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In this article, we’ll take you through the entire process of building a computer. You’ll learn how to choose the parts you will use, how to buy them and how to put them all together. When you’re done, you will have exactly the machine that you need. Let’s get started.

Decisions, Decisions

Where do we start? Actually putting the machine together is pretty easy, but picking the parts and buying them takes research.

The first step in building a computer is deciding what type of machine you want to build. Do you want a really inexpensive computer for the kids to use? A small, quiet machine to use as a media computer in the living room? A high-end gaming computer? Or maybe you need a powerful machine with a lot of disk space for video editing. The possibilities are endless, and the type of machine you want to build will control many of the decisions you make down the line. Therefore, it is important to know exactly what you want the machine to accomplish from the start.

Let’s imagine that you want to build a powerful video editing computer. You want it to have a dual-core CPU, lots of RAM and a terabyte of disk space. You also want to have FireWire connectors on the motherboard. These requirements are going to cause you to look for a motherboard that supports:

Dual-core CPUs (either Intel or AMD)
At least 4GB of high-speed RAM
Four (or more) SATA hard drives
FireWire connections (possibly in both the front and back of the case)

Then it all needs to go in a case with enough space to hold multiple hard disks and enough air flow to keep everything cool.

With any computer you build, knowing the type of machine you want to create can really help with decision-making.

The Motherboard’s the Thing
Choosing a motherboard is the most interesting part of any building project. The reason it is so interesting is because there are hundreds of motherboards to choose from and each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

One easy way to think about motherboards is to break them up into a few categories. For example:

Cheap motherboards: Generally in the $50 range, these are motherboards for older CPUs. They are great for building inexpensive machines.

Middle-of-the-road motherboards: Ranging in price from $50 to $100, these are one step up from the cheap motherboards. In many cases you can find motherboard and CPU combos in this price range, which is another great way to build a cheap machine or an inexpensive home/office computer.