It’s Not As Scary As You Think— Building a PC For Dummies
If you or your kids are interested in gaming or simply need a new desktop, you may have heard that building your own is the best option but you’re not quite sure where to start, then this guide is for you.
For the uninitiated, building your own PC seems like a daunting task that requires tons of technical knowledge about many different complicated parts, but in reality it’s as simple as putting together a Lego set.
First I’ll give a simple explanation of all components in your computer and why they are important, then I’ll talk about different resources to use when actually planning your build and putting it together.
Anatomy of your computer
Processor
Often thought of as the brains of the computer, the Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the little chip the executes the instructions of programs. In the market, CPUs generally advertise their clock speed in gigahertz and the number of cores it has.
A CPU core actually is the processor and a core can only perform a single task at a time. In the early days of computers CPUs only had a single core, but today a CPU consists of multiple cores, each performing their own task simultaneously. This is what allows computers to execute many different programs at the same time.
Clock speed refers to how many execution cycles occur per second. The combination of clock speed and number of cores is a general way to gauge the performance of a CPU.
Memory
The CPU does all the thinking but also has to have a way to store the results. There is some memory directly in the CPU but it’s really expensive so there’s only a small amount. To give the CPU access to more memory, Dynamic Random Access Memory(DRAM or colloquially RAM) acts as a middle man between storage and the CPU. The importance of RAM is that it’s a lot faster than storage meaning the CPU can load and run more programs faster.
Storage
The computer needs a way to store the programs to be executed and the data associated with those programs. Hard Disk Drives (HDD) or hard drives are a common option for storage because they’re inexpensive relative to their high capacity. You can get a 1 Terra-byte hard drive for $45 on amazon — that’s enough to store 1000 hours of video. The downside to hard drives is that they’re very slow — 100,000x slower than RAM.
The Solid State Drive (SSD) is another storage option that is nearly 100x faster than hard drives. SSDs use flash storage the same technology as thumb drives — meaning it’s just a big usb stick specifically for your computer. The extra speed comes at a price though; SSDs are typically cost about 4x as much as their hard drive cousins.
Your PC will work just fine with a hard drive, but supplementing it with an SSD will make your computer noticeably faster.
GPU
A Graphics Processing Unit (GPU or graphics card) does exactly what the name suggests — it is specifically made to process the graphics that go to your screen. GPUs aren’t always necessary since most CPUs have a built in graphics, but if you plan on editing videos or planning video games then a GPU is essential.
Power Supply
This is probably the simplest component in your computer, the Power Supply Unit (PSU) converts the AC power from your wall into DC power for the internal parts of the computer to use.
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Motherboard
This is where all of your components come together. The motherboard has slots and ports that will connect to your CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage devices as well as the power supply any other ports on your case. I know the motherboard looks intimidating and there’s a lot to look at, but there’s only a few important things.
Here’s a quick run down:
- SATA connector — where you plug your hard drive or SSD into
- ATX power connector is the where you connect the power source
- DIMM Memory Slots — where the RAM clips in
- CPU socket — where the CPU lays
- PCI express — the faster version of PCI where you plug your GPU into
Shopping
Now that you understand what a computer is made up of, you need to pick out your parts. PCPartPicker is a super useful online resource for planning out the parts for your build. There are tons of complete builds that you can start from or you can make your own build from scratch. NOTE: some parts do not work together, but PCPartPicker has a built in feature that notifies you if you have selected incompatible parts.
If you want to compare the performance and price of different parts, PassMark tons of information to compare CPUs, GPUs, hard drives, and RAM. You can sort the components by performance if you want to compare the best parts, or you can sort by value which ranks components based on their performance by price.
Any other questions you might have when picking your parts, try searching or posting in /r/BuildAPC, a Reddit community that loves to advise and assist others that are making a build — especially beginners. Also if you’re a bargain shopper /r/BuildAPCSales is one of the best ways to look for the lowest prices for parts on the market.
If you prefer to do your shopping in person, go check out your local computer shop or Micro Center. They have employees that are passionate about everything computers and are more than willing to answer any questions you have.
Also look into picking up a screwdriver kit for $16 on amazon.
Adult Legos
After your parts have arrived, it’s time to get to the fun stuff- putting it all together. Most builds are generally similar and I could sit here and describe how to put things together, but it’s way better to visualize what you’re supposed to do. I recommend dedicating an hour or two, cleaning of a table for your work space with enough room for all of your parts, and following a YouTube video step by step to better understand what you have to do. There are plenty tutorials to pick from but bitwit’s ‘How to Build a PC! Step-by-step’ is very thorough and easy to follow.
Again don’t be afraid to ask questions — the online community is very welcoming. Have fun and happy building!