Building an IBM compatible computer is pretty easy. You do not need to be a technical genius or serious handyperson to do it. And it can save you a fair bit of money over having your local clone shop knock a computer up for you - not to mention let you shop around for exactly the components you want

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Build A PC:

Building A Personal Computer

To build or not to build is a question that you must ask yourself! Building a PC can be fun and cheap. Yes "cheap". But you should get the best most ass kicking parts that you can. Which mean's buying or getting the best parts that money can buy. You can go out and "Buy" a really nice computer from Dell, HP, Compaq, Alienware, Sony or any other vendor or supplier. But vendor want to save money, by going for the lowest common denominator. For example Dell motherboard and power supply (PSU) are "proprietary". Therefore it may be expensive to design in-house, but Dell can determine what goes in to there design. If you design in-house you can cut cost and design for LCD factor. Another myth is that vendor and suppliers get a discount, because they can buy in bulk, such as memory's or processor's. Not so because the profit margins are razor thin. Of course the first step, is to know what you want. Should I build or buy. I say let build, if you just want a computer just to surf the internet, do e-mail or just office kind of applications. Go out and just buy a computer, which will be way easier. If you decide to go ahead and build one, "Good for you". Of course you should spend what it take to create a Great Computer, and that take money. Also you can go cheap, but remember you get what you pay for and you may as well buy a E Machine. I will give links and general guideline to help you on your way to building a PC.

Components to Build Your Own PC

Before embarking on building your first computer system, it is important to make sure that you have obtained all of the necessary components to make a functional home computer. Below are a list of the key components that will be necessary for building a complete system. Some items are not mentioned on the list such as internal cables as they are generally included with the components such as the motherboard. Similarly, peripherals such as a mouse or keyboard are also not listed. It is best to check and make sure you also have them as well.

Case - This is the basis of a desktop computer system. All the other parts of the computer will reside within it. This is also the visible portion of the system, so selection should be based on functionality and aesthetics.
Power Supply - Some computer cases will come with a power supply pre-installed inside them, but most do not. As a result, it is necessary to get a power supply that works with your components and has sufficient power.
Motherboard - The motherboard is the backbone of the system. It determines the type of components that can be used with the system and the number of internal peripherals the system can support.
Processor - The brain of the computer system. This will be the primary factor in how fast the system is.
Heatsink - If the processor was purchased via the retail packaging, it will include the manufacturer heatsink. But for those who purchased an OEM processor, it will also be necessary to have a CPU heatsink for your model processor. Without it, your CPU will quickly burn itself out.
Memory - Without memory, the computer will not be able to function. The CPU needs it to store the code to tell it how to properly process data.
Hard Drive - The primary method of storage in all desktop computer system. Typically it will be a 3.5" hard drive with either a ATA or Serial ATA interface.
Optical Drive - Optical drives are the component used to install 99% of all software now on a computer system. Without one, it will be hard to even get an operating system installed.
Floppy (Optional) - Once the primary means of removable storage and installing software, floppies have started to fall by the wayside when it comes to desktop computers. They still have their uses at times, but are no longer required.
Video Card - Unless the motherboard comes with a video connector, it will be necessary to install a video card into the computer system. Most cards are based on the AGP standards, but will likely be replaced in the future with PCI Express cards.
Sound Card (Optional) - Most motherboards now feature some form of AC'97 sound controller on them. As a result, sound cards are not required unless you want higher fidelity computer audio or less reliance upon the CPU to assist with the computer audio.
Network Card (Optional) - Ethernet has become so common a media for networking computers that this should be a standard feature on all motherboards. If your motherboard does not have an Ethernet connector, it may be necessary to install a PCI ethernet board or maybe a 802.11 wireless card.
Modem (Optional) - Broadband has become more and more popular, but there are still a number of people who can only get connected to the net through a dialup modem. Be sure to get a PCI based card as few motherboards now feature any of the ISA clots.

While this is a focus on the hardware of the computer system, it is important to also remember that the computer needs to have an operating system. In terms of the Microsoft software, it is generally possible to purchase an OEM version of the Windows operating system at a significantly reduced cost if it is purchased at the same time as hardware components such as the CPU, motherboard and memory. Of course, there are also free options such as Linux as well.

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