My Personal Guide to Computer Hardware
(This took me about a year of cumulative work to put together, so appreciate it
)
Last Edited 7/5/06 - Wednesday July 5th, 2006 by brautigam
FINAL VERSION (I hope
)
(This took me about a year of cumulative work to put together, so appreciate it
)Last Edited 7/5/06 - Wednesday July 5th, 2006 by brautigam
FINAL VERSION (I hope
)This guide is intended to be followed roughly and to your own needs, however it is sequential and I suggest you follow it in a step by step fashion unless you already have some knowledge.
The most important part of computer building is the correct choice of hardware. The correct combination of hardware components is getting ever increasingly difficult, with new products being released all the time buying can be a daunting prospect. Instead of trying to explain each standard, which will be a long and painful process for everyone involved, I will attempt to guide you in the choice of components which is best suited to your needs at this time (April 2006), remember, technology changes rapidly so remember to ask before committing yourself to any purchases if you are in the slightest bit unsure, we are here to help.
CPU's (Processors)
The first thing you need to decide on is a CPU (Central Processing Unit or 'Brain'), everything then follows from here, the CPU is the centre of your computer and something you want to get right.
The two major brands of CPU are AMD or Intel, which ever you choose is up to you, they both offer similar functions and speeds, AMD are considered by many to be the gamer’s choice with Intel winning out in the office environment. In reality they are both very adept at both functions and in general price should be your dividing rod. I personally prefer AMD.
A word of caution to bargain hunters, Intel Celeron processors are often fitted to cheap PC's and have substantially reduced performance specifically in multimedia application. If you're budget limited opt for the superior AMD Sempron CPU.
The key features of CPU's to date are as follows.
- Clock speed (this is the processors operating speed, not itself indicative of performance but a good yardstick). Measured in megahertz or gigahertz (MHz and GHz respectively, 1000 MHz = 1 GHz), the higher the better in general.
- The number of cores, this is effectively the number of processors on the CPU chip, although this sounds complicated to simplify just think of a dual core (2 cores) CPU as one which has 2 CPU's in one.
The current dual core CPU's from AMD and Intel on the market are the X2 and Pentium D respectively.
The big benefit of a dual core chip is when you are doing more than one task at a time (multitasking) you won't notice the difference. I have a dual core AMD X2 3800 and can easily have a movie encoding in the background yet notice no performance difference regardless of what I do. - L2 Cache, this is the amount of onboard memory on the chip itself this is a relatively small amount on most normal chips, 256 or 512k is common on standard chips, 1mb is common on high grade chips, 2mb is only found on server oriented or performance chips.
Note: For dual core CPU's, you will usually find L2 cache listed as "L2 cache 2x512k" where each core has 512k in this example. - The CPU's codename, these have too many variants to name and are often unimportant, usually they simply refer to the 'process' by which a cpu is created, currently the standard process is 90nm, basically the smaller the process the less heat and power is produced per GHz of clock speed, in lamens terms the smaller the better performance wise, occasionally you will need to ensure that your chosen motherboard supports chips that use this level of process, however this is usually only when you use an out of the ordinary chip or are buying an older style budget motherboard.
- The Socket Description This is far and away the main thing to note when you choose your CPU, the 'socket' is the method of attachment of the CPU to the motherboard and comes (currently) in the following variants:
AMD
Socket A (Old Athlon XP's and Duron CPU's)
Socket 754 (Last Generation Athlon 64's and Sempron CPU's including 64-bit variants)
Socket 939 (Current Athlon 64's, Athlon 64 X2's, Sempron CPU's and also newer Opteron server variants)
Socket 940 (Opteron server chips)
Intel
Socket 478 (Celeron and old P4 CPU's)
Socket 479 (low power Pentium-M CPU's)
LGA775 (Most new Pentiums including dual core)
Socket 610 (for Xeon Server CPU's)
Checklist:
- What socket does it use?
- How many cores does it have?
- What is its name/clock speed/cache level
- Is it 'retail' or 'OEM'?
To explain the last point, retail CPU's come with an approved heatsink and fan (to keep it cool), while OEM ones require that you buy a separate aftermarket cooler, (for more info see the 'optional components' section toward the end of this guide.)
Once you have decided upon the CPU you like and what best suits your needs/budget you can proceed to the next choice, the motherboard.
Motherboards
Right, this is the big choice, as this is the piece everything else connects to and choosing a bad board can hamper performance and stability. There are quite a number of things to note when choosing a motherboard; I will explain everything in time.
- Its socket type
As detailed in the CPU section previously, make sure this matches your chosen processor and that it supports your CPU. To make sure check the manufacturer's official website for the exact model you are looking at, many provide a list of compatible CPU's. - Memory type/slots
What memory does it take? This memory is the fast 'active' memory or RAM (Random Access Memory); this differs from storage mainly in speed and also in capacity.
