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 One of the best ways of getting the computer that suits your specific needs is to build your own. Additionally, building your own computer allows you to create a simple-to-upgrade machine that can operate effectively for many years. It is relatively easy to do, but it does require a little bit of knowledge to find, purchase, and assemble all of the right parts. Whether your are building your own or upgrading a component, it is important to understand what you need and the minimum requirements to build a computer.
CPU. You will need a Central Processing Unit (CPU). There are only two brands of CPU: AMD and Intel. The type of processor that you want will be a factor in determining what motherboard to purchase. Specifically, you will want to know the brand, the series model, the socket type and the wattage required.
Memory. Every computer requires memory. Today, memory can be found in DDR2 and DDR3 versions. The DDR3 is newer and faster and the version that most new motherboards are built to handle. It is important to know what type of memory your motherboard is compatible with.
Graphics. Some motherboards come with graphics chips already in them, others do not. These will require a dedicated graphics card and the motherboard will come with a slot dedicated to handling graphics cards.
Motherboard. The motherboard is the base upon which the above three components will be added. Though it may come with an onboard graphics processor. A motherboard comes in different sizes, known as form factors. Different form factors work in different computer cases.
Hard Drive. Today, there are two speeds associated with Hard Drive Disks. 3.0 Gb/s and 6.0 Gb/s. Your motherboard will work with either, though it can only get the speed benefits of the 6.0 if it is designed for it.
Case. All computers and their various components require a case to house them safely. Cases come in a variety of sizes and are geared towards housing particular types of motherboards. The case specifications will include the form factors of motherboards that it can house.
A few items are still needed to round out a complete computer. A power supply unit will be necessary. This must produce enough power for your components. The main area to watch for is the graphics cards. They typically state a minimum wattage requirement.
 HDD stands for Hard Disk Drive and is a type of mass storage for computers. They come in two different sizes (form factors) 2.5″, for laptops, and 3.5″, for desktop computers. An HDD uses a read/write head that access data stored on the disk. Three factors can affect performance of the drive and should be considered in connection with the performance required by the user.
Storage Capacity
Hard Disk Drives can be found in a variety of sizes from as little as 80GB to as much as 2TB. As HDDs are filled with data, the drive slows down which decreases performance. The higher the drive size, the more space for games, programs, and media files. If you plan on using a lot of media files or installing large programs, the larger Terabyte drives are key.
Speed
A variety of levels of RPMs can be found depending upon the form factor of the HDD. For a desktop computer the RPMs of the drive can range from 5,400 to 15,000. The faster the RPMs the faster the performance. An increase in the RPMs however leads to an increase in noise, though the manufacturers do their best to limit this. Standard computing will need either the 5,400 RPM or 7,200 RPM. Performance gaming and computing will see benefits from the 10,000RPM or 15,000 RPM.
Connector
HDDs utilize a SATA interface. Today, they are found in two different speeds, 3.0Gb/s and 6.0Gb/s. The newer faster connection is the 6.0Gb/s which allows for a swifter data transfer rate and speeds up performance. This connection however must also be used on the motherboard for it to be accessible.
When building or upgrading a system, each person will have specific needs. The above factors are important to understand when putting together a system. Thus, through a combination of storage capacity, speed, and the type of connector used, it is possible to fine to a computer to exact specifications.
 There are two primary types of Hard Drives – the computer’s mass storage device. One is a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) and the other is a Solid State Drive (SSD). The primary difference between the two is that the HDD has a higher capacity, while the SSD has the faster performance.
An HDD uses a spinning disk to access and store memory. The speed of this disk is listed in RPMs which means that the higher the RPMs, the faster the drive. The basic HDD starts at 5400 RPM and some drives go to 10,000 or even 15,000 RPM. There will be some increase in noise with the faster drive, but many manufacturers attempt to make the faster drives as quiet as possible. The size of HDDs can be found from 160GB to the very spacious drives of 2TB.
An SSD has no moving parts. It uses flash memory and is more like a data stick or memory card. These qualities give it a faster access speed and make it more fall resistant. Additionally it will be both cooler and quieter than an HDD. The capacities of SSDs remain low unless you are willing to spend more money, though the price of SSDs has steadily decreased as demand has increased. The SSD shines particularly in boot time and starting applications. The access speed of the SSD shaves time from the boot up process and can start applications almost instantaneously. This has led people to use SSDs as their Operating System drive, while keeping an HDD for storage of media files.
Thus, choosing between an HDD and an SSD depends upon the needs of the computer system being built or upgraded. HDDs continually outperform when it comes to size and price, but SSDs are faster, quieter, and cooler, even if more expensive.
 The power supply unit (PSU) is an integral part of any computer build. Without it, your components cannot run. Also, it is important to buy a quality product because if a PSU unit fails it can take out a lot of other components.
Wattage output is the prime factor in determining which PSU to purchase. All of your components require certain amount of power to function. Too little can cause boot failures or other systems to run incorrectly. The component that requires the most power is usually the graphics card if it is not integrated with the motherboard. Often graphics cards will list the amount of wattage that they require. With more and more graphics cards being made that can be paired with other graphics cards (called SLI or CrossFireX), a powerful PSU is becoming more important, especially if you plan on buying one and upgrading to two graphics cards in the future. If the computer is using a motherboard’s on-board or integrated graphics, then the CPU will take priority for needing power.
Planning is also key to purchasing the right PSU. If you are building a budget pc with older or less powerful parts, then you will not need the high wattage output found in some PSUs. A lower wattage PSU will fit the bill and consume less energy. However, if you plan on upgrading your other components for higher end games or better performance then you will end up with more power-hungry components. Having a PSU with a higher wattage output will allow you to upgrade components as you go without having to worry about needing an entirely new power supply.
 The motherboard of your computer is the centerpiece for your Memory, CPU, and your Graphics card. Your choice of motherboard will depend upon the types of the above components you are using. A bad choice can hold your computer back. A good choice will allow for upgrades into the future. It is also important to choose the above components first (making sure that they all work together) and then finding a motherboard that will work with the components.
The first thing you should note about your motherboard is the CPU socket type. CPU are made to work with a particular type of socket. If your board does not use that socket, no amount of force will ever make the CPU and the motherboard work together and your new pc will not work.
The types of memory supported is also important. DDR2 and DDR3 are the two types found today, with DDR2 the older and slower form of the two types. The motherboard will list what types it is compatible with. It will also list the data rates of the memory that it is compatible with.
Graphics are a necessary component and some motherboards will come with on-board graphics cards while others will not. Additionally, it is important to note how many and what type of graphics cards the motherboard will support. The on board graphics will work well for simple applications and computing, however games will benefit a great deal by the addition of a graphics card. It is important to figure out what type of graphics card you will need and then make sure that the motherboard will support it.
Lastly, motherboards support certain types of USB connections and SATA connections. The new USB form is 3.0 and the new SATA interfaces (for connecting to HDDs) is 6.0Gb/s. If you are using an HDD that uses 6.0Gb/s, then you will want a motherboard that can use it at that speed, otherwise the motherboard will be limited to SATA 3.0Gb/s.
In summation, it is very important that you first understand what you need when looking at motherboards. If you are looking for a budget pc, then the older models will work fine and there are still plenty of older components on the market. If you are looking for something with upgradeable potential, then there are lots of good choices too.
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