David Risley is the founder of PCMech.com. He is the brains, the thinker, the writer, the nerd.This tutorial is intended to assist you in building a basic PC. There are obviously a plethora of possible PC configurations and hardware that you could put into your new PC if you choose. But, what we are trying to do here is help you put together a basic PC. For this reason, we are only requiring the basic components and tools to get you up and running.
Tools Required
- Screwdriver - A Phillips-head (cross-point) screwdriver is what is used in most PCs.
- Screw Extractor - If you have surgeon’s fingers you may not need this. But, if you’re human, it is likely you might drop a screw into your PC during this procedure and be too big-thumbed to get it out. A screw extractor can help you grab those screws and get them out without messing with the hardware. You definitely do not want to run your PC with loose screws in there. It could cause a short circuit.
- Flashlight - Unless you are in a fantastic lighting situation, you will likely need a flashlight to get a look of the landscape in your PC while you’re working.
- Tweezers - May be helpful for you in switching jumpers later in the tutorial.
Hardware Required
- PC Case
- Floppy Disk Drive
- Hard Drive
- CD-ROM Drive
- Processor
- Processor Cooling Fan
- Motherboard
- Memory Modules
- Power Supply
- Video Card
- Keyboard & Mouse
To build a basic PC, you will need at least a motherboard, a memory module, a processor with cooling fan, a power supply, a hard drive, a floppy drive, a video card and a CD-ROM.
Most electrically sensitive hardware comes in a static bag which is designed to protect the electronics from static electricity shock. Leave your hardware in these bags until you are ready to install them.
Software Required
- System Disk
- Device Drivers (these usually come with the hardware above)
- Operating System (for the purposes of this tutorial, we will assume you are choosing Microsoft Windows as your operating system – PC Mechanic has lots of great information on Linux and other alternatives)
Cables and Miscellaneous
- Drive cables
- Motherboard spacers (usually come with the motherboard, but are used to space the motherboard up off the mounting plate)
- Screws (usually a whole pile of screws will come with your PC’s case, but if you are using a case you happened to have around, you will need to collect some screws)
- Power cords (for both your PC and your monitor. They usually come with the hardware when you buy it, of course)
- CPU Cooling Compound
Rich Menga, a native New Englander residing in Tampa Bay Florida, 
2/20/2008 8:22 pm
I do not get this is this exactly like a laptop or destop?? plz e-mail back….
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3/3/2008 2:51 am
Its a desktop. Labtops have everything on the mother board itself thats why you can’t just change out video cards etc.
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3/9/2008 8:44 pm
how much money does it ususlly cost for the products necessary for building a pc
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3/12/2008 11:22 am
This article is really not all that great. Besides everyone thinks that building your own PC is better then buying a prebuilt one. I disagree. you spend 500 bucks at dell and you get what you want a hell of a lot cheaper then what you get when you build your own. Plus 20 years from now when I need the drivers for my computer just go to the dell website and they will have it on there for me. unlike me going to build my own i need to keep track of cds and stuff all the time. If you guys really want a nice computer just save up 5 grand and go to dell and get w.e you want. Trust me 20 years from now you won’t regret it. I’ve had the same dell since 1995. I’ve rebuilt the operating system once (Due to virus’s) and the computer actually runs better then any of the new computers that we have now. I am using a dell with the vproccessor and it runs like mine at home.
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ruis reply on April 16, 2008 5:13 pm:
20 YEARS???? You wish. Your Dell will be screwed waaay before that, and when it does screw up you’ll be reliant on Dell to help you out - which they won’t. And there’s no way your pre-packed Dell is better than one you could make yourself. It’s probably OK for now but when it comes to upgrading you won’t be able to upgrade bit-by-bit. Unfortunately my friend, Dell screwed you over.
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Joker reply on April 21, 2008 11:50 pm:
that comment alone is stupid.20 yeras would mean you would have to replace next to all your hardware.The comment that you had to “rebuild” your OS because of viruses alone makes me 100% sure you are an idiot or that your hardware was crap.The most a virus would make me do is reformat my drive.
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3/14/2008 12:47 pm
Joe……5k? You’re a moron. I bet I can build I better/faster/cooler PC than your POS dell or any premade computer for cheaper….with a 24″ LCD monitor to boot. Don’t listen to this jerkoff.
