Components needed to make a personal computer

Building a personal computer can be a rewarding experience in addition to saving costs. By building a personal computer, one can save up to 30% of the costs that would be incurred if the computer were purchased from a dealer.

In building a personal computer, the first thing to do is to select a motherboard. To ensure that the PC will perform reliably, the motherboard used should be from a well-known manufacturer. The best-known motherboards for reliability are from Intel.

Since a motherboard is such a critical part of a personal computer, it would be best to select it carefully and not necessarily go for the cheapest in the market. An ideal motherboard for a student personal computer would be the Intel Socket LGA775, which retails at GBP 80 and can be purchased online at http://www.newegg.com
The size of the personal computer will be determined by the case that the builder chooses. For a personal computer, the ideal is to go for a small a case as possible while taking care not to limit the number of components that can fit in the case. If the case is too small, it will not only limit the number of components that the computer can take but will also make it harder to keep the system properly cooled.
Moreover, the fan in a small case will have to move faster than the fan in a larger case to appropriately cool the computer and this will result in the production of much noise. A smaller case also limits the options that the builder has in the routing of cables.
All factors considered, a small case should be avoided as it turns to be less efficient and probably more expensive in the end. A standard mini or mid-tower case should be chosen. In any case, the case chosen should allow for addition of other components should the need arise for them in the future.
The ideal case for a PC to be used by an undergraduate would be the Antec Sonata III, which is available from Amazon at GBP 88. This case is supplied together with a 500-watt power supply and can be purchased online at www.amazon.com.
In building a personal computer, it is crucial to choose the processor carefully. For an undergraduate student who will use the PC to perform routine research work and probably write assignments, which will involve browsing the internet and checking email, a processor that would be adequate is the AMD Athlon XP. This costs about GBP 53.
While it is important to confirm that machinery is in place to keep the CPU cool, all attempts should be made to obtain a cooler that does not generate too much noise. Reasonably priced CPU coolers ideal for a PC can be obtained from Dynatron. (www.dynatron-corp.com).
This cooler is ideal for the 30W to 50W processors which could be used to make a PC. Other CPU coolers that could be used for the PC include the Zalman CNPS9500AT, which is available from Newegg at GBP 30. This cooler can be purchased online at http://www.newegg.com.
When the PC is up and running and the fans become noisy, an inline resistor should be installed. This reduces the voltage reaching the fan thereby reducing the noise that the fan produces. Suppliers of noise-reducing resistors include QuietPC USA (www.quietpcusa.com) and Endnoise.com (www.endnoise.com).