If you’re a hardcore PC gamer you will understand the importance of having a powerful computer that is going to provide high performance, has a decent graphics card and isn’t prone to overheating. Quite frankly the family computer simply won’t cut the mustard and you’ve looked at buying yourself a proper PC gaming rig but sadly they are out of your price range. In many cases it can be cheaper to buy PC parts online and put together your own custom built pc. Not only can this save you money but when you’re in control you only get the parts you actually need, which in many cases can vary depending on the games you enjoy to play.
In order to build your own PC you will need to buy a computer case, a power supply, motherboard, processor, hard drive, CD/DVD Rom drive, monitor, RAM and extra fans depending on the desired performance of your machine. As well as computer parts you should ensure that you have a number of screwdrivers, both Phillip’s and flathead dependent on the size and style of the screws you get. It is also worth having some anti-static gloves for your peace of mind when handling delicate computer parts, there’s nothing worse than damaging part of your PC before you’ve even switched it on.
Many computer cases already come with a power supply but if you’ve bought yours separately then you’ll need to install your power supply. First of all you’ll need to switch the power output to your appropriate voltage which is around 110-120 VAC at 60Hz in America and Canada or would be 230 VAC at 50Hz in Europe. It is of the upmost importance that you do this correctly or else you will risk frying yout motherboard.
Speaking of which, the next step is to install the motherboard. The heart of you PC and home to the CPU and the interfaces for the disk and hard drives, you will need to mount the motherboard before you connect any wires or install the processor. The processor is then generally locked into place with the heatsink placed on top in order to remove the heat and prevent the processor from overheating. Detailed instructions on installing these parts vary from machine to machine but you should find these inside their respective boxes.
The next step is to install the RAM which usually slides into the machine quite simply, but be very gentle as they can be very fragile. All AGP components are usually installed just like PCI cards, except in the port. AGP cards are graphics cards which PCI and PCI express cards can be any type of component. Always check your motherboard manual to discern which slots are which and avoid making any costly mistakes.
Optical disk drives are generally quite universal and most should fit into the drive bay on the front section of the computer case, whereas the hard drive is connected to the lower drive bay, and not the upper part where most internal drives are located. Installing the CD/DVD Rom drive is quite simple, just slide the drive into place and line up the screw holes with the holes on the drive bay and then tighten the screws in place.
Gaming PC’s usually pump out a lot more heat due to the performance required from then, so some gamers opt to have extra fans on their PC’s. These fans are usually quite cheap to buy and simple to attach to the holed area on the back of the case. Then all you need to do is plug the rest of the power cables into the motherboard, then screw your case shut. After that you’re ready to plug in your monitor, mouse and keyboard and then install your operating system.
Photograph by William Hook