Why Build Your Own Computer System

Have you ever thought about building your own computer system? Maybe you've heard friends talking about doing this sort of thing, but you were never sure what was involved. This article attempts to answer two questions. First, why would you want to build your own computer system? Secondly, how hard is it to do this?

Why Build a Computer System

First we will look at why you would want to build a computer system. There are three main reasons often cited for building a computer system. The first is that it will save you a great deal of money. The second is that you will get exactly the computer system that you want. And finally, the third reason is that you can easily repair the system if anything goes wrong.

Building a computer to save money is most likely not a realistic goal. These days you can get some really inexpensive computer systems. With complete systems selling for under $500, it would be hard to build a computer system yourself that is going to beat that price by much.

However, there are some cost cutting options available. You might use many of the parts from your old computer system. This would save money, as there is probably no reason to replace such devices as the CD-ROM drive, floppy drive, or even case of the old computer system.

Additionally, once you have built your computer system, you can easily upgrade it. A computer system you built yourself can always be upgraded more easily than a "mass market PC". For example, if you need a faster processor just upgrade the processor and/or motherboard.

I think the biggest reason for building your own computer system is the second reason that I previously mentioned. You are able to get exactly the computer system that you want. If you want a certain type of graphics card, you can select it. You can pick the RAM that has the best access time for the money, and not what some large computer manufacturer got the best deal on that week. For the true computer enthusiast, this is the only way to go! For me, just being able to pick the exact case I want makes the process worthwhile.

Finally, computer systems that you built yourself are much easier to repair than "mass market PC's". For one thing, this is a computer system that you built. You know where everything is at, and what it is for. Secondly, the computer system was built from common parts, so finding replacements will be easy. Very often large computer manufacturers will build computer systems with proprietary parts, which you can only obtain from the computer manufacturer.

How Complex is it to Build a Computer

Building a computer system is not as complex as you might think. The only tools that you will need are screwdrivers. If you have ever added an expansion card to your computer, you are almost half-way to building your own system.

The most complex part is making sure that everything is compatible with everything else that you buy. You need to line up the specs exactly between your parts. For example, if you buy a motherboard with DDR2 RAM memory, you need to make sure your RAM is DDR2.

Once you get all of the required components together you have only to assemble your new computer. You will have purchased a case, motherboard, RAM, hard drive, CD-ROM drives, floppy drive, video card and audio card. Now you have only to assemble them. This usually takes only a few hours and no tools other than the screwdrivers you likely already own. Plus, it is very hard to damage anything. Most cables are keyed so that you are not able to plug them in backwards.

Heaton Research has a complete tutorial, including many photos, of how to build your own computer system.

Jeff Heaton is an author, college instructor, and consultant. Jeff lives in Chesterfield (St. Louis), Missouri. The author of four books and over two dozen journal and magazine articles, Jeff specializes in Internet, socket-level/spidering and Artificial Intelligence programming. A Sun Certified Java Programmer and a member of the IEEE Jeff holds a Masters Degree in Information Management from Washington University in St. Louis.

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Gaming Computers - Should You Build It or Buy It?

Gaming computers come in all shapes, sizes, and prices. The gaming industry is growing every year and has become big business, so the need for gaming computers has grown along with it. As computer games become increasingly detailed and graphics oriented, the demand for faster and more powerful hardware has become more of a necessity than an option.

With the increased demand comes a higher price tag. That being said, if you are in the market for a gaming computer, read on as we take a look at your options for buying the perfect gaming computer for you and how you can save yourself some cash.

When buying a gaming computer or any computer for that matter it is important to determine how much you are willing to spend and how good of performance you want.

Gaming computers can range in price from $600 to $7,000+ and come with a variety of options. But whether you buy a low-end gaming computer or a high-end gaming computer there are ways to save yourself some money.

You basically have three options when it comes to buying a gaming computer. You can buy a pre-built computer right of the shelf, or internet. You can have someone build your gaming computer to your liking, with the hardware that you choose. Or you can build it yourself. All three of these are viable options, and of course each have their upside and downside.

