Building a Computer – Three Things That You Must Know

Building your own computer can be a fun and cost saving option as opposed to buying a computer from one of the major manufacturers. Given the cost of computer repair it can also be a way to upgrade your existing system while spending just slightly more than it would cost to repair your old computer at a PC service center. There are however, several things you should keep in mind when ordering the parts that you will use to build the new computer.

Putting together a bunch of different computer parts from various manufacturers can be almost like mixing medications when it comes to everything working well together. When you’re building your own computer it helps to know that someone has already checked and tested all of the parts (case, memory, cpu, system board etc.) to ensure that they will work well together. Consider buying what’s known as a “barebones” system. A barebones system consists of all the basic parts of a computer that the reseller has grouped together to make it easier for system integrators to buy and assemble systems. Buying a barebones system will prevent the possibility of buying incompatible hardware pieces.
Beware of Electrostatic Discharge (ESD). Small discharges of static electricity (often too small to even be felt) are enough to damage the sensitive internal components of a computer. You will need to use an anti-static wristband to remain grounded during the assembly of your new computer or you could damage it without even realizing it. Many a hobbyist has thought they received a defective part from the manufacturer, when in actuality they damaged the part themselves by not using the proper anti-static equipment. By not using the proper equipment to ground yourself before doing assembly or computer repair you can also create what’s known as “walking wounded”. A computer circuit board or memory module becomes a member of the walking wounded when it is only slightly damaged; so it tests good sometimes but also may fail at intermittent intervals. These can be some of the hardest and most frustrating computer repair problems to solve.
Make sure you get the largest possible hard drive that you can afford. Video cards and memory modules are easy to upgrade later, but putting in a larger hard drive later will require that you fully reload your operating system and data onto the new drive, which can be extremely time consuming.

In closing, building your own computer is not only fun, but it can save you money and provide you with a much better computer than you would get if you bought the same level of system from Dell, HP or any of the other major manufacturers, but only if you purchase the right components and avoid damaging it during the assembly process. It can also be a lot more rewarding to have a brand new system that you build yourself– especially if it turns out that you can build a brand new computer for approximately the same cost as repairing your old one.

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