RAM currently comes in 2 main types DDR and DDR2, each variant has a clock speed, for now all I want you to concentrate on is the type (DDR or DDR2) I will explain memory in more detail later in this guide. For the most part this will be DDR however some motherboards (especially Intel based boards) take faster DDR2 RAM. Also check it for 'Dual Channel' support; this dramatically increases the speed at which the RAM can be used.
The number of slots is also important, 2 being the minimum and 4 being ideal. - It’s so called 'form factor', this is a generalized standard for size and power requirements, currently you have ATX, ATX 2.0, BTX and micro-atx (mATX) or small-form factor (SFF).
ATX 2.0 is the most popular at present, and means you will have 7 PCI-Express/AGP/PCI slots, micro ATX has 4 slots. This is important when it comes to choosing a case, which we will come to later. - Graphics interface
Usually AGP or PCI-Express (PCI-e from here on in) or rarely PCI, and with PCI-e whether or not it supports SLi or crossfire, these are two standards set by the 2 major producers of graphics cards Nvidia (SLi) and ATI (CrossFire) that allow for the use of 2 graphics cards in unison for severely fast (and expensive!) graphics setup.
PCI-e is the only sensible choice for new motherboards now as AGP is being phased out (PCI-e is faster and allows more than one graphics card to be used) and PCI was never a great option. More details on SLi and Crossfire further down and in the graphics card section later on, please read this when considering a motherboard. - Chipset
AMD CPU supporting boards use either Nvidia based chipsets (not to be confused with their graphics cards, but relevant for SLi) lately ATI chips (for CrossFire capable boards) or VIA based ones. Intel CPU supporting boards use Intel or Nvidia based chipsets.
Upon closer inspection you may notice that these have varying specifications, e.g. Nvidia Nforce 3, Nforce 4, Nforce 4 Ultra, Intel 955XP, 945P etc, mostly this refers to the features of the board and the generation of the chipset, just make sure the "Socket" matches that of your CPU description and that the Graphics interface is the one you require.
- Features
This is where you have to decide what on board features you would like, on board features are features handled by the motherboard, these can include sound, graphics, LAN, modem, USB, sp/dif, digital out, serial and parallel ports, USB headers, firewire. The list goes on! The main things you’re going to want to look for are the things you NEED.
Now all motherboards will have USB ports, basically the more your have the better.
Not all now have serial ports so beware if you have old scanners or digicams! Some use PCI slot header add-ons.
Most have onboard sound of either the 5.1 or 7.1 channel variant which is ok for all but enthusiasts who need the best.
Most have a single LAN (network) port some have dual ports, mostly of the gigabit variety (i.e. high speed).
SOME have graphics onboard, however be warned, all on-board graphics are SLOW and useless for anything but work and (very) old gaming. However if your not interested in gaming it is quite reasonable to build a PC using on board sound, graphics and networking and hence have no need to install any expansion cards whatsoever.
You should ensure that the onboard capabilities match what you need, why buy one with on board graphics if you plan to buy a separate graphics card, why buy one with 7.1 on board sound if you are going to fit a superior component soundcard, why get a dual Ethernet board when you only ever connect it to a single network at any time etc.
IDE and SATA?
They are the two types of connector used for standard hard disks in modern computers. IDE (or more accurately P-ATA) is the wide flat ribbon type connector many of you may be familiar with.
SATA is the new faster standard for hard disks, and uses a far smaller and tidier cable and also offers simpler RAID capabilities which allows you to use many smaller disks as a single larger disk, this I will discuss later, for now just note which your motherboard takes (all have 2 IDE ports, most now offer SATA options, it just depends how many SATA ports are offered).
It’s important to note that to date optical drives (CD ROM DVD etc) still use IDE/P-ATA as standard and this will be the case for some time yet, therefore it is important to take this into account when calculating how many drives you will be using. This is because; even though you can run two devices off of a single IDE Channel you cannot properly run a Hard disk on the same channel as an optical drive. This is because the optical drive operates at a far reduced transfer speed and thus (as the data transfer is in parallel) it restricts the speed of the hard disk to its own low rate.
If you notice SATAII mentioned this is simply a faster version of SATA transfer. If the board supports SATAII you can use either SATA or SATAII. If the board supports only SATA then you CANNOT use SATAII drives.
My advice is simple here, you will undoubtedly have 2 IDE ports and as far as SATA goes, I suggest you look at 2 ports minimum, 4 if you have lots of videos and audio files. You will probably find you will run out of ports sooner rather than later.
For the most part it won't matter if you have too many features, more so if you have too few, so don’t skimp too much as motherboards are not very variable in price. The biggest divider at the moment is the SLi vs. Crossfire battle, if you feel that spending up to $800 purely on graphics cards is ludicrous then don't go near either and stick to single PCI-e systems which will provide adequate performance for the average user at significantly reduced cost.
Checklist:
- Is it the right socket?
- What is it's 'form factor'?
- Does it offer all the features I need?
- What is its graphics interface? (if required)
- What RAM does it take?