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3/21/2008 4:04 pm
Let’s all be civil and avoid name calling. I agree in 2008 you can pay a fraction of $5K and get a great computer. I‘ve been looking at the barebones kits at places like Tigerdirect but it looks like more than what I want to bite off. I do like the idea of the kit because I’m thinking some engineer probably tested compatibility of parts so you have an optimal working system in one of these kits. What I have learned about the Dell I bought a couple years ago is that it’s really not upgradeable for any decent gaming. It’s not impossible to do but based on the price of new stuff and the limitation because of Dell chosen parts it’s not worth the money or headache. It’s no problem because originally I bought the machine for limited gaming. My error, I should have researched more about the upgrade ability of the system’s I was looking at. For example my power supply on the Dell 310 is a pathetic 230W which won’t work on most video cards. Also my motherboard is limited. If I wanted to replace the power supply I have to find a special one that works with Dell and fits in my mid tower with the correct wiring. My next machine will not be a Dell and will have a lot of upgrade ability which you won’t find in many of the Dell type packages. I’m currently looking at some system by Cyberpower. If anyone has any other sites like that it would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Blitz
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Kazak reply on April 6, 2008 9:56 pm:
Totally agree with you Blitz!!
I’ve got a Dell 3100c and I’m replacing it with a new build. I’ve spent hours trying to devise a way to upgrade it but it’s way too much hassle. I can’t upgrade the graphics card as the stock 220W PSU can’t be upgraded to power it as its a unique size and shape. Sure can you stick a new CPU in it no probs and you might be able to find a new motherboard that’s fits in the case but your upgrades will be limited by the low wattage PSU.
Dell design their PCs so only their parts are compatible. If you want to buy hassle free and don’t mind forking out for a whole new system in a few years to update, go for Dell. This is what they want!!
With the deals I’ve found, I’ve put together a self-build for £275 ($550) and its gonna rock!!
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Jayman reply on April 14, 2008 1:51 pm:
Blitz, before you waste your time with Cyber power,IBuyPower or some of the other cutome PC builders, check out their better business Bureau
report. I have had the worst experience dealing
with IBuyPower. their customer service is crap and you have to deal with a bunch of people that treat you like a “stupid fat American Gui Lo”.They will rip you off at every turn. Half the stuff you order wont be the same or even close to what you get. They wont tell you that it could take weeks to even get your PC built and that $69 bucks you spent for rush service is a waste. they wont honor their 30 day return policy etc. etc. etc……not saying they are all like that but if you cant understand what the person on the other end of the phone is saying, time to hang up. research every thing you buy and every company you do business with. I’ll never let anybody rip me off if I can help it
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3/23/2008 5:15 pm
hi,
i dont think i would be able to build a computer without some sort of guide… but im the same sence im not an idiot… like i know most of the components that i would need.
i wanna build my comp basically for gaming only, so i know i need a good graphics card etc…
but would you guys be able to tell me about how much i would have to fish out for building my own pc?
also where could i get, (on the net) good quality but cheap components?
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James reply on May 8, 2008 3:57 pm:
its would roughly cost you for a decent machine between $2000 and $3800. if you want the latest and greatest top high-end powerful gaming pc your looking at cheapest of $6000+
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3/24/2008 11:14 pm
Great guide, just built a 9600 Black Edition Phenom on a 790FX Motherboard by MSI, 2gb ram (pc6400), X-Fi Extreme Gamer (although I don’t need it with the awesome on-board 7.1), with a 750w Power Supply. Spent less than $1000, got EXACTLY what I wanted, and I don’t ever have to deal with Dell’s horrible customer service. This PC would cost way more at Dell, but I can’t tell you how much since they no longer carry AMD. The mid-range xps starts at $1500.00, way more than what I spent. Also when you get a prebuilt pc you can’t choose the motherboard, which a lot of people don’t think is that important but it is. I bought Half my stuff on e-bay, just timing it out until I got the price I wanted to pay for parts, and the power supply, box, operating system, and DVD burner from Micro Center (microcenter.com). THe power supply is normally $179.00 and I picked it up for $110 before my 50 dollar rebat. And the other stuff I bought from there because the price was within a couple of dollars of the cheapest things I could find. This project did take me a little while to do, but research pays off when you are wanting to build a wailing gaming machine. (by the way still using the x1650 by ATI, will upgrade to 3870 hd and eventually to 4 - 3870 hd cards, but this still wails) By the way you can get the motherboard I got for the phenom for $151 plus shipping on clubit.com, MSI K9A2 Platinum 790fx (HyperTransport 3.0 supporting speed up to 2600MHz, beat that Intel) That’s with the phenom.
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3/24/2008 11:29 pm
Blitz, CyberPower is your best option, yes I know you mentioned it, but like I said in previous post I researched a lot to build my pc and this was the cheapest and best place I have found. I just built an almost identical system to mine on there and it was less then $1500 ($1430 to be exact) without the monitor. Actually this is better than my pc, as it has Dual 3800 HD cards in it, which is my last step to finishing this beast. Not many computers will be able to beat this head on in a challenge.
