Important things you must know before building a computer

Are you interested in learning to build your own computer. Here is a list of some important things you must know before you start building your own computer.

Tip#1 – First safety

When working with electronics including computers it has risks which requires some precautions.

Well, what’s the first part required in building your own computer?

• Computer case?
• Mother board?
• Processor?

It is none of them , they aren’t close to it either! 

The first thing you need to purchase is a computer tool kit. Household tools are often magnetic, dirty and rusty hence they are not suited for working on computers. There are some things you must have in a computer tool kit. 

Needle nose pliers and Tweezers – A computer’s circuitry is very precise which needs some good tweezers and pliers for holding it in place hence they are useful for  handling small screws and metal bits. 

Antistatic wrist band - Computer components are sensitive to static electricity for which it is important to have a band for any computer builder when working. One should always attach it to a ground source  say a metal, it usually removes any free electrons which cause static charge from your body to ground. As a precaution you should always touch your computer metal frame which helps to put body’s charge at equilibrium with your PC. 

Screwdrivers – This is an important requirement for your tool kit which should include at least one flathead and one small Philips screwdriver. 

Nut drivers – Most tool kits come with it although these aren’t required. I haven’t  used mine but hope I’ll need them someday probably .  

Small flash light – It is a good to have a small flashlight when you have to work in a  dark computer case . A small keychain like flashlight serves the purpose yet most tool kits don’t come with one.  

Be sure that all tools are NOT magnetic such as screwdrivers for small screws to help hold them in place . You cannot afford this cause the magnetic field will damage your computer components. 

Once you have correct tools it is the easiest way to avoid any damage to your components which can cost you hundreds of dollars .Please remember to turn off and unplug your computer first before working on it.

Tip#2 – Buy everything together 

This is one major mistake most computer builder’s make including me. I still remember how anxious I was when UPS delivered my first part but you need to set down and answer some questions :

• What do you intend to do with your computer?
• Play games , do an audio video editing , internet browsing or word   processing ?
• For how long do you want your computer to last with you ?
• Forever or a couple of year’s .

The purpose for doing so is to decide where your money is best spend so as to maximize the use and/or life of your computer parts. In long term and/or intensive use, say video or image editing you need something that can be easily upgraded over the time while for short term use a cheaper less upgradeable one is fine. 

When you purchase all the components at the same time you are assured that they are all compatible and the features and requirements can be compared at the same time.  

It is recommended to start with a processor and motherboard . Many companies sell them in bundle which is a great start because usually you get a deal when you buy both together and you don’t have to worry whether the processor will be compatible with that particular motherboard.  

After that you decide how many MB’s of power  you require and select a type of RAM suitable .Mostly you require 512MB RAM and if you think of playing games or doing image or video editing 1GB of RAM would do the job. 

After that you can now decide on your extra components like hard drives, video card, DVD/CD drives etc. 

Now you have to decide on an average requirement of power supply that is how much wattage of power you roughly need. Below is an average requirement chart for various components which could vary from machine to machine.

• Device (Power required in watts)
• CPU(25-70)
• Motherboard(20-30)
• Hard drive(15-35)
• RAM per128MB(8)
• CD,DVD-ROM(10-25)
• Floppy drive(5)
• PCI card(5)
• Video card(20-30)

For the most power hungry systems one can build 400 watts of power would be sufficient. Power supply is the nosiest piece of hardware hence you should consider buying a quite power supply. I would suggest 400 Watt Zalman Quiet Power Supply as it gives tons of power and no sound since I am personally using the same.  

When you purchase everything at one time you are sure that all components support your computing needs and you save money on other charges such as shipping.