- Does it support Dual Channel RAM? (see RAM section)
- Does it say specifically that it takes my CPU? i.e. A64 or X2 or Pentium D
- What methods of storage connectivity are available? (IDE/P-ATA, SATA, SATAII)
Once you have checked all this you should have a motherboard to suit your computer. Please make sure you check compatibility with every other component as the motherboard is the key component and something you need to get right.
Graphics Card
Right, we have already covered some of this in the motherboard section. You should already know whether you are in the market for an AGP or PCI-e graphics card, or even if you are going to use onboard graphics if it is available. I can't see any reason now why you would buy an AGP card, there is no reason not to go PCI-e (see next paragraph) as there are cards to suit all pockets ranging from $30 to the realms of the ridiculous with dual card setups (think towards $2000).
The latest standard for graphics cards is PCI-e, this is the one most of you should be considering as it is not very future proof to build a whole PC around old AGP or PCI based tech. If you are using socket 939 or LGA775 you will almost certainly be using a PCI-e based board. It is important for you to remember that with budget versions of socket 939 and LGA775 Motherboards there will be some that still use AGP. If you are interested in running the latest games and 3d applications at high speed then don’t make the mistake of getting an AGP based board as it will severely limit your choice of cards.
If you are a gamer then there are so many choices to make, and getting the balance right between performance and price is a tough one. I suggest you set yourself a budget for the whole build and price up everything else before you decide upon your graphics card, as $30 extra to spend on a graphics card can make a big difference.
ATI or NVIDIA?
Which ever type you choose you will have a mainstream choice between the only two realistic brands, namely Nvidia or ATI, which I have already outlined previously. The debate about which is better is one which is unsolvable as there is never a definite answer, all cards have their own merits and for this reason I will refrain from suggesting one or the other.
Which ever you buy if it is one of the recent generations then you will NOT be disappointed.
What to look for:
Graphics cards by any company are made up of 3 main components:
- The GPU the CPU of the graphics card
- Memory the RAM of the graphics card
- interface the 'socket' of the graphics card
The main things to look for in modern cards are its 'core' clock speed (the speed of its GPU) and the 'Memory' speed (the speed of its RAM) basically these will be in either MHz or GHz and the higher the better. Additionally to the speed of the RAM is quantity usually either 128Mb, 256Mb or 512Mb. Again bigger is better and for gaming, at present, 256Mb is the recommended minimum for gamers.
Noise
Some high power graphics cards and SLi setups run very hot and so have high power fans which can be very noisy, if you are interested in a quiet running PC then there are passively cooled cards out there, but aren't the bleeding edge cards, usually one or 2 steps down. Aftermarket coolers such as the Arctic Cooling range and the Zalman coolers can offer substantial temperature and noise reduction for minimal outlay, although fitting can be risky and trick for the novice! You may also invalidate your warranty so seek advice before attempting.
Power requirements
Some AGP and high power PCI-e cards require additional Power connectors, AGP cards take standard molex connectors (either 1 or in some cases 2) and PCI-e cards can take specific PCI-e power connectors, this is important to note as you will need to take this into account when choosing a PSU (power supply unit) later.
Checklist:
- Is it the right interface? (PCI-e, AGP, PCI)
- Does it provide the graphical power you need? (based on RAM quantity and Speed along with GPU type and Speed)
- Are its noise levels inappropriate for the setup you want?
- Does it require extra power connections to function?
This is possibly the hardest thing to get right when building and is largely dictated by your budget, I suggest you post in the hardware forum with any questions you have as there are many users who will be happy to advise you on your choices.
Memory/RAM
Memory is where your operating system (usually Windows) stores everything while it is in use, where your programs store the data they need, anything requiring short term fast storage is in here, as hard drives are much to slow to use for RAM, and isn't too complicated to get right thankfully.
DDR or DDR2?
This is determined by the CPU you have chosen, DDR2 memory is (at present) only for Intel Pentium 4 based motherboards, current AMD processors don't support DDR2 but with the introduction of AM2 (the new socket from AMD) AMD will support DDR2.
So if you have chosen a Pentium 4 you should look at DDR2 memory, and for an AMD system, go for DDR.
DDR400? DDR500?
RAM comes in a number of speeds denoted by a 3 digit number after its type. The minimum (and effective maximum) DDR speed is DDR400 (400 MHz). Higher speeds of this type of RAM are intended for overclocking only and should be treated as specialist. DDR2 comes in speeds of DDR500 and above.
PC3200? DDR400?
Another term you may see used to define the speed of RAM is the "PC" suffix for example PC3200 is DDR400, confusing I know, it really is a pain to get to grips with as a newbie and I haven’t even talked about Front Side Busses or HTT links and dual channel yet. But for now all you need to know is that you use the correct type of RAM, if it is a DDR based board then DDR400 or PC3200 will do fine, if it is a DDR2 based system then DDR500 or PC4000 will suffice, however you can get this specification of RAM in DDR form so make sure it is DDR2 if that’s what you require.
How much do I need?
