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Subscribe!Wed - Sep 19, 2007 : 05:36 pm
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Building a Computer
I guess I just take for granted all the tips 'n' tricks I've learned over the past 10 years I've been building my own systems (along with most of my family's and friend's computers), so with that thought, let me try to explain how I build computers.
First off, this article is intended for those people who are not necessarily tech-wizards, but are technologically savvy for the most part. If you wonder what a CD-ROM is, this article is not for you.
So, without further ado, let's get on with some basic concepts behind building your own computer.
First off, and I mean first off, you've got to know what you're going to be using this computer for. If you really don't know, or don't care, then you probably shouldn't be building your own systems. Go to Wal-mart and buy one of their bargain computers. You'll probably be better off that way, anyway.
A scenario that happens so often, it's causing me to want to create a "build your own computer consulting company", because I could make a killing. The scenario is such:
"I just wanted a computer that would make browsing the web easier and faster.... Oh, I also wanted to be able to do word processing and family history... So the nice guy down at the computer shop sold me this nice machine for $5000.00! Isn't that a great deal?"
That "guy" down at the computer shop should be imprisoned for theft.
The *only* reason you should consider building your own machine which will be used for nothing more than faster browsing, word processing, or any other routine daily task in which 99% of the population engages, is so you can upgrade your machine later on. But even then, computers are becoming so cheap now, that in 2 years, you'll probably want to buy a new machine anyway, if it's not already incompatible with current hardware.
I used to tell my family that building a machine was always better and cheaper than buying one new. Now-a-days that isn't always the case. You can get a pretty nice pre-built computer for routine tasks at a great price - just don't try to upgrade it in a year or two.
One other thing to consider when building a computer is where you buy components.
If you want the best price on hardware, do it online, or keep your eyes peeled for good deals in local computer shops. Places like pricewatch and shopper are great places to find extremely good online deals for computer components. Good online shopping security practices are always required for shopping with e-businesses you've never heard of. Not all unknown shops are scam shops, in fact most of them aren't, but you also want to keep in mind that even though these shops almost always have the best prices, they are usually only pennies cheaper than trusted places such as newegg, zipzoomfly, and buy.com.
I've personally had the best overall experience and have found extremely competitive pricing at newegg.com. I highly recommend them for computer hardware components.
If you're at all worried about taking components back if they don't work, or getting help on various components, or making sure you're getting components which are compatible with each other, I highly recommend PC Club. If you live near one, I wouldn't consider shopping anywhere else. They always employ educated, generally happy people to help ya, and even though their prices are a bit higher, it's worth it if you want to shop locally.
"Hmm.... Hardware components... Which ones do I need?" Sadly, that question is way too subjective to be contained within the scope of this article. However, I've gotta say, one of the best places to find hardware tips and reviews is Toms Hardware, simply because they are so thorough with their investigation and reviews. I find they are also quite objective in their reviews.
Speaking of Toms Hardware, I found this gem on their site a couple of weeks ago. It's a page which contains updated information contained in charts on various computer parts, along with a load of statistics on each piece, compared with various component vendors across the same feature. It really is amazing, and extremely helpful when trying to figure out what you should buy, and which part is the best bang-for-the-buck.
Along with hard drives, the charts also compare video cards, CPUS and routers. It really is incredible, and it's free.
Toms Hardware also has various RSS feeds which provide you with up-to-the-minute info for all your computer component needs.
Hmm.... What else can I think of regarding computer tips 'n' tricks...
"Read the manual for the motherboard?", yeah... That's always a good idea.
Ummm.... I can't think of any more information at the time to impart, so... I'll call it good.
Happy building!
First off, this article is intended for those people who are not necessarily tech-wizards, but are technologically savvy for the most part. If you wonder what a CD-ROM is, this article is not for you.
So, without further ado, let's get on with some basic concepts behind building your own computer.
First off, and I mean first off, you've got to know what you're going to be using this computer for. If you really don't know, or don't care, then you probably shouldn't be building your own systems. Go to Wal-mart and buy one of their bargain computers. You'll probably be better off that way, anyway.
A scenario that happens so often, it's causing me to want to create a "build your own computer consulting company", because I could make a killing. The scenario is such:
"I just wanted a computer that would make browsing the web easier and faster.... Oh, I also wanted to be able to do word processing and family history... So the nice guy down at the computer shop sold me this nice machine for $5000.00! Isn't that a great deal?"
That "guy" down at the computer shop should be imprisoned for theft.
The *only* reason you should consider building your own machine which will be used for nothing more than faster browsing, word processing, or any other routine daily task in which 99% of the population engages, is so you can upgrade your machine later on. But even then, computers are becoming so cheap now, that in 2 years, you'll probably want to buy a new machine anyway, if it's not already incompatible with current hardware.
I used to tell my family that building a machine was always better and cheaper than buying one new. Now-a-days that isn't always the case. You can get a pretty nice pre-built computer for routine tasks at a great price - just don't try to upgrade it in a year or two.
One other thing to consider when building a computer is where you buy components.
If you want the best price on hardware, do it online, or keep your eyes peeled for good deals in local computer shops. Places like pricewatch and shopper are great places to find extremely good online deals for computer components. Good online shopping security practices are always required for shopping with e-businesses you've never heard of. Not all unknown shops are scam shops, in fact most of them aren't, but you also want to keep in mind that even though these shops almost always have the best prices, they are usually only pennies cheaper than trusted places such as newegg, zipzoomfly, and buy.com.
I've personally had the best overall experience and have found extremely competitive pricing at newegg.com. I highly recommend them for computer hardware components.
If you're at all worried about taking components back if they don't work, or getting help on various components, or making sure you're getting components which are compatible with each other, I highly recommend PC Club. If you live near one, I wouldn't consider shopping anywhere else. They always employ educated, generally happy people to help ya, and even though their prices are a bit higher, it's worth it if you want to shop locally.
"Hmm.... Hardware components... Which ones do I need?" Sadly, that question is way too subjective to be contained within the scope of this article. However, I've gotta say, one of the best places to find hardware tips and reviews is Toms Hardware, simply because they are so thorough with their investigation and reviews. I find they are also quite objective in their reviews.
Speaking of Toms Hardware, I found this gem on their site a couple of weeks ago. It's a page which contains updated information contained in charts on various computer parts, along with a load of statistics on each piece, compared with various component vendors across the same feature. It really is amazing, and extremely helpful when trying to figure out what you should buy, and which part is the best bang-for-the-buck.Along with hard drives, the charts also compare video cards, CPUS and routers. It really is incredible, and it's free.
Toms Hardware also has various RSS feeds which provide you with up-to-the-minute info for all your computer component needs.
Hmm.... What else can I think of regarding computer tips 'n' tricks...
"Read the manual for the motherboard?", yeah... That's always a good idea.
Ummm.... I can't think of any more information at the time to impart, so... I'll call it good.
Happy building!