So, do you finally want to stop buying those OEM computers, and build your own custom monster, but are you a little unsure of what is actually inside that big case of yours? Do you want to know what kind of parts you need, or what to look for and where to get the parts? Do you just want to be able to impress you friends or Co-workers? If so, using this guide will help you out big time. In this guide I will explain to you what actually goes on inside the computer.




Enough rambling, let's get started with the guide!





I. Overview



It is time to learn about your computer and the parts to it. Below are the parts and topics that I will be covering.



1.) What makes the computer run?

2.) What parts are inside the computer?

3.) What type of computer do I need?


5.) Processor (CPU)

4.) Motherboard

6.) RAM

7.) Video Cards

8.) Sound Card and Speakers

9.) Hard Drive

10.) Case

11.) Monitor

12.) Cooling


13.) Optical Drives

14.) Where to buy parts?

15.) Final thoughts and conclusions



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1. What makes the computer run?



The computer is run by a variety of different parts, separate yet working in tandem to make various aspects of the computer work. You can't really say that one part is better than the other because all of them are essential to make a computer work.






2. What parts are inside the computer?



A computer consists of a conglomeration of different parts. The most obvious and visible one is of course the computer case, which holds everything in place and protects the other parts from outside effects. Then you have the motherboard inside that case, which is considered the heart of the computer, and it is to this component where the other parts are dependent in order to work. These include the memory (commonly called RAM), the processor (or CPU), the video card, soundcard and any other PCI slot cards you have. The Optical Drives (CD/DVD-ROM and/or the CD/DVD-RW) are also essential, and are likewise connected to the motherboard via IDE cables.





3. What type of computer do I need?



What computer you need depends on your own needs. Will you be using it for gaming? For email and word processing? For intense graphics and programming work? For watching DVDs and listening to music? There are several things that you may need a computer for. First thing you need to do is to decide what you will use it for, and then put priority in getting the parts that will help your computer meet its purpose and your needs.






4. Processor (CPU):



This is the PC's "brain," so to speak. Generally, the faster the processor, the faster the computer can work. Processor speed is measured in megahertz(mhz) or nowadays gigahertz (GHz) (1ghz=1000mhz). Before, it was generally accepted that greater the MHz/GHz, the faster the PC. Nowadays a lot more factors come into play like Level 2 cache and Front Side Bus(FSB), which affect a processor's performance outside of raw speed figures.



The "BUS" is a set of conductors, which serves as the medium through which data travels, both within the computer and to external peripherals. With higher system bus speed, more data can get to the processor, thus enhancing processor performance and speed. Another processor feature is Level 2 (L2) Cache memory. L2 Cache helps store temporary data, thus increasing retrieval speed of frequently used data. A bigger L2 Cache usually will help speed some application operations. Pentium 4's have bus speeds of 400mhz, 533mhz and 800mhz along with a 256kb L2 cache. The AMD Athlon XP has bus speeds of 266mz, 333mhz and 400mhz. They also have a fairly new chip that is called the Barton that has a 512kb L2 cache.




When you are looking for a processor, your choice boils down to the two most popular processors in the market, AMD or Intel. AMD currently offers the AMD Athlon XP, while Intel offers the Pentium 4 and Celeron.



Intel

Intel currently has two main processors: the Celeron or the Pentium 4. The Celeron, although clocked high, has a lower L2 Cache, making it a slower performer. Intel's FSB is quad pumped, meaning that 400mhz FSB is actually 100mhz x4, the 800mhz fsb is 200mhz x4, etc.

Celeron: This is a proven platform for the budget-conscious buyer. Celeron is designed to enhance performance of basic word processing, gaming and internet surfing . If you desire fast performance for a cheap price, the Celeron is a good choice.

Pentium: Pentium processors offer more power-enhancing features which allows you to get more processing power for video editing, streaming video and a faster overall computer. Pentium processors generally offer faster CPU speeds and more power than the Celeron processors. Current Pentium 4 speeds range from 1.3ghz - 3.06ghz. If you want the best performing processor and have a lot of money to spend, look into getting a Pentium 4.



AMD


AMD's main processor right now is the AMD Athlon XP. It can both be a budget CPU or a very high end expensive CPU. AMD's FSB is double pumped meaning the advertised 266mhz FSB is 133mhz x2 and the 400mhz FSB is 200mhz x2. The new cores of the Athlon XP's are called the Barton core, which have a slower clock speed but a 512kb L2 cache, which makes them very good performers.

