How to Build Your Own PC 101 Part 2: Buying the Stuff

How to Build Your Own PC 101 Part 2: Actually Buying the Stuff

Following Part 1, you might be confused right now, guessing which computer parts you need to buy and which is which.  You might be thinking, "What the F*** is a processor?" and "What is a motherboard?". Well no need to get confused,  I am going to explain them in detail right now.  Read more after the break!

Let's face it, shopping for that new electronic/gadget is really fun. I mean, if women like to shop clothes as much as we do buying gadgets then we shouldn't really pout everytime they ask  us to accompany them.

Except for giving your hard-earned money to someone else, well, that's one thing I hate about buying stuffs.

My favorite site for checking price is definitely NewEgg. It usually gives the best deal for US customers, and even give some outrageous discounts over certain holidays. If you are willing to wait, Christmas, New Year's and Black Fridays are the best days to shop there. You can also save some money from refurbished items that are occasionally put on sale.

If you have some grudge against second-hand stuff then buying brand new is the way to go (like me).

Let's continue to the builds then (all prices will be taken from newegg on 21 May 2012).

Economic Core Pack 2012 ($400-$600) 

Tight on budget? If you're not looking to do any intensive computer tasks then this build is the way to go.


Processor          :  Intel Core i3 2120  $124.99
Motherboard       :  ASRock B75 Pro3 $79.99
Memory RAM     : Adata XPG 4GB (2x2GB)
Hardisk             : Seagate Barracuda 500GB Sata III $79.99
Graphics Card     : None
Power Supply     : Antec Neo Eco 620W $100 $69.99
Casing               : Cooler Master Elite 430 $49.99


That makes it around $405, quite cheap if you ask me. Similar builds like this from HP may reach the $800 threshold.
I didn't include monitor, keyboard and mouse because you probably have one already.

Why I Pick These

The Intel Core i3 2120 is still exceptionally good for all office tasks and home usage, even though it's a bit outdated right now, but for its price you can't beat its cost/performance value. It can't overclock though.

The motherboard is Ivy Bridge compatible (the next gen of processor), and is well, cheap. I have never bought one before but it seems to have pretty good ratings.

Memory RAM of 4GB is usually enough for most users, but since they are dirt cheap right now, you can get 8GB ones for another $20. 

What Can You Buy Next

If you are looking for some gaming prowess in your system, you might want to switch to AMD processors since they have a discrete-class graphics card integrated in it. Anyways, usually people only ask me to build these kind of system for their office works and some internet browsing. If you don't like case I gave you, you might want to see Lian Li's or Silverstone's cases. Most of them are made of aluminium and have an elegant look. Do note that if you want to change this configuration, don't cheap out on your Power Supply! It is basically what powers all of your sensitive parts and if it breaks then it may bring down the whole system with it. (Cases of cheap power supply exploding is quite common)

This build also allows some headroom for future proofing (Ivy Bridge capable) and USB3 included.

If you want to make it a gaming machine, you can just add a graphic card and be done with it. I recommend allowing around $100-$200 for them. Mine is an AMD Radeon HD 5850 that I got for $140 (lucky me!)

Conclusion

Phew, that's a lot of text right there. 2 more builds coming up later! 
Don't buy them yet please, still have some learning material for you. Next Post will be about actually building the stuff up. Don't fret now! It is just like building LEGOs once you learn the right way to do it.