Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!


 

 

 

 

Home
Up

 

Guide to choosing cheap computer parts



I like to look at building a cheap computer as a 2 step process:

  • getting the cheap computer parts you need
  • connecting all the parts together
If you have ever played with leggo you will have all the basic skills of computer assembly.

 

I've been building and upgrading my computers for years using cheap computer parts. I have never done any formal computer training.

 

What cheap computer parts do I need for a complete computer?

 

Below is a list of all the different components in a cheap computer system. This list is everything you need to build a Northwood Pentium 4 socket 478 computer. I think this type of computer is currently the best value once you take into account the motherboard costs.

If all you want to do is basic wordprocessing, email and a bit of Internet surfing then here is a list of all the cheap computer parts you will need:

 



CPU:

I recommend a Socket 478 Intel Pentium 4 or Celeron 2 Ghz and above.


  • If you want a cheap computer then get a socket 478 motherboard and CPU. When you take into account all the other costs like memory then this is the best buy.
  • Most socket 478 motherboards have Intel components are very stable. This means that your computer will crash less often.
  • If you want to see all the different types of socket 478 CPUs you can  
  • Celeron versions are slightly slower than full strength Pentium 4 but are better value. If you are interested in some information about all the different kinds of CPUs out there


Motherboard:

You need a Socket 478 motherboard to go with your Pentium 4/Celeron CPU

 

 

 

  • The type of motherboard you get determines how upgradable your system is. I recomend the motherboard pictured above as it has plenty of room for expansion. You can add a fast AGP 3D cards for games.
  • If you want you can browse a range of motherboards 
  • Socket 478 is the type of connector to the CPU. Pentium 4s use socket 478 while AMD Athlons use socket A.
  • If you want to know more about motherboards then check out my motherboard guide here



RAM:

Get at least 256 megs of DDR SDRAM


  • The type of motherboard you get determines how upgradable your system is. I recomend the motherboard pictured above as it has plenty of room for expansion. You can add a fast AGP 3D cards for games.
  • If you want you can browse a range of motherboards 
  • Socket 478 is the type of connector to the CPU. Pentium 4s use socket 478 while AMD Athlons use socket A.
  • If you want to know more about motherboards then check out my motherboard guide here



RAM:

Get at least 256 megs of DDR SDRAM

 

 

  • DDR SDRAM is the type you want for a socket 478 motherboard (with Pentium 4/Celeron CPU).
  • If you want you can browse a selection of cheap memory here.

     

  • If you want to know about the other types of memory out there Check out my computer memory guide here

 



Hard Drive:

Get at least a 40 gigabyte drive.

 

 

 

 

  • You always need more so buy as much as you can afford. Buying more space doesn't cost much extra so I recommend you get a 80 GB drive like the one above. If you want to browse a range of Hard Drives 
  • The hard drive is where your installed programs are stored. Lots of storage space means that you can have a wide variety of different software at your fingertips.
  • If you want to know more about hard drives then check out my guide to modern hard drives 



CD Writer:

Any CD writer faster than 32 speed is plenty fast enough.


 

  • CD writers are very handy if you want to share large lots of digital pictures or video. DVD writers/burners have recently dropped dramatically in price. If you want to browse a selection of cheap CD and DVD drives 
  • You must have a CD ROM drive to install Windows and other applications. With CD writer drives so cheap it makes sense to simply get a CD writer and use that as your CD ROM.

     



Graphics Card:

Get at least a 64 megabyte AGP card


 

 

  • AGP graphics cards are the best but your motherboard needs an AGP slot.
  • Your graphics card is only really important if you want to play games.



Case and power supply:

Get a minimum 300 watt power supply.

Get a nice large case (like the one above) that has enough room for you to work on your computer. If you want to know more then check out my guide to cheap computer cases here.



Sound Card:

Get a Soundblaster Live by Creative labs. They are the most common and most compatible brand.


 

 



Monitor:

Get at least a 17 inch computer monitor

If you want to save your eyesight get a 17" LCD screen like the one pictured above. LCD sreens are much easier to read from than bulky CRT displays. If you want to browse a range of cheap monitors & LCD's .

 

I've got all the details on how to select a good cheap computer monitor that suits your needs here.




Keyboard and Mouse:

If you are going to be spending a great deal of time using your mouse surfing or doing graphic design then get a new optical mouse like the one below. This Logitech combo includes both a cordless mouse and matching keyboard.


I use the mouse pictured above and it is very responsive and doesn't get "jammed" with funny brown gunk like old style mice.

Keybords are pretty much all the same. If you do a lot of typing then spend more. I recommend you get the Logitech keyboard pictured above. I know a guy who got one and it works great. The keyboard has great key action and the mouse is precise. The best part of all is that there are no cords to clutter up your desk.

Now you have seen a list of cheap computer parts that are common to all computers.

I think you are ready to see how to Build your own computer

Once you see how easy it is to assemble cheap computer parts into a computer you will be convinced.

Being an independent computer user will save you money and win you friends. You will save thousands if you plan on maintaining a computer for a few years.

 

 

 

Cheap n powerfull web hosting

 

 

 

 

 

Data Recovery

 

 

 

 

 

 

Screen Reading Software( can read text directly from the computer screen)