Filed under: AMD

ScreenZombie's sort-of informed opinion on building your own gaming computer: Part One

If I could stick a big bloody disclaimer sticker on this page, I would, but I can't/am too lazy to do so here's a written one:

I am not 'qualified' in any sense in PC building or hardware. Everything I say from this point onwards is merely my opinion and knowledge as developed by time spent with far more capable people than me over the past few years of PC tinkering. I like to think I approach it with casual enthusiasm - I don't spend my whole life doing it but it remains a definite interest. Think of this as a layman's guide to getting started.

For the purposes of this guide I will avoid using tech - specific stats and stick to the basics. I'm also going to stick to a few reference brands just for ease of use. Finally: It's not hard to befriend a computer-friendly person. These people (Read: me) can easily be bribed with Monster or any energy drink of equal size and value. Have your computer friendly person check and double check any decisions you make, especially ones you're not sure about, as they may point out important information that you'd totally looked over because it was lost somewhere in the small print. 

Final points before the guide proper: Do your research - there is a wealth of information on the internet and YouTube is full of tutorial videos. Check out relevant forums - these will be a very good source of answers and reassurance should anything confuse you. Finally, read reviews and do research on parts before buying them. Mistakes other gamers have made can and will benefit your purchases and prevent any disappointment. AMD, Intel, Coolermaster and Corsair aren't the only brands in the computing hardware field so don't feel as though you have to stick to them, there are many other great manufacturers in the market.  

PART ONE: STUFF!

Your average PC is made up of these following components. All of these are mandatory, they're not fluffy little optionals you can get if you feel like it.

CASE:

You need one of these to stick all of your components in, obviously. Although there are some crazy design mavericks out there who like to approach things differently, as can be seen below.

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Picture from Overclock.net - A good example of how lots of blue LEDs can make everything look excessively customized. 

Hulk_mod
Picture from gawker.com - ...Holy fuck.

There are, of course, those who prefer to take an ultra post-modernist (cheapskate) minimalist approach to cases:

Breadboardshrink
Picture from tomshardware.com - Why waste money on all that fancy part storage crap when you can just buy a breadboard and work with that? 

Unless you're already artistically inclined I wouldn't reccommend doing this for your first PC. There are plenty of cool looking cases on the market for prices that won't break the bank, and you can always upgrade later if you're willing to move the parts around. Computing sites will often do case and PSU bundles which are great for your first build. 

KEEP IN MIND:

Make sure the case you choose is big enough for all the parts you want to put in it. This can easily be done by checking measurements on components before you spend anything. I don't imagine this being a huge problem unless you're going all out on parts and buying monster fans and cards. 

POWER SUPPLY UNIT (PSU)

Stock
This usually has lots of little tentacle wires stuck in it. Like a digital Cthulhu.

The power supply unit is pretty self explanatory. It has specific wires to power specific parts of the machine, and certain wires which can be used to power peripherals like extra fans or LEDs. Again, on your first PC, you may find yourself lost for choice - so here are a few simple tips. Brands like Corsair and Coolermaster are both generally good choices. For a gaming computer, you're aiming at about 500w. As your system becomes more and more demanding, you may decide on purchasing more wattage - personally I've stuck with a comfortable 650w on a fairly mid range machine. This will be screwed into the top or bottom of your case, depending on which one you end up choosing.

These run at a range of prices but you can get a decent 500w for around £30. Premium ones go from £100 and up. 

MOTHERBOARD

Motherboard_by_brujo

It's like a little electronic house for all your expensive shit.

This is the connecting point of all your components. The main choice you'll have here is whether to go for a mATX or ATX motherboard. This pertains to size - mATX is much smaller and a better choice for smaller cases. However, you'll probably find that ATX motherboards offer much more versatility for case and component management; and are essential for fitting larger graphics cards comfortably. It's vital you know what CPU you want before you buy a motherboard, as they all have particular sockets that determine which kind of processors they fit. There will almost always be identical motherboards with the socket you want, so take your time. Good brands to look at from a beginning point of view are MSI and Gigabyte. Depending on your budget, you can also look at Asus for decent gaming boards. 

CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT(CPU)

Amd-phenom-ii-x4-955

Small but important. Like Verne Troyer in Austin Powers.

There are two commonly discussed giants in CPU manufacture - AMD and Intel. This is perhaps one instance where it's best to avoid forums as there are fanboys on both sides of this particular debate. The simple truth is that the market is always upgrading and improving so there's no real superior, and there are several non-AMD/Intel CPUs that are just as good. So consider your budget, do some shopping around, make sure if you already have the motherboard that it's the correct socket, and then make your decision. This should be one of the more expensive parts of your machine, though -  £60 is probably the bare minimum you should spend on a good CPU. 

 

CPU COOLING

This is more of a mini-section because it shouldn't be a big deal at first. If you buy your CPU in a retail box it will have a cooler with it, unless you're buying an AMD cooler, then for all of our sakes buy an after-market fan.

 

GRAPHICS CARD(GFX)

Graphics-cards

Everyone knows that GFX clock speed directly corresponds to ego size.

Motherboards all have integrated graphics, but you're a gamer! You want HD resolutions and dedicated graphics, and a card so big it needs brackets. When deciding on your first graphics card it can be tempting to blow your whole budget on the biggest, shiniest one with the most numbers on it, but don't. The CPU and RAM are both important, and many lower priced cards will still offer sufficient power to play new games if paired with a decent processor. There are thousands of these to choose from, so take advice from PC owning friends and consider carefully. If you're not adverse to buying second hand, it might be worth your while looking for refurbished cards from reputable stores and sites. These things last for years, and a refurbed card is just as good as a new one. 

 

RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY(RAM)


Ram

Essential for those moments where you absolutely must Facebook, YouTube, Reddit, 4chan, Spotify, PhotoShop, and play World of Warcraft all at once. 

 Think of this like your computer's short term memory - the more of it you have, the more stuff your computer can do at once. They come in many flavours but make sure you get the correct voltage and DDR (Double Data Rate) for your motherboard. RAM will either be DDR, DDR2, or DDR3. The numbers simply mark the jumps in generation and does not imply any speed changes. From my experience, Kingston RAM is an invaluable choice for low budget gaming, but Corsair do a few £30+ options that are equally good. 4GB is pretty much an absolute amount if all you want to do is play games on your machine, but if you're looking to do any advanced video editing or photoshop work it may be worth investing in an 8GB kit.

HARD DRIVE

 

94-481a96-991e_3042-drive

For all those pictures of cats you'll be downloading. Yes... cats.

You're probably familiar with this so I won't go into too much detail to avoid sounding condescending. As this will be storing all of your long term data, music, videos, games, and of course, your operating system,  you need to consider how much digital estate you'll be using. For most, 500GB is sufficient, but I'd say go for a terabyte (1TB) as they're really not that expensive these days. Solid State Drives (SSDs) are also an option, but while they may be the future of memory, you also pay much more for much less. Buy yourself a good Samsung hard drive with 7200 RPM(Revolutions Per Minute, this determines how fast the drive can access data) and it should certainly serve you well for a good few years. 

OPTICAL DRIVE

This is what you'll need to read DVDs and CDs. It's worth spending a little more on them if you can manage it, but it's worth pointing out that blu-ray drives are only really cool factor at this point in time. Admittedly, buying a blu-ray drive for about £50 works out cheaper than buying a blu-ray player, but game discs won't be using it forever, and if you already own a PS3 or BD player it's a bit redundant. LG, Sony, Samsung - all trustworthy brands, and all of them offer a budget choice. 

I have one. Because I have no self esteem. 

That's it for part one of the guide, but check back next week for Part 2 - Peripherals (Things to make you feel better about being sat on your arse playing games all day). 

-SZ