This a fairly straight forward decision hopefully judging by your needs, I'll outline when you should consider each amount of memory:
- 256MB
Only suitable in my opinion for the basic user looking at a budget system that does nothing more than simple office tasks and doesn't multitask (carry out multiple tasks at once). Not recommended for most users. - 512MB
This is the minimum amount I would suggest for most users, if you are a gamer I suggest looking higher up, but for most who like browsing the net while listening to music and downloading at the same time, I suggest 512Mb. - 1 GB
For many users I suggest looking at 1 GB of memory, if you play games you will suffer with anything less and those who multitask 1 GB is what you should be looking at.
If you are looking at a dual core processor then I suggest you start here with 1Gb in dual channel mode, anything less will cause a possible bottleneck with your shiny new expensive processor. - 2Gb
If you are a serious gamer then I suggest 2Gb of memory, the latest games benefit from 2Gb and if you have a high end graphics card pairing it with 2Gb makes sense. Also, if you are looking at a dual core processor and plan on running more than one CPU and memory intensive task regularly then 2 GB is definitely worth considering.
Dual Channel
Almost all modern motherboards support 'Dual Channel' Memory, this is where you use 2 identical sticks of RAM in unison to achieve double the bandwidth, this is like 'volume' of data that can be transferred simultaneously. I recommend you look at a dual channel regardless of your budget, most manufacturers offer dual channel kits with 2 matching sticks.
For example if you want 1 GB of RAM in total, then buy 2x512Mb sticks of the RAM of your choice. These can then be installed to operate in tandem for maximum efficiency.
NOTE: The maximum amount of RAM most boards can accept in this format is 2GB as in 2x1GB Sticks, so do not attempt to fit more, having say 3x512MB modules installed will actually decrease speed over 2x512MB modules running in dual channel.
Heatspreaders
You may notice that some RAM comes with a fancy coat or 'Jacket'. This is a heatspreader which helps to cool the RAM passively, you only need this if you intend to overclock, in general there is little standard difference between brands unless overclocking.
Checklist:
- Is it the right type? (DDR or DDR2)
- How much do you need? (512Mb? 1 GB?)
- Does the motherboard support dual channel operation? (Check motherboard specs)
- Is it a supported speed for your motherboard? (check motherboard specs again)
- Does it have heatspreaders? (for future overclocking?)
Hard Disk Drives
A hard disk drive (HDD) is where everything is stored long term, all your programs and documents are stored here while your computer is switched off. Hard drive storage is measured in GB (Gigabytes) and is vast and cheap these days.
Important: The one thing I need to make clear at this point is how computers and hard drive manufacturers define a Gigabyte. In computing terms (in binary):
1 Gigabyte = 1024 MegaBytes = 1024*1024 Kilobytes = 1024*1024*1024 Bytes
But all hard drive manufacturers define it in this way:
1 GB = 1000 MB = 1000*1000 KB = 1000*1000*1000 B (1,000,000,000
So as you can see there is a difference here, so when you setup your new 250GB drive you will find Windows will report it as being ~230GB, which means you have less true storage than you think, but this is just one of those things.
Cost per Gigabyte
The economy of hard disk storage is an important feature, look at the amount cost per GB to work out the economy of the capacity, currently the 250GB drives offer the best cost per gig but this is always changing so be sure to check before you buy.
I offer this way of judging the value of the drive:
Look at a drives capacity say 200GB then its cost say $100. The economy of this drive is 50p/GB then look at the 300GB, this may be $130 = 43.3p/GB however the 500GB may well be $380 = 76p/GB.
It is therefore important as a discerning user to identify the appropriate 'peak' value of storage and utilize it; especially as modern SATA and SATAII based computers offer such expansive capabilities.
IDE or SATA or SATA II?
As you are aware by now after choosing your motherboard, you will undoubtedly have 2 IDE ports and probably several SATA ports, higher end boards will probably have SATA II ports.
- IDE
IDE is the older standard for connecting drives to your motherboard and is still largely supported, although SATA drives are gaining in popularity all the time. IDE ribbons are the wider and flatter ones if you are familiar with the insides of a computer and each cable generally has 3 connections, 1 for the motherboard, 1 for a "master" drive and 1 for a "slave" drive.
Master drives are the primary drive on the IDE channel and is the one you should use for your main Windows drive if using IDE. - SATA 1.0
SATA is a newer and faster method for connecting drives than IDE, although the speed increase can't be fully utilized.
SATA cables are much smaller and nicer to work with than IDE cables (even the rounded IDE ones) and each SATA connection on the motherboard allows one drive to be connected, so if you have 4 SATA ports, you can have up to 4 hard drives connected. - SATA-II
SATA-II is the newer standard for SATA connections, same principle as SATA and as far as most are concerned much the same. SATA-II allows (but isn't required) twice the speed as SATA and the useful features of NCQ (native command queuing, which intelligently orders disk accesses, reducing the total time) and supports larger 16MB cache (more on cache size later).- Note: You can use SATA II drives with SATA 1.0 controllers, though some of the oldest controllers may need the drives to be manually speed-limited with a jumper, remember to check this if you have chosen a motherboard with SATA ports.