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3/25/2008 7:46 pm
hey u @ 3/23/08 5:15 pm,
highly sugest http://www.newegg.com
i built my 1st computer there and getting ready build another soon.
my second altogether is goin to cost under $600 bucks. but thats w/o the
monitor, keyboard, etc. keep in mind tho that under $600 ISNT high-end
this high-end that. u kno i can upgrade in the future.
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3/26/2008 11:56 pm
i wish you had pictures of each item…it would help out!
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jon reply on March 28, 2008 12:18 pm:
hey kate,
sorry for late reply: if u are interested, go to http://www.newegg.com , ten go to wish lists on bottom , under public wish lists type: ‘under $600 budget pc’ . the post date is 3/25/08. i probably wont git this rig by summer time.
also, uh im probably goin to replace that Antec 900 for a Cooler Master Centurion 534 bc its cheaper and has the same capabilities as the Antec case except it doesnt hav backward compatibility for Micro ATX mobos.
and very lastly: im also thinkin about changing the AMD cpu to Intel bc i cant seem to find any 3ghz cpu from AMD’s single core processors. highest i can find is 2.6
thx for ur time
jon
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3/29/2008 5:14 pm
I was wondering if I actually need memory modules (RAM I think). I’m a bit confused because I am buying a 500GB hard disk and spending more on memory when i have that much sounds a bit pointless. Unless It’s RAM.
Basically I’m asking, by “Memory modules” do you mean RAM. Thanks
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3/31/2008 12:35 pm
amazing beef,
yes memory module and ram are the same thing. although i dont get ur question. i’ll admit i am not a computer technician. but like aaron said, i kno enough about computers to pick out the components and put them together.no problem
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3/31/2008 3:33 pm
tymv
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4/3/2008 2:03 am
great guide!
i can definately attest to the idea that building a pc is cheaper than buying a comparable pre-build…i am in the process of building a quad-core desktop with 3g RAM, 810gb HD (750+60(salvaged), 512mb graphics card, with all personally chosen components and so on, for less than $700 (after rebates, etc.)…i tried building a pc at dell.com that is comparable, and it turned out to be over $1800 (video card is 8800, mine is 8600; OS included, mine is salvaged from current comp, and other minor details), but for a difference of over a grand, definately home built is the better choice…
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4/3/2008 10:56 am
i want to build my own computer,but right now i dont buy any thing on my list im comparing the price of every component of my PC to buy.PLS SEND ME EMAIL if i mised something on my list main board;asus p5k chipset;intel p31/p35 processor;intel core dou e6550@2333mhz physical memmory;2048mb(2×1024DDR2-sdram) video card;nvidia corp ge force 8400gs or 8600gs hard disk;maxtor 250gb DVD-rom drive;tsst corp cd-dvdw sh-s202j ata device monitor type;m19w-19 inc network card; broadcom corp bcm4309 802.11 a/b/g o.s windows vista home prem. power sup;corsair 650w atx case midi…tv card haupaugewintv pci…do i need a sound card? and is atx case include c.fan and heatsink. im not much in to games but i also play.do u recomend any thing.fmt_kik@yahoo……thahnks
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4/15/2008 4:44 am
I saved up £400 (no idea what that is in dollars anymore $800?) and bought a high end mac mini. I got a cheapass acer 22″ widescreen and mac keyboard and its an absolute triumph. Ive had dells before but i got sick of random things going wrong with apparently no cause. After 2 trojan horses i switched to mac and they’ve been good to me ever since.
I had a go on vista the other day and it didnt impress me.
My advice? save up (not 5k) about £600 and get the full macmini works.
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4/16/2008 11:08 pm
I made the mistake of buying from dell and I WILL NEVER purchase from them again. They are not updating the drivers for my computer I bought 1.5 years ago and said they will not even though the companies that made the hardware have updated several times. I payed off my computer and they charged me $400.00 extra because the payment of $150.00 that paid it off posted a day late, even though I had a receipt showing it was paid off on time. I told them I was very unhappy and would tell everyone I knew not to buy from dell and they didnt care, even after I went up several levels in management. I feel sorry for anyone that falls into the dell trap.
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4/20/2008 4:10 pm
This is my first build. Purchased from http://www.newegg.com
Gonna be my first time with Vista. Can anyone tell me what the dif is between the 32bit and 64bit version oem home edition.
Unsure which one to get.