Duron: AMD's counterpart to the Celeron, although considering how minimal of a price different there is between Athlons and Durons, you are better off skipping Durons and getting an Athlon instead.

Athlon: The Athlon XP is AMD's answer to the Pentium. The Athlon XP is a top processor that contends against the Pentium 4 with current speeds ranging from 1.33ghz - 2.2ghz. Although the clock speed is slower than the Pentium 4 (mhz for mhz), the Athlon XP's performance is very competitive, and in some tests even beat the P4.





5. The Motherboard:




The motherboard is, curiously, one of the most overlooked components in building a computer, especially given the fact that it is easily the most important part. Usually, when someone buys an OEM computer (like Dell, HP, Compaq, etc), they go for processor speed and RAM figures - and there is almost no way of knowing what kind of motherboard they will be getting with that computer. As I stated before, the motherboard is THE most important part, since almost everything attaches or connects to it. If your motherboard is crappy, you won't get the best performance, even with the fastest processor or video card, or the biggest amount of RAM.



There are many types of motherboards to look for when building your computer. The first step in choosing a motherboard is actually deciding on whom you want to get your processor from - Intel or AMD. Motherboards are very picky with their processors - since the processors from Intel, AMD or any other CPU manufacturer are not made the same way, it is therefore important that you pick the motherboard that will work with your chosen processor. You cannot interchange AMD and Intel processors between and AMD- and Intel-compatible motherboard.



The next thing to look for in a motherboard is the "socket" type it accepts. Processors are manufactured with different ways of "attaching" themselves onto the motherboard, so once you have chosen your processor, you logically need to have a motherboard it can attach to. For a new computer there are only a few different types of sockets: Socket A, Socket 370 PPGA/FCPGA, and Socket 478.



Socket A: Is for AMD processors only. The Socket A supports AMD Duron, AMD Athlon and the AMD Athlon XP.




Socket 370 PPGA/FCPGA: Socket 370 is for Intel Celeron and Intel Pentium 3 processors. The PPGA processors are all Celerons, but FCPGA are both Pentium 3's and Celerons. Socket 370 is pretty much phased out now, because the Pentium 4's moved onto a whole new socket.



Socket 478: Socket 478 is used for the Higher end Intel processors. These processors contain the Intel Pentium 4 and newer Intel Celerons. These are the main type of Intel motherboards that are being sold and bought in the computer industry.



Now the next thing you want to look for in a motherboard is type of memory (RAM) it uses. There are three types of RAM: DDR-SDRAM (Double Data Rate Random Access Memory), SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory), and RDRAM (RAMBUS Dynamic Random Access Memory). We will be going more in-depth on RAM later on in this guide. Except for a few exceptions, most motherboards will accept only one type of RAM. Some accept both SDRAM and DDR. The most common type of RAM nowadays is DDR, and you get that with all the AMD motherboards and most of the Intel motherboards. RDRAM is only available in some Intel Pentium 4 motherboards, and DDR RAM is phasing out SDRAM so it is only found on older systems.



Once you know what type of motherboard you will getting it is time to move on to the Processor.






6. System Memory (RAM)



DDR RAM comes in speeds from 266mhz-500mhz, SDRAM being a slower and older generation of RAM runs at speeds from 66mhz-133mhz. RDRAM runs at speeds from 600mhz to 1060mhz. These figures might make it seem that RDRAM is faster, but in turn it has higher latency and less product support. Memory runs in sync with your Front Side Bus (FSB). The higher the FSB, the higher the memory is. Right now the fastest FSB out there is 200mhz, so unless your are overclocking, there is no need to get anything faster than PC3200 DDR.