The important thing to decide initially is whether you are going to be using an IDE or SATA HDD as your primary drive where you will install Windows. I say this because if you decide upon using a SATA drive you will need to install the drivers for it during the Windows install via a floppy drive while IDE drives need no drivers or extra installation steps. I personally still use IDE for my Windows drive, simply because I have an older Seagate 80gig drive which is sufficient for Windows for me, and use the SATA ports for data storage drives, but the decision is yours, just remember the need for a floppy drive if using SATA.
Disk Size
There is no easy way of recommending how much space will be sufficient in an initial build, for the simple reason you will always fill it and always wish you bought a bigger drive, I thought a 60gig, an 80gig and a 160gig drive would do for me 3 months ago, then I added another 250gig drive and now I'm looking at yet another 250gig drive.
But, I do suggest the following as a basic (and rough) guide to how much space you should be looking at:
- The smallest drive I suggest buying is an 80gig one, this is because with Windows installed and once you get the programs and games you use installed as well you can easily be looking at 10gig (especially with new games), and since the prices are fairly cheap I can't see the point in getting a smaller drive. I suggest 80gig for only the budget system or one where you won't be doing any real downloading; only used for storing work documents and smaller digital camera photo collections. If you are storing videos of any kind (digital camcorder, TV capture card or similar) then you will need to be looking at a bigger drive.
- The next step up is 160gig, and this is where I would suggest most users start, if you do any kind of downloading, store lots of videos and pictures, or know you will require more space then 160gig is worth consideration.
- After 160gig generally comes 250gig, 200gig drives are available and if you fall between this category and the previous one then take a look at them.
250gig is suitable for heavier downloaders, users with large collections of videos from camcorders or TV capture cards. - Anything higher than 250gig and you will probably already know you need it, so I probably don't need to say much, but I will again say that you can never have enough storage, you will always find a way to fill it, usually quicker than you expected.
Cache Size
The cache of a hard drive works in a similar way to a CPU's cache; it's a super fast temporary storage for data. A hard drive uses this to store data when it's first sent to the disk for writing, as the drive can't always keep up and generally the more you have the better.
2MB is the entry point now, and suitable for the basic system where you won't need performance.
8MB is next up and what I would suggest for many users, it allows faster disk writing and improves performance in situations where previously you would have been waiting for the hard disk.
16MB is the highest generally available and recommended for users after more performance from their system, but you will pay more for a drive with a larger cache.
RPM
Drives speed is assessed from its RPM (Revolutions per minute) and generally drives run at 7200RPM. You can get quiet drives that run slower at 5200RPM and loud performance drives that run at 10k (10000) RPM.
I suggest most users look at 7200RPM drives, these are the standard drives right now and offer good performance while being quiet, and 10k drives are fairly noisy!
RAID
RAID stands for Redundant Array Of Inexpensive/Independent Disks, it is a technology that has been around for a long time and is primarily a method for storing data across a number of small disks, although these days they are not so small!!
Chances are if you are reading this then RAID isn't for you, if it is suitable for you then you will probably already know about it and won't need it explaining, but for those who want more info on RAID arrays see wikipedia's article on the subject.
Which manufacturer?
Like most of these questions, there is no definitive answer to that makes the best drives. Most users who recommend one drive over another will do so because of previous experience, hype, other users recommendations or other such factors.
Personally I like Samsung and Seagate as they are generally accepted to make the quietest drives and since I knew I was always going to have multiple hard drives noise becomes an issue, but this isn't any reason for you to buy one. Both Samsung and Seagate offer long warranties on their drives, which is another big plus from my perspective.
All manufacturers drives which have the same/very similar specifications will offer very similar performance and chances are you won't notice the difference.
Checklist:
- Are they a supported connection type? (SATA, SATAII, IDE)
- Do they offer enough space for what you will use the computer for?
- How much Cache do they have?
- What RPM do they spin at?
Cases and Power Supply Units
I will cover these 2 items in a joint piece, as many cases come with a power supply, especially the cheaper unbranded ones, while most high end cases come without a power supply to let you chose your own.
Now a case is where everything is housed, and is on permanent display, so you will undoubtedly put plenty of thought into how it looks, because of this I will offer advice on choosing the right case for you. Everything you put in your case will need power, and this is supplied by a Power Supply Unit (PSU), because everything needs power, and everything benefits from good reliable power, I recommend that you spend a little extra on a good PSU if you are building a mid to high range system, putting a cheap unbranded PSU in a good system can lead to troubles.
The Case
PSU or no PSU?
The first thing you will have to make a decision on is whether you are going to buy a case that comes with a Power Supply Unit (PSU) or buy a separate PSU later.
If you are building a budget system, I suggest you look at buying a case with a PSU included, as much as I hate cheap PSU's, yet if you are looking at a mid to high range system then I suggest you look at either purchasing a case and PSU separately or buying a case with a good PSU. I will cover more about this when I get to PSU's further down.
