Building a PC PARTS REQUIRED AND CUSTOM BUILDS

Important Parts:  Processor  Motherboard  Memory  Storage  Power Supply  Video Card  Case  Optical Drive  Operating System

Processor (CPU)  “Brain” of the computer  One of the most important parts of a computer  Carries out instructions from programs to perform different operations such as output and input  Example picture:

Motherboard  Connects all the other parts to form the computer itself  Controls them as well (except for power supply)  Most have a built in sound card and video card  Example Picture:

Memory (RAM)  Pulls data from storage and stores it temporarily  Makes accessing things faster  Dedicated video cards have their own RAM (used for video)  Example Picture:

Storage  Different kinds (HDD, SSD, etc…)  Stores long term data so it may be accessed at a later time  HDD’s store more data and are less expensive than SSD’s  SSD’s are A LOT faster but store less data and are more expensive  SSD usually used for boot drive  Example pictures:

Power Supply (PSU)  Very important  Sends power to each computer part  Converts power to specific voltages for each part  Example picture:

Video Card (GPU)  Arranges pixels on the screen to form an image  Different kinds…  Integrated are built into the motherboard and are on the CPU  Dedicated are separate pieces that attach to the motherboard  Example picture:

Case  Covers all the inner components of a computer (motherboard, CPU, graphics card, etc.)  Not actually required to make PC run, but is usually recommended  Comes in different sizes (mini, mid tower, full tower, etc.)  Example picture:

Optical Drive  Reads and writes disks (CD, DVD, Blu-ray, etc.)  Usually used to install the operating system  Example picture:

Operating System (OS)  Allows users to interact with the system by making an interface  Communicates with the hardware that is in the pc  Handles other things such as programs and actions from the user  Examples:

Processor (CPU) High Performance PC:  Intel Core i5 4670k Unlocked  Quad core (4)  Clock speed of 3.4 GHz  Supports up to three monitors  Turbo Boost Technology 2.0  Good overclocking Media PC:  AMD Athlon 5350  Quad core (4)  Clock speed of 2.0GHz

Processor (CPU) High Performance PC:Media PC:

Cooling High Performance PC:  Corsair Cooling Hydro Series H90  Liquid cooling  Included fan  Tubing – low evaporation and easy to bend, guaranteed leak free  Low noise, high performance  Thermal compound pre-applied  Looks cool Media PC:  Fan comes with the CPU and with pre-applied thermal paste

Cooling High Performance PC:

Motherboard High Performance PC:  ASUS Z87-A  USB 3.0 Boost (1.3x faster than traditional USB 3.0)  Realtek 8-channel high definition audio  Remote GO!  Looks cool Media PC:  ASRock AM1H-ITX  Mini ITX (tiny)  USB 3.0  Surge protection  Has DVI and HDMI outputs, including two more

Motherboard High Performance PC:Media PC:

Memory High Performance PC:  Corsair Vengeance Pro Black 8GB  Two sticks (2x4GB)  Built for overclocking making it easier and better  Looks cool and matches everything else inside  Heat spreader allowing it ti run better Media PC:  G.Skill Ripjaws 4GB  Two sticks (2x2GB)  Loos awesome and will make inside look less plain

Memory High Performance PC:Media PC:

Storage High Performance PC:  ADATA 128GB SandForce SSD and Seagate Barracuda 2TB HDD  SSD read and write speed – read of up to 555MB/s and write of up to 530MB/s  HDD – rotation speed of 7200rpm, good price-to-performance ratio Media PC:  Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB  Rotation speed of 7200RPM  64MB cache  OEM (save some money)

Storage High Performance PC:Media PC:

Graphics Card (GPU) High Performance PC:  EVGA GeForce GTX 770  Looks cool  2GB of memory  Total of 4 display outputs  2 fan coolers  3D vision and PhysX ready  Processor speed of 1046MHz  Comes with FREE Watch Dogs PC game download Media PC:  Using integrated from motherboard

Graphics Card (GPU) High Performance PC:

Case High Performance PC:  NZXT Phantom 530  Full tower  ATX Steel Case  Color – Matte black (only color available)  Fully modular hard drive cages  Eight motherboard expansion slots  Just look at it… Media PC:  Bitfenix Prodigy mITX Artic White  Mini-ITX (small and cute)  Steel  Lots of flexibility despite its size

Case High Performance PC:Media PC:

Power Supply (PSU) High Performance PC:  XFX Pro 750W  80+ Gold certified  Power efficiency of up to 90%  Fully modular  Lots of safety and protective features (over current protection, over temperature protection, under voltage protection, etc.) Media PC:  XFX PRO 550W Core Edition  80+ Bronze certified  Power efficiency of up to 85%  Nice and quiet at moderate to medium loads

Power Supply (PSU) High Performance PC:Media PC:

Optical Drive High Performance PC:  ASUS DRW DVD Writer Black  Just picked cheap one with good ratings really… Media PC:  ASUS BC-12B1ST Internal Blu-Ray  Just found random Blu-Ray player for decent price

Optical Drive High Performance PC:Media PC:

Operating System (OS) High Performance PC:  Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition  64 bit  OEM, so it’s a little less expensive  Better for older games and programs Media PC:  Same as high performance pc  Some of the hardware is not compatible with Windows 8

Operating System (OS)

Wireless Cards High Performance PC:  ASUS PCE-N15 Wireless Network Adapter  300Mbps  B/G/N  Once again just picked cheap one with good ratings Media PC:  Same as high performance pc

Wireless Card