Component know-how

[ConnorLowe]

Hi

I've been looking for some time to build my own PC and I've always ended up shying away from it because I never really had the know-how on what to actually do. I've realised now that the only way to get things done is to do things by yourself.

Whilst I've been looking at parts to put in to a PC; different CPU's, GPU's, RAM sticks etc, I realised that I don't actually know how to tell which component is better than another. I get the basics of things like its better to have 16GB RAM than 4GB RAM, and that an SSD helps to boot up software quicker than a HDD. But why is it that one stick of RAM is better than another? They're both 8GB sticks right? These are the type of things which I am looking to find out.

What I'm asking is, can anyone kindly give any links to websites, papers, videos etc which give insight and advice to hardware newby like me? I work in computing but I only know about my particular job role and my goal is to understand as much as possible about all corners of computing.

If anyone has any links to detailed information regarding PC components and their functions, I'd be extremely grateful.

Thanks,
The hardware newby

[Dooms]

Bit-Tech used to do monthly buyers guides for hardware which, while not perfect, where a good idea of what's what in the ever changing world of hardware.

The last one they did was dated back last August (http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/buy...-august-2012/1) which you can give a read to see what they look for in hardware but of course the information is out of date now so take it will a pinch of salt.

These days your best bet is reading forums. Go checkout the hardware section of hexus and a few other forums to see what builds people are putting together and what advice people are giving them... its the same advice you will get if you ask the same questions. Have a play using that information to piece together what you think you want / what's best and then post that build on here for some more information...

Lots of back and forth and you will get something that you are happy with!

There so much information and it changes so quickly that it can be a bit overwhelming but with plenty of questions and helpful answers it does get easier

[Ferral]

Moved into Rate my Build as that is where this is heading.

I would definitely check out some of the reviews here at HEXUS, we cover all aspects of what goes in the box.

As for building a PC yourself, its actually quite simple, each component will only go into the slot it was designed for, even things like power and SATA drive leads are simple as they only fit one way unlike a few years back when you had IDE drives and the pink strip on the cable had to go to number 1 pin side on the back of the drive.

[chuckskull]

For the actual mechanics of putting one together. most stuff generally only goes in one way round and comes with instructions. "How to build a PC", will turn out thousands of guides all basically covering the same stuff. Just remember your anti static wrist band.

For differentiating between hardware, reviews, reviews, reviews. Especially when new generations are released. Such as Haswell processors from Intel and the 700 series cards cards from NVIDIA lately, these often provide in depth coverage and will really help your understanding. For detailed descriptions of component types and their functions in general, wikipedia is probably the best all in one source.

Many sites offer componet guides as well; such as http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/...es-april-2013/ HEXUS does them too, but the last is a little out of date now. These will give you a good overview of roughly where you should be aiming and a basis to build on and tweak to your needs.

Last but not least when you're a bit more more confident and have a component list ask right here on HEXUS.

Nothing will teach you as much as actually going through the process the first time IMO.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I tried doing my own guide a while back:
http://forums.hexus.net/pc-hardware/...er-2011-a.html

However,I never sustained the effort!

[ConnorLowe]

Thanks for the info and website links

I'll get my head around it all soon enough

[Phage]

If you can do Lego - you can build a PC.

[Dooms]

I think Lego's harder

[ConnorLowe]

Lego's all fun and games until you stand on a block!

[Phage]

True dat.
Probably good advice not to put any shiney stuff on the floor.

[liammcd]

Building a PC from parts is pretty straightforward when the boxes arrive on your doorstep.

However, putting the shopping list together is a lot more complicated. There is no 'right' or 'wrong' answer.

Unless you have an unlimited budget (in which case you just go for the best of each component) the choice of individual parts comes down to how much you want to pay.

You need to make a basic choice of either Intel or AMD CPU which will dictate the range of motherboards to look at, but the rest is generic and budget is the deciding factor.

Only you can judge what you need, depending on what you intend using the finished item for - a photo/video rendering workstation will have a very different spec to one used as a media centre PC.

You could start with a spreadsheet listing options and their prices for each component to see what budget you need. When you have something that looks like it might do, then post into this forum for others to comment and offer suggestions.

[ConnorLowe]

Not sure what's worse, standing on a block of Lego or a plug?

One of the main things which concerns me is the compatibility of different components. I could list various components of what I'd like to have, but then I'm not sure if one particular part is okay to be used alongside another one

So far, the way that I've been going about things is looking on computerplanet or pcspecialist for example, put a build together and then look on eBuyer for each component and try and get it as cheap as possible and then build it at home.

Only thing is, these websites only have a number of each type of component so any build I've put together is fairly restricted

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Not sure what's worse, standing on a block of Lego or a plug?

One of the main things which concerns me is the compatibility of different components. I could list various components of what I'd like to have, but then I'm not sure if one particular part is okay to be used alongside another one

So far, the way that I've been going about things is looking on computerplanet or pcspecialist for example, put a build together and then look on eBuyer for each component and try and get it as cheap as possible and then build it at home.

Only thing is, these websites only have a number of each type of component so any build I've put together is fairly restricted

You have to be careful with many component guides on websites,they at times are quite poor and err on the side of laziness and I suspect sponsorship by certain companies!

The Bit-tech,CustomPC and Toms Hardware ones are all ropey to a degree,and even the TR one is not perfect. The main problem is that even though is that many sites which do the build guides don't bother to test many the complete set of budget CPUs so you end up with the lower ends sytems being quite derivative.

It is actually better to ask on forums,as I could argue that enthusiasts probably are more up to date on what to look for,and tailor parts for your needs.

[MrJim]

The starting point of any build is deciding what the PC will be primarily used for; the specification required for a gaming PC will be different to one used simply for web browsing & emailing. Of course sometimes requirements change, but the great thing about PCs is that they can be upgraded easily & (relatively) cheaply.

Actually assembling the components is very easy these days - if you can use a screwdriver, you can build a PC

I often use Youtube to find 'how to' videos if I'm not sure about something (e.g., how to fit a new cooler and so on.) There's no substitute for actually seeing how something is done (as opposed to reading it in a badly translated instruction booklet!).

[ConnorLowe]

I've started using the HEXUS forums because like you said, enthusiasts are more likely to be up to date and have already built numerous PC's themselves

I appreciate the help Won't be long till I've built my own PC and got it up and running

[Pob255]

Personally speaking, the starting point for any build is requirement/use and budget.
I'd be wary of a high budget high end system as a first build because as the budget goes up so does the range of choice and complexity of the issues.

Start by answering the following questions
Is the physical size and look important?
What do you want to do on your pc?
Are you thinking about playing games?
- if yes, what games?
How much have you got to spend?