So you want to build your own computer? You want something to show all girls when they come home to you? In this "guide" I'm not going to give many tips on specific components, since that changes and I'm too lazy to bother. Just want to provide some basic things you should know before you start to build your own computer.

Processor - CPU
Nowadays processors are stronger than they need to be for gaming. As consoles have held us back, and that's just the way it is. A CPU for 100 dollars will many times be plenty, as far as performance go. The graphics card, GPU, will almost always be the thing holding you back. With that said, what should you look for?

First thing you want to avoid, if you're going to game on it, is any processor with more than 4 cores. No game today uses more than 4 cores, most of them are even optimized for 2 cores. I highly doubt that games will even start to use 6 cores before beginning of 2014.

Hyperthreading, and whatever fancy name AMD uses, is (pretty much) useless for the gamer.

So what CPU should you get? Today, an intel i5 Ivy Bridge will cover all the needs of all gamers. If you're doing more than that, sure, get an i7.

Motherboard
This is probably the easiest part to choose, just pick one which suits your CPU, the CPU's socket will be a number and most of the times in the name, if not, it's in the specs.
If your socket is "1155", get a motherboard which supports 1155. That's all you need to worry about in terms of compatibility. Don't pay more than 150-200 dollars. You should be able to find one which covers all your needs for 120 dollars.

Graphics Card - GPU
The GPU will be the most expensive part in your system, it will also be the part that'll need to be replaced first. Always when you browse for GPU's, remember that generally, the more expensive it is, the less performance you get per dollar.
That means that a GPU for 400 dollars is not twice as good as a GPU for 200 dollars. Actually, this is true for all computer parts.

SLI/Crossfire
SLI is nvidia's technology for connecting 2 GPU's, Crossfire is AMD's name. Generally this means you buy two GPU's and connect them, but both nvidia and AMD have some top-tier models which are dual GPU. That means it's got 2 graphics cards in one. I don't recommend you buy this.
What I said above holds true here too. 2 GPU's are expensive, which means less performance per dollar. There is also the issue of micro-stuttering. Some people do not notice this, the degree of micro-stuttering differs from card to card, but it's still expensive and many games have problems with 2 gpus, so why bother? Micro-stuttering is, in short, when the frames on the screen are there for varying amounts of time. Say you get 60 fps. The first frame might be shown for 10ms, the second for 30ms (or something). Many people find this annoying. This happens when you only have one GPU too, but it's less extreme.

Right now the fastest card is the 7970 Ghz edition (which is a regular 7970 but overclocked, so if you can find a cheap 7970 and overclock it, voila).


Power Supply Unit - PSU
This is easy: Get at least 80+ bronze (Does that certificate exist in the US?) and then google some power usage tests for the GPU you're using, that's the most power-consuming part. Most of the time you don't need more than 550W.
A modular PSU is a bit more expensive, but it comes with the benefit of being able to only use the required amount of cables. Unnecessary cables hurts the airflow. If you've got some money to spare, upgrading to a modular is an excellent idea.


HDD
If you manage to pick a bad HDD, you deserve a price. And a ban from the internet.

SSD
Highly recommended! Performance wise, it doesn't really matter what model you get. Sure, they differ a second or two here, a second or three there. The big difference in speed is between the technologies HDD/SSD. Watch out for these though, and read up a lot on your model. It is still a fairly new technology, and new series many times come with problems such as file corruption. Get at least 120gb, you'll need it for all the games you're going to play, or when you want to watch 20+ HD porn videos at once.

Sound
If you're paying more than 100 dollars for your headphones, get a soundcard with that. The xonar series is quite good. Don't buy a headset. Buy headphones and buy a clip-on mic. Better quality for the same price!
Don't get surround in your headphones, get 2.0. You either buy 5 shitty speakers or 2 good. FLAME SHIELD: ACTIVATE. *RUNS FOR COVER*

Computer Case/chassi:
Take whatever you want. Read reviews first. Fractal Design makes good and cheap chassis, but there are many other great manufacturers too.

Cooling
Air, water, whatever. Take what you want. They're equally good. I recommend buying at least a CPU-cooler. For just... 30 dollars you can make a huge difference in temperature and sound levels. Get 2-4 120mm fans with that and you should have all the cooling you need.

Mouse:
Too subjective to write about. An optical sensor is technically better and cheaper than a laser sensor, but I doubt it's a noticeable difference. Don't fall for high DPI/CPI. DPI/CPI has been high enough the last 5 years.

Keyboard: Either get a cheap one or get one with mechanical switches http://www.overclock.net/t/491752/mechanical-keyboard-guide


That's all I can think of right now. I might update later if I remember something more.

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Nice guide, although I'd say USB microphone is a must for clear comms. Logitech's Clear Chat USB headset is superb at only the £20 mark.

In regards with SSD drives I'd recommend getting one for the system and another mechanical HDD for games and storage, an important thing to do is move the page file to the mechanical. SSD drives are only good for a limited number of read/writes. (Currently)

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Lair Keeper - Long Fang - Pack Keeper

There are converters to buy if you wish to use USB.

What you want on your SSD is personal of course. I have Windows and games on mine, since those are the things that actually have loading times.

SSDs do have a read/write limit, but by the time it's used up, it'll be time to upgrade anyway.

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For PSU the golden rule ive read is not to skimp and buy branded.

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Definitely. I also highly recommend getting at least an 80+ bronze certificate.

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After doing some research I've learned that my advice about the SSD drives was somewhat misinformed.

Microsoft have a good post about SSDs

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/e7/archive/20 ... lid-state-drives-and.aspx

And I agree, power is oft the most over looked part of building a PC.

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Lair Keeper - Long Fang - Pack Keeper

On the other hand, if you buy a 1000 watt PSU and only need 400 watts of that to run ur gaming rig,
it doesnt mean the PSU eill allways use the 1000 watts it can deliver.
You would just have alot of wats spare that you might en up using in the future with
upgrades to ur system.

Also, if ur PSU is 400 watts, and ur rig needs that in gaming mode, you would be pushing the PSU to its limits.
Mostly those limits are unstable and might cause spontanious reboots.
Thats why i prefer to get more watts than i need so i ALLWAYS got plenty left in stable conditions.

I have spoken :D

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Infinite creativity!!!

I believe getting some room for expansion is a great idea when you buy a PSU. If the GPU's manufacturer recommends 500W, get 600w! It's not a huge difference in cost. That being said, there is a limit. At one point, you're just wasting money. In my last computer I was using a 500W PSU and the recommendation was 500W. Even with 4 fans, 3HDD's and an overclocked GPU I never had any problems with instability.
If you get a 80+ certified PSU, you know it won't be unstable under load.

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