A Case
This is where all the other stuff goes in to. You'll screw in the motherboard and the power supply, and viola!
An SSD/HDD
This is the storage of your computer. You'll install your operating system (Windows/MacOs/Linux) on it and be in business. As hinted by the title and picture of this section, there are two major options.
Solid State Drives (SSD) are the newer option, and are a lot faster and smaller (both in physical size and in memory). You might be able to get a 250 GB SSD for the same price as a 1 TB HDD. If your desktop/laptop still uses an HDD, upgrading to an SSD primary drive is one of the most significant performance boosts you can see.
And just in case you didnt know:
1 MB = ~1000 KB
1 GB = ~1000 MB
1 TB = ~1000 GB
Also, MB means "Mega Byte" and Mb means "Mega Bit"
1 MB = 8 Mb
Your internet provider quotes you speeds in Mb, your file sizes are reported in MB.
A Graphics Card
If you're a gamer, this is where you'll spend your money. Not a whole lot to say here, just make sure you motherboard has the right slots (watch PCI Express vs PCI Express x16) and get a card commensurate with your wallet and dreams.
Conclusion
And that's it! Stick it all together, be gentle so you don't snap anything, and if you have a static problem make sure to get grounded before working.
Of course, you'll need a mouse/keyboard/monitor and probably some speakers. Also maybe a DVD writer/reader. Also, a copy of your operating system.But once you've got it set up, you'll be set! Next time you want to upgrade, you can swap out components and not have to buy a whole new computer.
I have a 250 GB SSD plus an external hard drive for anything else that I don't need all the time. While you get less storage for the SSD, it is SIGNIFICANTLY faster and honestly, most people don't need more than the 250 GB.
ReplyDeleteIf they do, they can just buy a 1 TB external hard drive and plug it in when they need the other stuff. I only have 1 GB of things stored on my external hard drive, and I still have 34 GB free on my 250 GB SSD laptop.
Previous two blogs were great. I've been thinking in investing in a computer like a Mac which may run up to 1500 dollars. I think building my own computer might be more self rewarding and save me a lot of money!!
ReplyDeleteI can't recommend it enough, I've had the "same" computer for over fifteen years now. Sure, every part has been replaced at some point or another, but it was incremental. This computer got soul.
Deletethis is all very interesting to read about - in your experience, is it generally cheaper to customize the computer yourself?
ReplyDeleteYes, definitely. If you directly compare the price of a prebuilt thing (i.e. something from Dell/Alienware/HP etc) versus the same thing built from separate parts, typically the price will be the same or lower.
DeleteThe real savings come in when you start upgrading your computer instead of buying a new one once it becomes outdated. Lots of components don't need to be replaced (i.e. case, harddrives, motherboard) to up the performance.
This is on my list of things to do after graduation! Thanks for the tips and the walkthrough and especially the motivation. Everyone who'd build their own desktop says how easy it is but I've never had it laid out like this.
ReplyDelete