The Complete Guide To:
How to Build a
Computer from Scratch.
By Whitson Gordon
[PDF Created by Sarvesh Lad]
Lesson 1:
Hardware Basics
Building a computer from scratch gives you the perfect machine for your needs, but it can be
daunting the first time around. In this edition of Lifehacker Night School, we'll be taking you
through the buying, building, and installation process step-by-step. Today, we're going to start
with a little computer hardware basics.
While you could just go to the store and buy a Dell, you might find that you're happier with a
custom-built machine. Building a PC from the ground up means it's perfectly crafted to fit your
needs, whether you're a hardcore gamer, video editor extraordinaire, or you're just trying to build
a low- or high-powered home theater PC. In some instances, you may save some money, and in
all instances you'll have accomplished a project that you'll benefit from for years—a pretty great
feeling in and of itself. That said, building is much more time consuming than buying, and your
first time through, it can be daunting. This week's Night School series will walk you through
building your first (or second, or third) computer from start to finish.
Today, we'll be talking about the first step in any computer build: brainstorming what kind of
machine you're looking to make and what that means for your hardware.
The Types of Machines and their Ballpark Costs
Much like we did in our original spec-crafting feature, the the first thing you need to do is come
up with a very, very rough idea of what kind of performance you want from your machine. The
easiest way to do that is to split builds it up into three general categories:
Low Performance: If you're looking for a simple PC for web browsing, email checking,
or video watching, a low performance machine is probably the way to go. These
machines are small, don't draw a lot of power, and are usually pretty quiet, which is great
(though they obviously sacrifice performance for those perks). Nettops, home theater
PCs, and (on a more extreme level) home servers also fit into this category. Most custom-
built low performance machines range from $200 to $400.
Middle of the Road: This is a great option for the majority of users, especially since you
can stretch the machine's power and your budget to fit almost any scenario. Middle of the
road machines will sit in a smaller computer tower, with enough power to play some
games and run more than a few programs at once. If you're looking for a multipurpose
computer that won't break the bank, this is where you want to go. Middle of the road
machines can vary quite a bit in price, but in general they range from $300 to $700.
High Performance: These are the big guns. Generally, users with high performance
computers are doing things that are more resource-intensive: converting and editing large
amounts of video, playing the latest and greatest games at high settings, running other
operating systems in virtual machines, and so on. Be prepared to shell out a bit of cash,
use a lot of electricity, and devote a lot of space to this machine. Again, there's a good
range here, but typically a high performance machine will cost anywhere from $700 to
infinity and beyond.
The Parts That Make Up a Computer (and What They Do)
Every fully functioning computer is made of the same basic components, and in this section,
we'll walk through the basic hardware you'll need for your first build. We're still just talking
about "things to consider" here—we'll get down to the nitty-gritty of picking out specific parts in
the next lesson. Here, we just want to point out what the important components are, and which
ones are the most important for certain builds.
The Processor
The Processor (CPU) is the "brain" of your
computer, the thing that carries out the tasks you
give it. Better CPUs can perform more tasks at
once, and perform them faster. That said, not
everyone actually takes advantage of their
processor's full speed, so the high-end models
are only really crucial if you're performing
intensive tasks like gaming, video editing, video
conversion, or compiling code. It's also one of
the most expensive parts of a machine, so if you
aren't performing these types of tasks, you don't
necessarily need to worry about buying the
latest and greatest.
The Motherboard
The motherboard connects all the other
components to one another, and is the physical
base upon which you build everything else. It
contains a lot of your machine's core features,
like the number of USB ports, the number of
expansion cards you can put in (such as video,
sound, and Wi-Fi), and also determines how big
your computer will be. Which motherboard you
pick will depend on whether you build a low,
medium, or high performance machine and how
advanced of a user you are.
The Case
The case holds all of your computer's parts
together. For the most part, a case is less
about features that affect how your
computer runs and more about features that
affect you and your home—that is, how
quiet it is, how large it is, and of course,
how it looks in your office. Still, it's an
important consideration that is dependent on
your other choices, so you might want to
think about what you want in terms of a case
before moving on to the shopping step.
The RAM
RAM, or Random Access Memory, is like
your computer's short-term memory. It
stores data your computer needs quick
access to to help your programs run faster,
and help you run more programs at one
time. Thus, if you run a lot of programs at
once, you'll want a computer with more
RAM. If you use virtual machines, you'll
want even more RAM, since it has to run its
own programs in addition to yours.
The Graphics Card
The Graphics card, or GPU, is a processor
specifically designed to handle graphics. It's
what you hook your monitor up to, and it's
what draws your desktop and your windows
on the screen. Some motherboards come with
a GPU already integrated, which is enough to
manage your desktop, but not enough for
watching high definition video or playing 3D
games. For those, you'll need a dedicated
graphics card, since it can do the legwork
needed to draw those complex images.
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