Now, once you know whether you are looking for a case with a PSU or one without, it's time to explain some of the basics.
Starting with case materials, most cases are either steel or aluminum, with steel being cheaper but heavier and worse at conducting heat away from components, aluminum being lighter and cooler but more expensive. Aluminum is what you should be looking at for anything but a budget system, as it usually means you will get a higher quality case, also if you know you will be moving your case around at all then having a heavy steel case isn't what you want, and a lighter case is much better for all concerned.
Warning: One thing I think I should point out, and I am speaking from personal experience having learnt the hard way, is that the cheaper cases are likely to be of poor construction and won't be kind to anyone working inside. I remember the old cheap case I used to have, badly constructed with sharp edges everywhere and poorly designed, it was a nightmare working inside doing anything at all, resulting in many cuts and scrapes, it wasn't kind to my hands, blood was spilt, literally.
Mini or Midi Tower?
Let me start by saying that regardless of whether you go for a midi or mini tower, the type of motherboard it accepts is a fairly innocuous point, nearly every tower will accept ATX + ATX 2.0 and even Micro-ATX. Just make sure to double check before you buy.
The main difference between mini and midi cases is in the height of the case, midi being taller than mini. A midi case will typically have 11 drive bays in total, while a mini one will have 9, this is important to note as it dictates how expansive the case will be and how long it will be able to accommodate your needs. Having the space to add a few extra hard drives for example without sacrificing existing ones is very useful.
Most likely as a new builder you will initially have one optical drive and one hard drive, and the advice I gave in the hard drive part is very valid here, the fact that you will undoubtedly be looking to add further hard drives in future is to be taken into consideration when buying a case, having the ability to add an extra drive or 2 will prolong the life of your case. For this reason I suggest you look at purchasing a midi case, as it offers more space and makes life much easier when working inside.
Cooling
Now onto the all important issue of cooling, as modern components generate plenty of heat and having them all in an enclosed space means heat can build up and heat isn't good. So for this reason I suggest you look at the cooling capabilities of any case you are considering, mainly the number of fan mounts and the size of the fans that can be fitted. You should also look for cases with side mounted fans that blow directly onto the motherboard, offering an easy way to keep the CPU cool. The main thing to notice is the size of quantity of fan mounts at the rear of the case, as one 120mm (12cm) fan will produce less noise and move more air than 2 80mm (8cm) fans. Same thing for the front mounts (which keep the hard drives cool); 120mm fans are quieter and nicer all round.
The simple cooling solution is as follows, you have one (hopefully 120mm) rear case fan sucking warm air out of the case near the CPU, along with the PSU drawing air out at the same time. You should also have a front intake fan drawing cool air into the case if you have more than one hard drive, as hard drives should be kept cool if possible to extend their life span. Any further cooling features of the case (like side fans) are generally beneficial and can reduce the overall heat inside the case.
External Connections
Cases these days usually come with front panel connectors, these range from sound inputs for handy headphone connection to temperature readouts, fan control knobs, extra USB and Firewire ports etc. Your motherboard has sets of pins called 'headers' which these connect to, however not all motherboards have all headers. Most accommodate front panel USB and front panel sound but not all offer firewire, check with your motherboard specification.
The rest of the decision is down to what style of case you would like!
Checklist:
- Do you want a case with a PSU?
- Does it have reasonable cooling?
- What metal is it made of?
- Does it support your type of motherboard (form factor i.e. ATX)?
- Does it provide enough drive space?
- What front panel connectors does it have and does your motherboard have the required headers?
PSU (Power Supply Unit)
An often overlooked component the PSU is quite possibly the most important piece of hardware in your computer, supplying your nice expensive dual core processor with unreliable flocculating power isn't what it wants. I recommend you buy a good PSU; the only exception is if you are building a budget system, then and only then do I see reason to use a cheap unbranded PSU.
How many watts?
A cheap PSU will also underperform against the wattage it states it provides, a 600W unbranded PSU will be beaten by a good branded 400W, so bear this in mind if you aren't buying a good name PSU.
Your PSU requirements are based on the power needs of your combined components, high end components will require more power than cheaper components so it's important you get a powerful enough PSU.
The minimum wattage I would recommend for a system running a recent CPU (Athlon 64, Athlon X2 or any slower Intel P4) and single graphics card would be 400W. For a system running a high spec CPU (mid range P4 or higher speed Athlon 64 or FX) and high end graphics card (one with requires an external 4 pin power supply) I would settle for no less than 500W and if you are running an SLI system you will require an SLI certified PSU (which has 2 separate PCI-E power connectors) delivering at LEAST 550W of clean power.