Here is the speeds of DDR Ram.
PC1600 DDR xxx = (100 MHz Operating Speed) x (2x Rising & Falling) x (64-bit Bus) / (8 bits per byte) = 1600 MB/s available bandwidth.
PC2100 DDR 266 = (133 MHz Operating Speed) x (2x Rising & Falling) x (64-bit Bus) / (8 bits per byte) = 2128 MB/s available bandwidth.
PC2400 DDR xxx = (150 MHz Operating Speed) x (2x Rising & Falling) x (64-bit Bus) / (8 bits per byte) = 2400 MB/s available bandwidth.
PC2700 DDR 333 = (166 MHz Operating Speed) x (2x Rising & Falling) x (64-bit Bus) / (8 bits per byte) = 2656 MB/s available bandwidth.
PC3000 DDR xxx = (183 MHz Operating Speed) x (2x Rising & Falling) x (64-bit Bus) / (8 bits per byte) = 2928 MB/s available bandwidth.
PC3200 DDR 400 = (200 MHz Operating Speed) x (2x Rising & Falling) x (64-bit Bus) / (8 bits per byte) = 3200 MB/s available bandwidth.
PC3500 DDR 433 = (215 MHz Operating Speed) x (2x Rising & Falling) x (64-bit Bus) / (8 bits per byte) = 3440 MB/s available bandwidth.
PC3700 DDR 466 =(233 MHz Operating Speed) x (2x Rising & Falling) x (64-bit Bus) / (8 bits per byte) = 3728 MB/s available bandwidth.
PC4000 DDR 500 = (250 MHz Operating Speed) x (2x Rising & Falling) x (64-bit Bus) / (8 bits per byte) = 4000 MB/s available bandwidth.



7. Video Cards



Video cards are likewise an essential component of a computer (otherwise your monitor will be one huge doorstop). The better the video card, the better your computer will perform with 3D games and applications. In today's market there is an absurd amount of video cards floating around for you to choose from, and it is often hard to make the right choice, here are some things for you to know to make choosing easier:



Direct 3D

Most games available today require the latest version of DirectX in order for the sound, controls and graphics to perform as the game designer intended. In an effort to bring a uniform standard to 3D graphics, Microsoft developed Direct3D. Almost every game and video card nowadays is compatible with Direct3D. Although it does not give off the best graphics, it provides a shaky standard for video cards that don't support any other formats.



OpenGL

OpenGL is a very popular and powerful video format similar to Direct3D. You can commonly find OpenGL in first-person-shooter games such as Counter-Strike or Quake3. Nowadays, almost any video card you can own supports Open GL. OpenGL is more universal than Direct3D, and has gained a hefty reputation for being a better 3D API than the latter.




Video Memory

Your video card is just like your motherboard, in the sense that the more RAM there is, the faster it will run. There are many choices in the amount of RAM to get, but nowadays you should get no less than a card with 64Megabytes of RAM. If you can afford to break the bank, you can't go wrong with video cards having up to 256MB of RAM (although it does border on overkill in today's games). The more RAM your video has, the higher the resolution can go in a game, further enhancing your gaming experiences and possibly bringing it to a whole new level.



AGP vs. PCI

There is another choice to make when buying a video card, AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) or PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect). The difference between the two is a matter of Bus speed. A Bus is a set of parallel conductors, which allow devices attached to it to communicate with the CPU.



The PCI Bus is standard in most PC's. Things like the CD-ROM's and soundcards run on it. They all run at a speed of 33mhz, which is slower then AGP bus. Having so many peripherals on one bus also slows it down.



AGP got rid of all the peripherals on one Bus and also increases the speed to 66mhz, this in turn leads to a faster video card and a predominantly more stable PC.




Note: Of course, since most motherboards already come with an AGP slot, it is common practice to buy AGP video cards unless you have some sort of cooling mechanism that straddles the AGP slot.



Conclusion



The important thing to take into consideration when choosing your new video card is, as mentioned before, "What will I use this computer for?" If you're a hardcore gamer and want the absolute best 3D gaming experience imaginable, get a high-end video card with the most RAM you can get. A casual user who surfs more and checks email more than gaming should consider getting a budget MX type card. And those who create 3D applications and graphics would be more suited to choose the appropriate compromise depending on their work demands.



It can be a tough choice buying a video card that will suit you, and companies likewise have many ways to trick you into getting the video card you may not want. The best thing to do is shop around, look at reviews, and find out which capabilities will fit your purposes.






8. Sound Card



Many people think that a sound card is an area where you can slack off, but this may not always be a wise decision. One would not appreciate quality sound until they listen to their MP3s and discover they sound worse than an AM station airing oldies. There are many choices for sound today - even some that are integrated onto the motherboard. Integrated sound is a cheap but decent solution if you choose the right type. The audio capabilities on an integrated sound system have come along way, and the new Nforce2 boards that have the Soundstorm integrated sound are very good choices. Otherwise you will get the usual AC97 integrated sound, which can lag and crackle under high CPU use.



