Building A New PC

To PC Enthusiast and experienced people in tech, building a custom PC may seem trivial. To others, taking on this task may feel like a big challenge and don’t even know where to begin make a PC they can be proud of. Hopefully this article will provide some general tips and information to understand some basics of a PC and guidance on what you’ll need.

Parts of a Personal Computer (PC)/Desktop

Below are the seven core components of building a PC:

• Motherboard (MOBO) – Allows all the components to work together
• Central Processing Unit (CPU) – The brain of the computer. Processes data to help execute programs and apps on a computer
• Cooler/Fan-heatsink – Needed to keep your system running cool and optimal as possible
• Storage – Needed to install and run programs, save documents and data.
• Graphical Proccessing Unit (GPU) – Handles the visual aspects of your build. Dictates the visual potential the GPU can do.
• Power Supply Unit – Takes Power from your outlet and distributes it to connected components of your PC
• PC Case – Properly houses all the above mentioned parts. The shell or skeleton of the PC.

Best Order to Choose Parts

1. CPU
   • There are two brands of CPUs: Intel and AMD. Deciding which brand you want and how powerful you want it to be will make choosing the other components easier.
   • The historical gamer’s choice is Intel, but AMD has rivaled and surpassed (in some cases), Intel’s models.
2. Motherboard
   • If you have an Intel CPU, you’ll have a mobo build for Intel systems.
   • Be sure to check the supported chipsets of the mobo. If you get the correct mobo for the brand of CPU, but an incompatible chipset, your build will fail.
3. GPU
   • The GPU unit can be utilized in either an Intel or AMD build. Normally requires a PCI-E slot on your Motherboard
   • This is potentially optional. Some motherboards provide on-board graphics. This feature is available to those supporting motherboards with a compatible CPU (or APU).
   • A dedicated GPU is preferred for systems made for gaming, media editing, creation or other specialized functionality
4. RAM
   • Important stats to look at for RAM is:
     • Clock Frequency
     • CAS Latency
     • Memory Size
   • The right RAM to use is dependent on your mobo’s limits.
   • RAM used will only perform to the max limits your mobo can handle.
     • Example: Using two 16GB RAM sticks at 1500GHz would be throttled to speed of 1300GHz if mobo only supports RAM speeds of 1300GHz.
5. Storage
   • Storage is independent of CPU brand.
   • They run in three general categories (Fastest to Slowest):
   • M.2 – $$$
   • SSD ( Solid State Drive) – $$
   • HDD (Hard Drive Disk) – $
6. CPU Fan-Heatsink / Liquid Cooler
   • Needed to keep your CPU from overheating and system shutting down.
   • A stock CPU fan-heatsink normally comes with CPUs (except some higher end CPUs).
   • CPU Fan-heatsink is cheaper and less complex than a liquid cooling system.
   • The supplied stock cooling unit is sufficient. If you want better cooling performance, install an aftermarket fan/liquid cooling system.
   • Options can be limited by the size of your PC case. If you pick what you want before the case, you can get the case that fits.
7. Case
   • Needs to support properly holding all desired PC components
   • If you get HDDs or SSD, be sure to get a case with enough drive slots (2.5″ for SSD, 3.5″ for HDD).
   • If you get over sized components, make sure the dimensions can fit them.
     • A common concern for large liquid cooling systems and GPUs
8. PSU
   • Should be dictated by the total power needs of all components running inside your build.
   • Options for PSU:
     • Non-Modular – Fixed amount of power cables from the PSU to attach to your build.
     • Modular – Disconnect any unused cables and only connect necessary power cables for the system to the PSU.
     • Semi-Modular – Fixed amount of power cables to connect from the PSU to system, while some are removable.

Best Brands

Generally Trusted Brands for each Component

Case

• be quiet!
• Corsair
• Lian Li
• Cooler Master
• NZXT
• Thermaltake
• Phantek

Conclusion

This is a somewhat lengthy but brief intro of the parts of a computer and what you’ll need to create it. Future articles will talk about each section in better detail.

Cordell Kennerly