ATX v1 and v2.*
Now there is another standard that applies to PSU's that is hugely important. Recently motherboard have started using a standard known as 'ATX 2.0', as I have stated in the motherboard section of this guide, standards or form factors of motherboards are derived from both dimensions and power requirements. The difference between ATX v1 and v2 is essentially the number of pins on the main power connector of the motherboard (known as the 12v connector). On v1 boards this has 20pins and therefore requires a 20pin connector, ATX v2 requires a 24pin connector. I strongly advise that you obtain a PSU that matches the standard noted in the description of your Motherboard you should also note any special power requirements mentioned in ANY of the descriptions/specifications of hardware you intend to purchase and ensure your PSU meets these.
Many of the new ATX v2 compliant PSU's offer a 24pin with a "break away" 4 pin connection, thus allowing the change to a ATX v1 20pin connection, this is also known as 20+4.
Another important thing to mention is with the widespread use of SATA hard drives you should check to see if your chosen PSU has SATA connections, as this is better than having to buy additional IDE to SATA power converters and also potentially losing IDE power connections to SATA.
Brands
PSU brand is another important and often overlooked section of PSU selection. You will have picked up on my dislike of cheap unbranded PSU's, this is because the power they advertise is not usually the power they can provide, while a branded PSU from a good manufacturer will usually come very close to the stated power rating. You may have noticed if browsing for PSU's that some 500W variations can be had for a relatively small amount money, whilst others could cost several times that. Why? Because the cheap brand PSU's word their specifications deliberately to confuse and disorient prospective customers, its as simple and underhanded as that, whilst at some appreciable level of electrical technicalities the cheap PSU's MUST achieve their rated power in order to comply with the trade descriptions act, they do not however deliver this as true power to your components.
My advice is simple: Never entrust the life of your components to a cheap PSU; it will all end in tears. I had a cheap PSU fail which luckily only took a cheap graphics card with it, everything else survived somehow, but this was a lucky escape. If a cheap PSU dies, it is usually a catastrophic event as it can take everything else with it, so spending extra on a good PSU is definitely worth it and highly recommended.
PSU Checklist:
- Does it conform to the correct ATX standard? (i.e. V1.0 or v2.0)
- Does it provide enough power by wattage for the requirements of your components?
- Is it from a reputable brand manufacturer carrying all the necessary certifications
- Does it provide all the connectors you need to connect your hardware? (i.e. PCI-e connectors, SATA etc)
Optical Drives
Thankfully we get to a very simple one.
There is no longer any reason to buy something other than a DVD-RW which will write DVD's & CD's and read both too. For the average user there isn't anything much to pick between one drive and another, all the basic DVD writers are around the same price and whichever one you chose you should be fine.
Considering the price of DVD writers, I can see the point in buying 2 drives, for those who do lots of copying and writing from one disc to another, it can be an attractive option. Whether you get 2 writers or one writer and one read only (or possibly combo DVD ROM and CD-RW drive) drive is up to you.
The only points I will make about different DVD writers is the writing speed and the supported media. The supported media is fairly simple, you have 2 types of DVD's, DVD+R and DVD-R (also, DVD+RW and DVD-RW respectively) and nearly all drives support both types of media so thankfully there is little to worry about now regarding formats. The only thing to note about writing (and reading) speed is very simple, the faster the better, there is little more to say on the matter. As far as cache goes, the usual rules apply, bigger is better, but again, most won't notice the difference.
From a cosmetic point of view make sure that it matches the color scheme of your case, or that it comes with different colored bezels. (Word of warning, if your case has a swing door covering the optical bays, some poorly designed clip on bezels may prevent it closing properly.)
Regarding different manufacturers, the average user will not notice the difference between drives, so go for whichever you like. The high end user who demands only the best should look for a drive by Plextor, I have so far refrained from mentioning specific brands in this huge project, but in this case Plextor are second to none when it comes to optical drive quality and deserve a special mention in my opinion, this quality does come at a price though.
Optical Drive Checklist:
- Does it write the types of media you wish to utilize? (Still worth checking)
- What is the drives DVD read/Write/re-Write/CD-write speed?
- Does it have the right color bezel?
Monitor
TFT or CRT
These days there is very little case against getting a TFT (flat panel) monitor even for gamers and movie watchers. However upward of 20" they can still be expensive and so if you fancy a 22" monitor then by all means opt for a CRT, there is not much to say about CRT's really, only that you should try and get one with DVI cable connector to achieve best image quality at higher resolutions.
TFT's
With TFT's however there are still a few things to beware of. TFT screens have 3 main specifications which you should observe and also 2 main types of interface to attach to your graphics card. The 3 internal specifications are Response time (in ms) Brightness (in cdm3) and contrast (in ratio format usually xxx:1). The response time is the time taken to go from one color to another, so the lower the better. High response times can cause what is known as 'ghosting' where the previous image is slightly visible and can cause problems to gamers and movie watchers and is something you don't want. Brightness is how bright the monitor can display, the higher the better. Contrast is how much difference there is between colors, and for example 300:1 is better than 200:1.
The advice I give when looking at specifications is not of huge relevance for the average user at present, as all low to mid range TFT's have similar specifications, to get higher specifications you are looking at high end TFT's and prices to match.
DVI or VGA connection?