A popular brand right now for standalone sound cards is Creative Labs with their Audigy line. Currently the Audigy 2 is the best card on the market with different packages to fit your needs. But remember there is no point in getting a great soundcard when you don't have great speakers. Many people prefer Logitech or Klipsch ProMedia for their choice of speakers. But it is all personal preference and should be tested and heard before being bought.





9. Hard Drive



The Hard Drive is where everything is stored on your computer. The more stuff you want to save, the bigger hard drive you want. Some newbies mistake hard drive for memory, and vice versa. Hard Drives come in all sizes, currently varying from 20 Gigabytes to 200 Gigabytes. Many companies have also put out Hard Drives with an 8mb buffer cache, which gives a little performance boost. When shopping for a hard drive, there are three main companies you should look for: Seagate, Western Digital and Maxtor, all three have there strong and weak points. There are more hard drive manufacturers but these three to me are the ones you should consider. I leave it to you to read up on the competition in various hard drive reviews on the Internet.






10. Case



The case will give your new computer its look and feel. You can chose a type depending on the size: a full ATX case will have plenty of room for hard drives and other components but will take up a lot of space. On the other hand, you can get microATX cases, which are very small and cramped, but fit in good places. When choosing a computer case, you should remember that cooling is important, so any case that allows adequate cooling and ventilation is always a plus.



Big Case



Pros:

Lots of Room

Better Cooling


Easy to Mod



Cons:

Heavy

Bulky

Expensive



Smaller Case



Pros:


Light

Smaller Footprint

Cheaper



Cons:

To small to work in or upgrade

Non-efficient airflow.



I myself prefer a big case, with lots of room to work in, and room for many fans to cool down my components, but that is just my personal preference.




What types of materials are used?



When buying a case you can get three types: plastic, steel or aluminum. I would suggest aluminum being it the lightest and coolest. Steel gets very heavy and doesn't cool as well as aluminum.



Many cases also come with power supplies varying in watts. The more drives/fans/card/etc you run the more wattage you would need. Just to be on the safe side, I suggest getting a 400watt power supply.



Some trusted PSU companies are:



1.) Antec True Power

2.) Enermax


3.) Sparkle

4.) Enlight

5.) Vantec





11. Monitor



This is another component, which is a big personal choice. Do you want a big monitor, or a small one? LCD or a CRT? The choice is yours and also the amount of space you have. CRT monitors can prove very bulky, but it supports higher resolutions and refresh rates. When looking at a CRT monitor the lower the Dot Per Inch (DPI) the better, and the higher the resolution and refresh rate the better. LCD monitors have comparably-sized screens but take up very little space compared to CRTs. They are also a lot more expensive then CRT monitors, and they can't get as high a resolution as most CRTs. The higher the contrast ratio is, the better the LCD monitor.



It is said that CRT monitors are better for gaming then LCD's, because LCD's are known to cause ghosting (secondary, false images appearing on the screen). This is however not true with newer LCD monitors.






12. Cooling



It is necessary to keep a computer cool, because heat can damage and destroy a computer. If you buy a retail processor it should come with a heatsink and fan combo, which will do an efficient job of cooling your CPU if you don't overclock. Also make sure you case has good circulation with at least 1 rear exhaust fan and 1 front intake fan.





13. Optical Drives



Optical drives are the usual, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, CDR/RW, DVDR/RW and is based on what you want. If you like to play DVD's, get a 16x DVD drive, or you like burning music go with a 52x CDRW. If you like burning digital media, you can't go wrong with the new DVD burners, if you have the extra cash to spare.



Some trusted companies are:




1.) LiteOn

2.) Plextor

3.) Pioneer





14. Where to buy parts?



Always check http://opentechsupport.pricegrabber.com

or http://www.resellerratings.com to get a review on the company.




http://www.pricewatch.com/

http://direct.mwave.com/mwave/index.hmx

http://www.newegg.com/

http://www.plycon.com/

http://www.essencompu.com/

http://www.abscomputers.com/

http://www.excaliberpc.com/

You can also check your local, CompUSA, BestBuy, Fry's or computer shop






15. Final thoughts and conclusions



Now you're ready to go and pick out your parts for your custom made computer. And don't worry, it is a cinch. Just enjoy and have fun. And good luck!