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Do you wish to build a computer by your own? Do you have a desktop that is nearly "outdated"? Please pay attention to this article!
Steps
- 1Plan what kind of PC you want to build. Ask yourself what you want to do with it. Do you want to process documents or maybe you want to make HD – videos with it? Well, if you want it cheap, then running Call of Duty on it may be too much for the processor or the graphics card. Set a limit of how much money you want to spend.
- 2Take your desktop computer apart as practicing. If you have a desktop computer that is a year old or something like that, it might be a good idea to take it apart (Make sure to equip your antistatic arm wristband).
- Use the optical drive, if it is usable, the chassis, and the hard drive (as long as it does 5400 rpm or more, and contains 100 gigabyte or more). If you find other parts of your old computer useful, feel free to use them as well. It's recommend to find better and newer components, like a processor with higher clocking speed and more cores and cache or a video card with higher video cache and dedicated graphics - memory. You may sell the components of the oldie that you do not want to use at eBay (hence the need of a PayPal account).
- 3Ask your friends if they have some spare PC Components which are on your list over required items. Who knows, maybe some of them have something new and great or at least, something that works?
- 4Look at the components - list above these steps. "Cross out" the items you have - check with your friend, the computer expert if you are unsure about what is what. Now it is time to spend money, in order to cover most of the loss you should sell away the rest of the other computer. The following web pages are worth looking at: Pricebrabber,Pricewatch, Ebay, and Amazon
- Buy components at local flea markets. Of course, you can buy the needed stuff at a local flea market, if you are unable to shop on the web. No matter where you look for items, you must look or request information. You may want to ask exact questions like “Has the merchandise got damages throughout its days of use?”, “How good is the clocking speed/cache memory/Random Access Memory?”, “How much power does this power supply deliver, and is it too much?”, “How good graphics does this card provide?”, “Is this hardware outdated?” The sellers must be able to provide answers to such questions in the product description on eBay or orally when met face–to–face.
- Some second–hand companies offer warranties along with their used products. It's recommended to buy warranties for all of the separate merchandise that lasts in three years, as this is normally how long a computer lasts. Since the warranties are going to push the limits of your budget, look after package solutions, a motherboard that comes with a graphic card. It is completely sure that these two components are compatible with each other, and you will save money! You should also look out for decent discounts, if you get the possibility to get an AMD Phenom Quad Core – processor for 50% off, (make sure this offer is on a trustworthy site with a lot of information, including the shipment fee), then you must consider buying that!
- 5Hold an account over how much you are spending totally, and if it breaks the budget that you set up back in step one. Make sure the seller has a return policy of seven or 14 days, that will give you enough time to build the computer and test – drive it. If the return policy has expired before some glitches take place, well, then the warranties will be helpful as long as you remembered to purchase them!
- 6Build the machine. When every single required item on the list is gathered, then time has come to start building the machine. This step should go straightforward; the screwdriver will only come to use when you mount the motherboard, the scales that hold the hard drive at bay, and during the mounting of the chassis. If the memory card(s), the graphics card, the processor, and the SATA wires from the hard drive and the optical drive are compatible with the motherboard, they should slide down the holes by themselves, if not, try to turn the component around before trying to put it down its respective place. Remember: Do not force them into their spots as the treatment could kill your computer swiftly.
- If that does not work either, the items are not going to work with each other: Oh, crap! Well, then you have to get hold of another component that can actually be connected with the motherboard. Reading the product descriptions and finding out what kind of expansion slots the motherboard and the different items have in common should help against such embarrassments.
- 7Install the OS. When you are finished building the computer, it is time to install the OS, but why didn’t we buy a Windows OS – copy while we gathered the components? Did you get hold of that optical drive from your old desktop computer? Did you properly connect it to the motherboard? Then you can just borrow a Windows installation DVD from a friend or you can burn an XP – ISO to CD and install the OS on a computer.
Tips
Free download of Ubuntu: download here
Things You'll Need
- A computer with Internet connection and web browser
- PayPal Account
- Spreadsheet software – like OpenOffice.Calc
- Telephone
- Friends with computer parts they do not need
- Someone who can help you putting it together
- Screwdriver (usually meant for the motherboard)
- Antistatic wristband or a piece of metal available
For the PC
- Motherboard
- Processor
- RAM cards
- Hard drive
- Video card
- Sound card (optional, but nice to have)
- Power supply
- PC chassis
- Optical drive
- Mouse (those which are wired are usually cheaper than the gamer editions)
- Keyboard (again, go for a wired one)
- A computer screen
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