What do you need to build your own computer?

Question

I am looking to build a desktop tower to be used primarily for CAD and home design projects, with a little of professional audio/video production use as well. It will need decent graphics, and a good sound card. I have always used Intel based computers, but I don't really know the difference between Intel and AMD, so add your suggestions. As far as memory goes, I'm hoping for 16GB of RAM or more, but don't need a ton of hard drive space (maybe 500GB max) because I have plenty of external storage to save my projects on.
I know newegg.com has all the supplies, but I don't know exactly all that I would need to purchase, or what brands are the best. I'm hoping to spend less than $500 on the tower, but the cheaper the better, as long as speed and quality aren't sacrificed.

Answer 1

First you need a case to put the hardware in, then get a PSU (Power Supply Unit). Make sure the PSU has enough wattage to power all the hardware in your system. Get a motherboard that supports 16GB of RAM and try to get a motherboard that supports DDR3 RAM because CAD programs require lots of memory and having fast memory will make them work faster. I also agree with Leonard, 16Gb is a lot and I only have 8Gb which is pretty good and I've not had one application that takes up a quarter of the ram. You will need to get a pretty good CPU, Dual core or Quad core and try to aim for 3.0+Ghz if you can. AMD is cheaper, Intel can be pretty expensive so if you're trying to spend less, get AMD. 500Gb of HDD space is pretty good. Get a decent video card to handle the working environments (3D). Make sure you get a PCI-E video card too. The motherboard should support PCI-E also.

As far as prices go, you should be able to get a decent system for less than $500.

4Gb of DDR3 Ram cost me about $45. My Dual Core Athlon 3.0 Ghz CPU cost me $50. Motherboard was like $55. Power Supply units shouldn't be that much unless you get one with crazy wattage. You could find a cheap case that has decent airflow to cool your hardware when working with intensive applications. Video cards can be pretty pricy but you could get a decent video card for less than 200 i think. Also 500Gb HDD could cost around $65-70. Find a nice sound card, maybe a Sound Blaster X-Fi. I'm currently running an older Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS for music production (FL Studio), so you might not have to buy the newest audio card.

When I bought my CPU, RAM, Motherboard, and a custom CPU cooler, it cost me about $120.

You should be able to make a pretty decent system for under $500

When choosing parts, make sure they are compatible with each other, especially CPU and Motherboard. If you were to get an Intel chip and put it in a Asus board with AM3 socket or something, it would not fit. It took me a while to find all the right parts and calculate how much I'd be spending. If you take the time you can get a pretty good deal on all your parts and save some money.

Good Brands:

Motherboard - Asus

Hard Drives - Seagate

CPU - AMD

RAM - G-Skill

Video Card - AMD/ATI area or something (prices vary a lot with different video cards)



I hope this is enough information and helps you out.

Good luck with your system and enjoy!

Answer 2

Most good motherboards have pretty decent integrated sound. The integrated graphics are not excellent so you do need a video card for what you want to do.



-Case

-a GOOD power supply

-motherboard

-processor

-memory

-graphics card

-hard drive

-CD/DVD burner



-Operating system. You can buy the System Builder version to save but you can only use it on one machine forever. The Home Premium is the cheapest buy I would get the Professional.



-Arctic silver for installing the CPU unless you buy a combo.



-You may need to buy some extra cables, especially SATA cables to connect the hard drive and DVD burner. Sometimes it's also a good idea to buy an extra case fan or two, depending on the case you get.





For my builds I generally use Gigabyte or Asus motherboards.



I prefer AMD processors for bang-for-the-buck.



I usually get Corsair memory but there are a few very good brands.



My hard drives are Western Digital. I generally buy 1TB but 500GB is fine. You can add more hard drives later.



Tweak each part to adjust for your budget.



Make sure you properly match CPU, motherboard and memory. Most other things will be universally compatible.



Start off with 8GB of memory. It's probably more than enough. Later you can add 8GB more if you want.



Also start off with the integrated sound. It may be good enough. You can always add an audio card later.



I always read review on Newegg or Amazon before buying.



Price things on Newegg and Amazon. The latter charges no tax for MOST states and fre shipping on orders of $25 or more.



It's really quite easy to put a system together but for a first-timer it's a must to read some online tutorials or watch some YouTube videos.



Good Luck.

Answer 3

Good enough, 1.) Case- select a computer case that fits the motherboard dimension your planning to use 2.) energy give- prefer a vigour deliver from a excellent well reviewed company and internet site, and seem for a on-line vigour give calculator to see how strong of a power give you'll want three.) Motherboard- my recommendations are a Nvidia chipset with an Intel processor socket, or an Intel motherboard, both are good, and go along with an ATX motherboard size as they have twice as many choices than a mATX motherboard 4.) CD/DVD-ROM/±RW Drives- i'd go together with just about any manufacturer right here, as they all final lengthy 5.) rough drives- i'd prefer a difficult power that satisfies your need for cupboard space, in case your planning on gaming along with your computer, i reccomend a Western Digital Raptor X a hundred and fifty GB, as that hundreds video games rapid than a ordinary rough power 6.) CPU Fan- i reccomend going with a really excellent CPU Fan that is good reviewed with excessive stories, as weaker CPU fanatics will harm your CPU alternatively than help it 7.) CPU- i reccomend a Intel Core 2 Duo, but it surely is dependent upon your cash flow and preferences, and go together with a processor that fits your motherboard CPU socket, as a socket 775 processor won't fit in a Socket AM2+ and vice versa eight.) graphics Card (aka Video Card)- i reccomend a Nvidia Geforce branded images card, however this additionally is determined by your cash flow and preferences, and go with a PCI-express card, as thats the ordinary now. 9.) Case fans, i would go together with the nicest looking case enthusiasts, as case fans are low cost and lengthy lasting.