What all is needed to build a PC

[Mavric]

Right now i hae a compaq PII 450. Soon like in the spring i would like to build my own plus i really dont like compaq that much.
I was just wondering what all i will need.

i know i need a case(with power suply), mother board, modem(of some sort), hard drive, some form or a CD drive, prosesor, ram, mouse, key board, monitor, disk drive, video card, sound card. is there any thing im missing?


i know how to put in the cards (modem, sound, video) but im not sure about the Hard drive and Cd rom? would i get instructions on how to hook those up? i know you use cables and hooke them to the mother board but thats about it.


thanx for your time

[Brian48]

A harddrive and CDRom are about the most easiest things to put in. Simply plug into an IDE port, detect it in the BIOS, and you're off in running. Usually, both the motherboard manual and/or documentation that comes with the HDD will come with instructions on how to do this.

I've found that the hardest thing about putting a PC together is just configuring the OS the way you like it. Not the hardware itself.

Anyway, since I have no idea what skill level you are I recommend you just go here (http://home.earthlink.net/~chinmonster/links/index_links.htm) and scan over the Beginners section for a few URLs that might help you out. For more advanced info, simply stroll down to the regular Hardware section.

[Mavric]

one other thing where do you get the parts from? i have 2 catalogs tigerdirect.com (seems like mostly **** made by tiger) and pc mall. they dont even have ASUS mother boards and they have other one i have herd nothing about on here.

[LiLRiceBoi]

you might want to check pricewatch.com for prices

[darkclaw]

In my experience after the parts, a few bandaids for the skinned knuckles, alot of patients, and when loading and configuring windows a good cigar

[Ed_S]

Kinda surprised nobody's already given this:
Sysopt's How to Build Your Own PC (http://sysopt.earthweb.com/buildpc/) Guide.

As to where to buy, that can be important if anything goes wrong. Don't just go to the cheapest source, make sure you have some confidence in the vendor. Ask about warranty procedure & exchange policy. Check their reputation at Reseller Ratings.
I've rarely gotten bad parts, but it does happen. And you don't want to get burned!
Good vendors won't hassle you much.
Deal with as few as possible to minimize shipping expenses.

Good luck!
Ed

[lec169]

Here is my $.02 worth
1. You will need a System board, a Major brand name like Asus, Tyan etc, if you have not heard of the brand name, keep away. $100 - 150. US

2. Get a good Video card, ATI, VOODOO, VIPER
ETC. about $100- 200 US

3. CASE, ATX STYLE FOR YOUR ATX SYSTEM BOARD. about $50 US

4. Floppy drive, about $15.00 US

5. Modem, USR/3COM OR Zoom, but stay away from those win modems IF you can. USR/3Com about 75$ US.

6. Sound Card, Stick with a card from Creative Labs, (SOund Blaster). They were the first to make a sound card for the PC and they have got it right. Most programs and games are written around the SB configurations. IE, IRQ5, I/O 220 midi 330 most other mfd cards may not use the standard IRQ and I/O configurations and then you will be writing to this board on how to get it to work.

7. Get a WD hard drive. That is my pref. I have been in computers for a long time and WD is a good quality HD, Maybe others may have a different opinion. But, what ever hard drive you get, partition it. It is rather stupid if I may use that word to get a big HD and make all of it C. You will have a lot of problems. for one thing, viruses and losing the partiton. IF you have a 30gb hard drive and part it out to 3 partitions, C=10 d=10 e=10 will be a more managable option. and install your programs on either d or e. Reason: when you get a virus, maybe you can recover your data from the other partitions with a boot floppy. also, it slows your computer down to load that big fat table.

Hope this helps

[bhess]

Probably the first thing that you need is a screwdriver. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/wink.gif
Check out the deal forums for ram, cd-rom (free at staples)and harddrives.

[bdunn]

Nobody's mentioned this so far but about $6.00 for a decent grouding strap will save you a lot of grief and ESD fried parts.

[Mavric]

Thanx for all the help you are much friendlyer than most Pc boards i have been too. but one question. How do you "partition" a hard drive. I understand what it does but im un sure of how to do it.

thanx again for your time