of ports on the front, which usually include a few USB ports, a headphone jack, and a microphone jack. If you want easy FireWire access, you'll want to make sure your case comes with one on the front.
Cable Management: As you build, you'll realize there are a lot of cables inside a computer. Unfortunately, if you just leave them hanging where they fall, they'll block a lot of air from flowing correctly through the case, so you want to organize them as best you can. Some cases have built-in holes through which you can route cables, while some leave you to figure it out yourself with zip ties. The former is, obviously, a lot less work, so see what user reviews say about cable management options.
The RAM: RAM (Random Access Memory) is like your computer's short-term memory. It stores data your computer needs quick access to to help your programs run faster, and help you run more programs at one time. Thus, if you run a lot of programs at once, you'll want a computer with more RAM. If you use virtual machines, you'll want even more RAM, since it has to run its own programs in addition to yours. RAM is an easy and cheap upgrade option for most PC's and is often overlooked on cheaper builds. The RAM seems simple, but you need to make sure it's compatible with your motherboard. When looking at RAM, these are the things you want to think about:
Amount of RAM: 4GB seems to be the average for a normal machine. If you're running virtual machines or using other RAM-hungry apps, you might want closer to 8GB, but most machines should be fine with 4GB or less. Keep in mind that RAM is cheap and only getting cheaper, so you can always upgrade in the future if you need to.
Channels: Your motherboard will support either dual or triple channel RAM. This decides how many sticks of RAM you get. If you have a dual channel motherboard, you'll want to buy RAM in sets of two—for example, two 2GB sticks for a total of 4GB (or four 1GB sticks). Triple channel motherboards take RAM in sets of three.
Type: Most RAM nowadays is "DDR3" which is the latest generation of RAM. You shouldn't have to worry about this too much. Just check your motherboard's spec list to find out what type of RAM it supports and buy accordingly.
Speed: Your motherboard will support a number of different RAM speeds. When you buy your RAM, it will have one of these numbers attached to it, and it doesn't really matter what speeds you get. RAM speeds won't make a noticeable difference in performance unless you are overclocking your processor.
The Graphics Card: The Graphics card (GPU) is a processor specifically designed to handle graphics. It's what you hook your monitor up to, and it's what draws your desktop and your windows on the screen. Some motherboards come with a GPU already integrated, which is enough to manage your desktop, but not enough for watching high definition video or playing 3D games. For those, you'll need a dedicated graphics card, since it can do the legwork needed to draw those complex images.
The Hard Drive: Your hard drives are what store all of your data, ranging from your operating system to your documents, music, and movies. If the RAM is your computer's short-term memory, your hard drive is the long-term memory. It stores the things you want to keep around for awhile. The kind of hard drive you choose will be determined mainly by how much data you need to store, but certain kinds of hard drives like solid state drives can also affect your computer's speed and performance. Some things to consider:
Size: You want enough space on your hard drive to hold all your data, with room for expansion. Like RAM, hard drives are very cheap and easy to upgrade, so you can always add more later if you're on a budget.
Speed: The faster your hard drive is, the faster your computer will boot, launch programs, and open files. You probably want to look for a 7200 RPM drive. Most drives will run on SATA 3.0Gb/s, though if you have 6Gb/s-capable SATA ports on your motherboard, you might want to pay extra for a SATA 6Gb/s hard drive. Note that these aren't actual data transfer speeds—those you'll find in the specs of each hard drive.
Solid State Drives: If you really want a fast drive you can shell out for a super-fast solid state drive, but you'll probably still want a regular drive in addition to the solid state one, since they tend to be quite small. If you have a big enough budget an SSD is one of the best upgrades you can make to a machine.
The Optical Drive: An optical drive more commonly known as a CD or DVD drive, is what you'll use to read CDs, DVDs, and even Blu-Ray discs. Not everyone needs an optical drive in his/her computer, but since you can buy one for about $20, there's little reason not to have one. If you're buying a CD or DVD drive, you probably won't find a ton of difference between the different models. Most burn discs at around the same speeds. If you're looking at Blu-Ray drives and Blu-Ray burners, though, pay attention to the read and write speeds. The higher the read speeds, the faster you can rip a Blu-Ray disc, and the faster the write speed on a burner, the faster you can burn a Blu-Ray disc. Obviously, you'll have to pay more for higher speeds.
The Power Supply: The power supply directs electricity to the other components in your machine. If you have a high performance computer with a fast processor, a graphics card, and a few hard drives, you'll need a higher wattage power supply than you would if you were building a low-end PC. This is probably the last component you'll shop for, once you've nailed down your other parts and how much electricity they'll require. Things to consider:
Wattage: Obviously, if you have a low performance machine, you'll need fewer watts to power it than you would a high performance machine. Give yourself 100 more watts than you need in case you end up upgrading the computer or using that power supply in a later build.
Efficiency: Most units will have a percentage value that denotes how efficient they are. For example, an "80 plus certified" 400W PSU will actually pull something like 500W from your wall. So look for something with a high efficiency, as they'll run cooler and save you money on electric bills.
Cable Types: Try to look for a "modular" power supply if you can. This means that the cables come detached from the power supply, so you can use only the ones you need and not have the others wasting space in your case. Also make sure it comes with long cables, since cables that are too short can make your build difficult.
Noise: Like your case, your PSU is going to contribute a lot to the amount of noise your system makes. Efficiency will help bring it down, but it's also worth checking user reviews to see which PSUs tend to be louder than others.
Uninterruptible Power: This is a specific kind of power supply that can keep you from losing all your work in the event of a power outage. It isn't required, but if you have particularly sensitive work, it could be nice to have.
Fans: The fans come in two main categories, the CPU fan and the Case Fans, both play an important part in your build providing fresh air intake and heat removal. Fans range in size and power requirements and come in a variety of options depending on your specific needs. Most cases will have predetermined requirements or suggestions on fans and placement of the units for proper airflow and cooling.
Soundcard: The soundcard is often not needed as most all motherboards will offer integrated audio with the basic options and outputs. More advanced users prefer soundcards for the better audio output and software available with them. Soundcards usually expand your input and output connectors as well as quality of audio.
Other Parts to Consider: In Addition keep in mind any ribbon cables and sata cables you will need, most cases and motherboards come with the necessary components for your build. If you're going to use Wi-Fi instead of wired Ethernet for accessing the internet, you'll need to buy a Wi-Fi card. If you take a lot of photos, it's probably worth getting an internal SD card reader for easily loading your photos onto your computer. If you have any Bluetooth peripherals an internal Bluetooth card, and if you video chat with friends, you'll want to pick up a webcam. If you don't already have them, you'll need a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. These are just a few of the extra things you will need to plan and work into the budget for your custom PC build. Check out some pre-built systems comparable to what you want to build and that will help you figure out what kind of processor and motherboard applies to your level build, how much RAM and other components being used for those PC's. You should also consider the operating system you want to run, and the programs you'll be using, and check their recommended system requirements.
If you're going to do a lot of gaming, a high-end processor and video card are crucial. If you're building a home theater PC, you'll want a "good enough" video card, a low-end processor, and a large hard drive to store all your movies. Take your time and pick whats going to work best for you. Once you have decided on all your parts and got them ready to put into your new custom PC Build come back here and follow the link below to start your build.
>>>>>>>> Part 2 - How to build a custom PC<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