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Amazing beef reply on April 21, 2008 4:08 pm:
JB, 32bit can handle up to dual core, whereas 64bit can handle up to quad core. I think this is the only difference, but to be honest the vista operating system is pants. You’re probably better off getting a top end version of XP, waiting untill the next windows operating system is released, or even buying XP and up-grading in the future. If it’s gaming you’re looking for, quad core is good, but vista isn’t. Whereas I think all but one XP (the most expensive) are only 32bit, so can not handle all four cores. Personally im going for XP and depending on how much money I make before my build, I’m either going to buy the most expensive XP or buy standard and wait for an upgrade.
Hope that was of help!
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4/22/2008 2:02 am
When I was seventy-three years old I built my first two computers after reading magazines, visiting web sites and read a book. The studying gave me the knowledge to pick compatible parts and put them together. They both worked perfectly the first time I booted up after installing the OS.. I learned how to do it and since then when I upgrade I do it myself. No more paying for service. The original computers cost a little more than off the shelf ones, but the knowledge has saved me money. All components are of good quality, so after using these computers four years, at about five hours per day, they have never needed repairs or servicing. Can Dell or HP beat that? I am seventy-seven years old now and as long as I can operate a Phillips screwdriver I’ll not buy another one off the shelf. Building one only takes two to three hours at a slow pace and it is fun.
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4/22/2008 2:04 pm
Hope I’m as bright as Will is when I’m 77!
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4/25/2008 2:46 pm
wow…most of you have zero knowledge of pcs and pc hardware
building a pc is cheaper then buying a pc PERIOD there are no ifs or buts about this statement!
I myself have built two pc’s in the past 2 years both with top end graphics, duel core 2 - 4 gig ram high end pcs for all around 1000 - 1200$ whereas gaming pc’s go for 1500+ at retailers like futureshop
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4/25/2008 4:47 pm
Are you refering to me when u say that?
coz i agree, building is cheaper.
and btw gaming computers must be crap in USA. $1500? thats like £750! in england they are £2000+. and if u didnt know, thats about $4000. but when i say gaming computers, i mean like “holy s*** this is so f****** imense!!!”. do u have computers like that? (that wasnt ment to be bitchey or sarcastic, i ment it as a proper question) And btw, americans can’t spell colour and build crap cars. not trying to be racist, just pointing it out. actually pay no attention to this post. i talk about too much crap.
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4/28/2008 4:36 pm
I’m looking to create my own PC for gaming but I’m a noob in this “build your own” world. I would like some major help. I’m looking for a great Graphics card with lots of RAM to run smoothly, but I think I have those down. Im looking for some good Brand power supplies, motherboards. I also have no idea on Processors… Looking for spend alittle over 500 maybe. Also do most moherboards support all types of RAM or do they need some special stuff for eahc type of boards?
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4/28/2008 5:56 pm
Motherboards do NOT support all types of ram. You need to start off with a motherboard that is meant for your needs. For instance, Find a motherboard that can handle about 6 gigs of ram. Then when you find the motherboard that you want look for memory that is compatible with it. Your NOT going to spend only 500 on a rebuild. Your going to spend at least 800. but 500 will get you some stuff that you need to start off then you can keep going as you need to.
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4/28/2008 6:00 pm
dell is not meant for gaming computers. Dell handles mostly business and homeoffice and stuff for school and work. What i use my computer for it works fine. From a business/professional stand point dell is the way to go. Now if you were to buy a gaming computer your better off buying it yourself but keep in mind that the cpu will become obsolete and you’ll eventually have to replace the motherboard to upgrade the cpu. Well you losers that like to build your own have fun wasting your time it is a complete waste of money and is definitly not worth it unless your a gamer. But at that point i deal with what i have. i don’t look for the best of both worlds when it comes to a computer.
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Kazak reply on April 28, 2008 9:19 pm:
wasting time and money!?? losers!?? is this the same Joe who said this article isn’t all that great? keep kissing dell’s rear end. I’ll be kicking it if I ever met them!! don’t think any further comments are required as the others have done it for me…
DEREK - check out the FAQs at overclock.net and overclockers.co.uk for some great advice on what to build
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4/28/2008 9:31 pm
Well I’m looking for a good one for gaming! I need somthing that will allow for upgrades. Can u tell me some good brands of motherboards/processors. Are those one and the same?
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4/28/2008 11:31 pm
Ok well, I have my system for thought. As my Mother Board I will be installing the Asus M2A-MVP Mobo. For my Graphics card the AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Black Edition. IDK where to go from there. Please do not deeter me from my choices unless they can greatly be improved, I only want an above average gaming comp.
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5/8/2008 3:54 pm
its cheaper for the gamers to build their own system. on the other hand, for computer people that dont game or need a high-end custom computer, should go buy a pre-built because it would be cheaper for them. if you dont want a pre-built…DONT COMPLAIN ABOUT THE PRICE! the whole point of building a pc is to mostly save money for high-end equipment, it wont save you any for something average.
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