1. Designing Your Own Computer CISCO IT Essentials and CCNA

2. Designing and Building a Computer It’s not as difficult as you may think. Research is done on-line. The cost is usually lower than for a similar pre-built computer. There are a number of vendor and informational web sites that can help you.

3. Let’s get started! Step one is to draw up a series of objectives. – Your objectives will determine what you buy. – There are many factors to consider.

4. Some considerations What do you want to be able to do? – Internet – Video – Audio – Word Processing – School work – Graphics/Photos – Parent’s Work – Games

5. Translate Objectives into Hardware and Software You will need to select hardware and software to support your objectives. Consider processing speed, RAM, interfaces, case size and type etc. What OS will you need to support? – What are the hardware requirements?

6. The Budget The trick is to make wise choices without overspending. Not all computers will need add-ons Your limit for this assignment is $2,500

7. The Basics Case Power Supply Motherboard Processor RAM Cooling Keyboard Mouse Hard Drive CD/DVD Burner Monitor Printer NIC Card Hard Drive CD/DVD Burner Monitor Printer NIC Card

8. Add-Ons Scanner Input/Outputs TV Tuner Fancy Cases - “Eye Candy” Joy Stick/Controller Wireless Modem/Fax Floppy Drive Additional Hard Drive(s) Card Reader(s) Cooling Systems Advanced Speaker Systems Advanced Display Systems Backup Systems More! Additional Hard Drive(s) Card Reader(s) Cooling Systems Advanced Speaker Systems Advanced Display Systems Backup Systems More!

9. Sources of Information Some web sites: – www.pricewatch.com www.pricewatch.com – www.newegg.com www.newegg.com – www.tigerdirect.com www.tigerdirect.com – www.directron.com www.directron.com – Other Vendor and Informational Sites