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
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Are these components compatible to build a new system from the ground up and am I missing anything?
LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS30 - OEM $23.99
Sunbeam Transformer IC-TR-B Blue Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail $86.99
Seagate ST3640323AS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5″ Internal Hard Drive - OEM $64.99
ASRock A780GXH/128M AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $89.99
EVGA 896-P3-1255-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported $135.00
KINGWIN ABT-730MM 730W ATX / BTX SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail $74.99
ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound - Retail $8.99
OCZ Gold 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Quad kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2G8008GQ - Retail $92.99
AMD Athlon X2 7850 Black Edition Kuma 2.8GHz Socket AM2+ 95W Dual-Core Processor Model AD785ZWCGHBOX - Retail $69.00
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders - OEM $99.99
MASSCOOL FD08025S1M4 80mm Case Fan - Retail $12.90 ($1.29each)
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 64 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail $29.99
Grand Total: $880.03 Including Shipping.
dont waste a gtx 260 on a athlonx2, spend the extra 150$ to get a phenom2. or save 50$ and buy a 9800gt of a 9600gt.
hey, is that RAM compatible with your motherboard? find the QVL (Qualified Vendor List) for your motherboard at the motherboard maker’s website…make sure your ram is listed on the QVL. if not..the ram wont boot and you have wasted $92 (unless you RMA)
lol. i already built my pc but was finding instructions for a friend cant be bothered doing it for him - gotta study for exams. I saved up money from working for over 2 years (I’m only 16) and bought:
intel i7 950
asus rampage II extreme
nvidia gtx 295
coolermaster storm sniper case
6 fans including built in ones
razer keyboard and mouse
22″ Asus monitor (i know its not big but parents wouldnt let me go bigger)
6g of RAM
1 x Velociraptor 300gb HDD (10000rpm is SO AWESOME)
1 x Seagate 250gb (already had)
1 x Seagate 500gb
it took me ages to get enough but it was SOOO worth it.
wow must have spent alot awsome sys
oh and windows 7 RC of course ^^
What do I need to do to build in an hdmi output so I can hook it up to my HDtv?
Depending on your Video Card you can buy a quick adapter, If you have a DVI you just get the adapter like i have on mine. if you have the older kind I’m not sure they make an adapter but even if you get an adapter, to see Hi Def your video card has to support it. but none the less you can still view it on your HD TV
“Ok so this is most everything that I am purchasing for my computer build. I know my way around a computer pretty well for the most part but this is to be my very first build solo or otherwise and I am just wondering if this setup sounds like it will work and whatnot. Its just alot of very expensive parts and I dont want to fry anything. Thanks in advance for any and all help.”
NZXT Zero Black/Silver Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case
ABS Tagan BZ Series BZ1300 1300W ATX12V / EPS12V
EVGA E760 CLASSIFIED “Overclocker’s Pick” 3-Way SLI (x8) + PhysX 1366 Intel X58 EATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition 965 Nehalem 3.2GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor
Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 120mm SSO CPU Cooler
BFG Tech GeForce GTX 295 1792MB 896-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP set up in quad SLI.
CORSAIR XMS3 12GB (6 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
GEIL GMCEC01 Fan & Heatsinks
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5″ Internal Hard Drive
LITE-ON Black 4X Blu-Ray DVD Drive SATA Model DH-4O1S-58
HT | OMEGA STRIKER 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card
Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 B2L-00047 Black USB Ergonomics Keyboard and Mouse
Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate SP1
22” widescreen HDTV Acer desktop monitor
Hi i was wondering where can i buy al lthis i’m not planning o nbuilding my own pc but wil ldo on future i’m 15 years old now but i just want to get the hand of it so whe ni become older i will do it myself
also what happen if i play gta iv on a normal monitor?