Buying a pre-built, of the shelf computer is by far the the fastest and easiest route to take. When buying a gaming computer this way you will have access to tech support in case you run into problems with your system. Your computer should also be covered by the warranty for a certain amount of time if something was to break. There are however a few downsides to buying a pre-built computer. You will almost certainly pay more for less. Also you will be extremely limited in choices on the hardware that you want.

You can save yourself some money by having someone build your gaming computer for you. Going this route will provide for greater flexibility in your choices on hardware and can have your gaming computer customized to your specifications. Having a computer built for you will take longer than buying a pre-built one and all though it will be cheaper than buying a pre-built computer, will still be more expensive than your third option, building your own.

Most people think that building their own computer is far to difficult and complicated, and in reality it is a lot easier than they think. All though it does require a little knowledge on how to do this, this information can easily be obtained online. This option will take you the longest time to complete but can be very rewarding. Buying your hardware and assembling your own gaming computer can save you a lot of money and you can build it with whatever hardware you like. Of course there is some downsides to this option as well. You will not have any tech support or warranty, except through the individual hardware companies. Even with this downside, having built your computer from scratch, should help in solving most of your tech problems on your own.

Which ever option that you choose, make sure you do your research and are not overpaying for a gaming computer that you could have for a lot less.

Nicholas Spriggs at desktop-computer-guide.com is dedicated to providing up to date and acurate information in the computer and technology field. For more information on building your computer check us out at build your own computer.

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Why Build Your Own Gaming Computer?

The best way to get the gaming computer that you want, that will provide optimum performance is to build your own computer. If you think you do not have the technical knowledge or are not capable of building a computer you are wrong. I'm pretty certain that I could teach my mother (who has a hard time working a VCR) how to build a computer. If you can plug a sweeper into a wall outlet and use a screw driver, you too can build a computer.

What The Computer Manufacturers Don't Want You to Know!

Manufacturers don't want you to know how easy it is to build a computer because they make their living selling complete computers. The truth is that manufacturers focus on selling a computer with an overall low price tag to entice people to buy. They use the processor and software as the primary selling point. In most cases other than the processor and maybe the graphics card you have no idea what components they actually use. Alienware is one of the rare exceptions. They tell you for the most, part what components they are using. However, this doesn't mean that these are the best components on the market. Every manufacturer gets regular visits from sales people convincing them that they should use their products. Just because a company gives them the best deal on a power supply that allows them to increase their profit margin on the computers they sell doesn't make it the best power supply. This often leads to the use of inferior products for the sake of profit.

The Advantages To Building Your Own Computer

By building your own computer you are assured of getting the highest quality because you have painstakingly researched every component. If you've ever wondered why your store bought gaming computer with the top of the line graphics card and ultra fast CPU is still having trouble running newer games, it is likely because they stuck you with an inferior power supply, cheap motherboard, inadequate RAM, and the list goes on. In my mind it makes sense to build your own computer.

Warranties and Technical Support

If you are worried about warranties, you need not be. In most cases you can get a manufacturers warranty on every component you buy. As for technical support, I've had much better luck with getting questions answered through friendly helpful forums on the internet than I ever have from technical support lines. Not to mention you don't have to pay to sit on hold.

Upgrades Are Painless And Fast

When you build your own computer upgrades are a snap. You've already put it together so switching a hard drive or changing the graphics card is extremely easy. For instance I just upgraded my graphics card. It took me longer to unplug everything from the back of my tower than it did to swap the graphics card. All in all I was up and running with the new drivers installed in about 10 minutes. If you are impatient like I am taking your machine to a store to have it upgraded just isn't worth the wait.

How To Build Your Own Computer

I hope I've convinced you to build your own computer. It is a very rewarding experience. As I've said it isn't very difficult.

I do however recommend that you do your research. There are several good books published on the topic such as "Build Your Own PC", by Morris Rosenthal. You can also find a great deal of information regarding building computers and computer hardware at my website Gaming-Computers.net. Good luck with your computer, and remember, if you ever run into problems building it there are thousands of people on the Net that are more than willing to help, and they won't charge you a technician's service fee.

Gaming-Computers.net provides computer hardware reviews, buying guides, and tutorials on building computers.

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