The interface specification is either VGA or DVI, this will depend on what you graphics card supports, DVI is the preferred connection, and whilst DVI cards will accept a VGA connector (with an adapter usually supplied with DVI cards) a VGA card will not easily accept a DVI connector so caution is advised, however even budget cards now usually have DVI.
Dead Pixels
Beware of cheap brand monitors, dead pixels are a common problem in lower grade monitors, dead or 'stuck' pixels are black or colored dots that won’t go away, these are 'expected' imperfections and as such are only grounds for return under certain criteria, such as having a certain number in a given area etc. These do not show up much in desktop work or web surfing however they are very apparent on dark backgrounds such as in movies or games and can prove quite distracting. If your unsure check with the monitor manufacturer about their policy before committing to a certain brand. Some online retailers will offer a dead pixel check before dispatch to ensure you get a perfect screen, but you will pay extra for this.
TFT Size and Resolutions
One thing I should point out with TFT's is that there are maximum resolutions for certain screen sizes and due to the cost of increasing the resolution at that size it is fairly standard. It is also worth pointing out that most TFT's have a 'native' or recommended resolution and I suggest you use this resolution unless you have good reason not to, also once you get used to higher resolutions, you will never go back to lower ones, fitting more on screen is a definite bonus.
At 19" and below, TFT's have a maximum resolution of 1280x1024, so a 19" TFT has the same maximum resolution as a 17" one, for those that like high resolutions this could be an issue as the next maximum resolution increase is at 20 inches, and many of the 20" TFT's available at present above 19" are widescreen ones.
Checklist:
- TFT or CRT?
- What size is it?
- What is the maximum resolution?
- What are the connections offered? (DVI or VGA)
Soundcards and Speakers
Since you can't really cover one without referring to the other; I'll cover both sound cards and speakers in this one piece.
Soundcards
Firstly, ask yourself if you really need a soundcard, for a lot of regular users the onboard sound your motherboard provides is probably sufficient. If on the other hand you are building a killer gaming rig then you should probably look at a dedicated soundcard to boost performance that little bit more while providing you with better sound quality. If you are a serious audiophile then you will undoubtedly be wanting a soundcard to match, onboard just won't cut it for you.
At present, there is really only one option when it comes to buying a sound card, since Creative have a stranglehold on the market you will find 90% of soundcards available online are Creative. Saying this, there are other alternatives if you are prepared to look which may be more suitable to your needs.
The thing to look for first in a soundcard is the speaker config support, e.g., if you are looking at a 5.1 speaker system then you will need a 5.1 compatible (or higher) card to gain the full benefit from 5.1 speakers.
As soundcards do not come with comparable specifications, it is best that you seek recommendation from the forums at Hydrogen Audio as some of the guys over there know more about audio stuff than anyone else.
Speakers
Never an easy thing to recommend since everyone’s ears are different, but I'll try and provide some pointers on the subject.
I'll only really be advising on computer speakers here, although I'll make a few notes on the other option in speakers: an amplifier/hi-fi setup. The difference here is that you connect your soundcard to an amplifier/hi-fi system and achieve sound through the attached speakers, if you have any questions here ask in the hardware forum or over at Hydrogen Audio again.
2.0? 5.1? 7.1?
You need to decide what type of speaker system you will be looking at, you need to decide whether you want a simple stereo 2.0 speaker system, or anything up to a top end 7.1 system. To explain, the first number is the number of satellite speakers (regular speakers) and the number after the decimal point indicates whether you get a dedicated sub-woofer for bass, 1 meaning you do.
Anyway, I'll try and advise you on what may be best for you:
- 2.0 - Entry level stereo setup, if you don't watch movies and are building a budget system then this will probably be for you.
- 2.1 - If you would like a dedicated sub-woofer (bass speaker) and watch movies occasionally, or are on a limited budget or space is tight, this will probably suit you.
- 5.1 - If you regularly watch movies on your pc (especially DVD's or anything that has 5.1 audio streams) then a 5.1 system is worth a look, surround sound is the standard for home cinema.
- 7.1 - The latest setup available, 7 speakers and a subwoofer seems overkill in my opinion but for the ultimate enthusiast this is a must.
If you have limited space then 2.1 is probably sufficient for your needs, as 5.1/7.1 systems need lots of space in order to achieve correct placement of all 5/7 satellite speakers, but you do get superior audio quality. 7.1 offers the highest quality but this doesn't come cheap, so 5.1 is probably a better option for many people.
One thing I should point out is that the more you spend the better the sound quality you'll get, a basic 5.1 system will probably struggle at high volume levels while a more expensive one will offer the same quality as at lower volumes. Entry level systems are generally poor performers when the volume increases.
Well I hope this guide helped you out in your quest to build yourself a perfect computer. Have Fun!!!
-brautigam
This guide was written mostly on my own knowledge with a little help along the way mostly from www.wikipedia.com.
Very very long article, which is unreadble for me.............
). I *might* read and comment on the rest later.