my 3 favorite places to buy parts are http://www.tigerdirect.com - http://www.geeks.com & http://www.newegg.com i’ve built a lot of computers and probably over 90 per cent of the stuff i’ve used has come from these 3 places. you can find all the info you need to build a pc from carefully reading their websites. have fun…
try egghead first.very good about help and returns
had lots of problems with tiger
john t
good luck
hey compared to you people im new at this stuff, compared to everybody i know, im a nerd
but anyways, i decided that i would save up and buy parts to make my own computer 
(im only 14 so its gonna take awhile) also i am trying to find this case that i saw when i was like 5 or just really young and i wanted it
the name of it is:
xg viper 2 (in black and red)
if you can tell me where to find it online i will love you foreva
but anyways can you check if these parts are compatible and will work well together (might change case if viper case is found) also sorry about the long names and stuff but i am copying the names from newegg, just a fyi
————————————————————————————–
CASE:
COOLER MASTER NV 690 NV-690C-KWN2-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
HARD DRIVE:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5″ Internal Hard Drive - OEM
CD-ROM DRIVE:
Sony Optiarc Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model DDU1678A - OEM
FLOPPY DISK DRIVE:
NEC Black 1.44MB 3.5″ Internal Floppy Drive Model FD1231M - OEM
PROCESSOR:
AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor - Retai
MOTHERBOARD:
GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
MEMORY MODULES (RAM):
Patriot Extreme Performance 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model PDC24G6400ELK - Retail
POWER SUPPLY:
comes with case
VIDEO CARD:
EVGA 256-A8-N341-LX GeForce 6200 256MB 64-bit DDR AGP 8X Video Card - Retail
KEYBOARD:
Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop Pro (2.0) - Retail
MOUSE:
comes with keyboard
MONITOR:
Acer X223Wbd Black 22″ 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 2500:1 - Retail
SOUND CARD:
HT | OMEGA STRIKER 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail
SPEAKERS:
Genius SP-S110 100W (P.M.P.O.) 2.0 Black Speaker - Retail
OPERATING SYSTEM:
Microsoft Windows XP Media Center 2005 SP2B for System Builders - OEM
————————————————————————————————-
and thats it if i should add anything or change anything, you be my guest to inform me, thanks!
Hey, First of all I must warn you that you are wasting your money on such a built
you are trying to find a case maybe incompatible with your mobo and parts are old too (why are you using a floppy ?? this invention is obsolete ???) save your money and buy a mass storage device or (pendrive)
————
your monitor needs a good vga card i suggest 9600 Gt (it’s A PCI-e) so you need to change mobo too (HDD, CPU are fine) you need also a good power supply, if you are buying genuine windows DON’T get 7 beta and start saving for year 2011 to buy a retail version
if you built the pc written in your post , your gonna loose it after 1 year or you have to upgrade (come on it’s vista and 7 century)
i thoug you were talking to me lol about the floppy i was like wtf i never say anyhing about making a pc just thoug about it… anyway thanks for info and man i think i wil lhave to play gta in some 2 or 3 years when i get the money myself to buy pc cuz my momma hates me
er i need a floppy for my own reasons, and i hate windows vista, ive had it on one of my computers since the first beta! also i have already pre-ordered windows 7, and i have the rc of windows 7 on another of my computers. windows xp media center is like xp pro but better, im a xp fan more then any other os. so anyways about this build, im not going to build it cause i made far too many mistakes with it, so im gonna remake it.
If you ever plan on upgrading your hardware, don’t get the OEM… impossible to upgrade.
Where can I buy parts for my PC?
see my answer to “Aristides” from June 18.
hi,
this is the first computer im trying to build and i wanted to know if everything was compatible
ultra M923 full tower ATXcase 99.98
EVGA X58 SLI LE Motherboard 229.99
intel cor i7 920 processor BX80601920 279.99
Patriot Viper Tri channel 6GB PC10666 DDR3 Memory 89.99
Hitachi DeskStar 7K1000.B Hard drive 79.99
Ultra LSP750 750-Watt power supply 79.98
LG Super Multi Blu-ray/HD DVD-Rom Drive 139.99
BFG GeForce GTX 280 Video Card 299.99
Asus Xonar DX PCIe 7.1 sound card 89.99
120Hz Samsung Syncmaster 2233RZ 22″ 3D Gaming LCD Monitor + NVIDIA 3D Vision IR Glasses & Base Station 599.99