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Agenda
• Old Business
– Delete Files
• New Business
– Week 21 Topics:
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Violating School Policies (Ultrasurf, batch files, etc)
Intro to HTML/CSS: Questions?
Group Executive Committee
Website Help
Introduction to C# Review
Tips for Building Your Own PC
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HTML/CSS Class
QUESTIONS?
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Tech Club Executive Committee
• Next Year:
– Election of Officers
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President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
• Send me an email with interest
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Website Help
• Two Projects
– Non-Profit
– Realtor
• Contact me if you are interested
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Upcoming Schedule
• Today: Tips for Building Your Own PC
• May 28th: ?
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C# review
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TIPS FOR
BUILDING YOUR
OWN PC
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Agenda
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Determining What You Need
Build vs Buy
Planning for the Future
Basic Workflow
Choosing Components
Resources
Your Tips or Comments
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What Do I Really Need?
• Decide what is really important to you
• Stop and think about how the computer will be
used
• This will help you best determine how to allocate
your budget
– Low-end: Perhaps a ChromeBook would suffice
– Gamer: You might choose to spend a good part of
your budget on a high-end video card or two
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Build vs Buy
• First Concern: Cost
• Buy (Prebuilt)
– Pros: Can come close to requirements; everything
works; support
– Cons: Less flexibility; upgrading can be painful
• Build
– Pros: You can choose the components; good learning
experience
– Cons: Time consuming; support
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Build vs Buy (cont)
• Some Recommendations:
– Low-End: Buy
– Midrange: Build or Buy
– High-End (Gamer): Build
• Mini-PC
– Raspberry Pi
– Beagleboard
– Others …
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Purchasing Tips
• If you’re building … and you’re patient:
– You can often find great deals on components if
purchased over an extended period of time
• If you’re planning to purchase components over a multimonth period, carefully read all warranty information
• During the build process, good warranties will help replace
faulty components, especially if there is a delay in your build
schedule
• Budget!
– Some prefer to save over a period of time and
purchase all components simultaneously … but that
also requires patience and the ability to save money
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Building a PC: Think Ahead
• Plan for the Future
• Consider purchasing a high-end system board
• The system board as the one component that
arguably limits your computer more than
anything else
• For example, your system board limits the total
amount of memory that can be installed on the
computer and dictates the system’s CPU
architecture
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Research!
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Building Your Own PC: Basic Workflow
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Set a Budget
Choose Your CPU/Processor First
Choose a Compatible Motherboard
Choose a Compatible Case & Power Supply
Choose Components (video, storage, etc)
Prepare Your Workspace (allocate plenty of room)
Assemble Your Computer (have static protection)
Power On & Test
Install The Operating System
Install Updated Drivers
Install Apps/Software
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CPU/Processor
• Intel or AMD
• Compare capabilities and price, purchase the
CPU that best meets your requirements
– Does it support virtualization and do I need that
support?
– Does it support HyperThreading (HT)?
– How many cores do I need?
– What speed do I need?
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Motherboards
• Motherboards are designed to work with specific
CPUs, indicated by the type of socket that the
processor fits into
– For example:
• Socket A, Socket 939, Socket 940 are designed for Athlon
processors
• Socket 478 and the new LGA socket 775 are for Intel CPUs.
• Many resellers offer bundles consisting of a
processor, a motherboard, and memory
– These can be a good way to save some money, and
make the selection and compatibility process easier
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Computer Case
• Hundreds of styles, shapes and sizes available
• Look closely at the features
• Some sweet PC cases are difficult to maneuver,
or are cheaply built
• Get the best case you can afford!
• Look for "tool-less" case design, which enables
you to click-open, click-closed
• Most cases/motherboards use the ATX form
factor, standardizing the sizes of the
components and all of the power connections
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Computer Case (cont)
• It's critical that your motherboard match the form
factor of your case
• Look for helpful features like a removable
motherboard tray, tool-less drive carriers (where
the hard drives are installed), and multiple fan
locations for cooling the system (cooling can be
one of the most critical features to ensure the
long term health of your PC)
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Computer Case Tips
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Get more case than you need
Make certain all your components fit in the case
Consider cable management (space)
RESEARCH!
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Cooling/Fans
• Don’t Skimp on Fans
• Heat kills
• If a computer gets too hot, the heat can damage
the CPU
• Consider the problem of heat dissipation when
you’re designing your new system
• Be sure to plan for an adequate number of fans
and maybe even some liquid cooling
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Power Supply
• Choose Power Supplies Carefully
• Make certain the power supply delivers
adequate wattage to power the computer
• Consider the types of connectors provided by
the power supply
• High-end systems may require that certain
components be powered directly by the power
supply
• Power Supply Wattage Calculator
– http://www.thermaltake.outervision.com/
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Power Supply Tip
• Consider a semi-modular or fully modular power
supply for future expansion
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Memory: More is Better
• Install a minimum of 4GB of memory
• DDR2, DDR3, Different Speeds
• The type of memory you buy depends on the
motherboard and processor you choose
– For best performance, choose the fastest type of
memory module that works with both
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Storage
• SSD or Spinning Disk
• SSD
– Pros: Solid state drives (SSDs) are lightning fast,
especially for accessing lots of small files
– Cons: Higher cost per gigabyte; read/write limits
• Spinning Disk
– Pros: Larger capacities at lower cost; faster at seq
reads
– Cons: Not as fast; susceptible to failure
• Consider a hybrid approach
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Storage Tip
• For data protection, consider a RAID
configuration (and controller)
• You can purchase two hard drives and mirror for
less than the cost of a SSD
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Video Cards
• Video Cards
• Unless you are playing video games, the onboard video card should be sufficient
• For video games, keep in mind that games are
now moving the work onto the video card
– Memory (GDDR3, GDDR5), Crossfire (motherboard)
• How much memory: 1GB, 2GB, more?
• There is a definite price curve on the video cards
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Other Components/Accessories
• You may also need:
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CD/DVD/Bluray
Memory Card Reader
Wireless Network/WiFi Card
Keyboard/Mouse (wireless)
Display(s)
Sound Card
Gamepad/Joystick
Speakers/Microphone/Headset
Heat Sink
RAID Controller
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Resources
• PC Build Guides
– http://www.kbmod.com/category/build-guides/
• Tom’s Hardware
– http://www.tomshardware.com/
• Guide to Choosing Components
– http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/355046-31guide-choosing-computer-parts
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Your comments or
tips
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