Lets start with a list of components that I need to build the PC:

Core PC Components

• Motherboard – Determined mostly by the selected cpu and required connections.
• CPU – Intel or AMD are options.
• CPU Cooler
• Power Supply
• RAM – Maximum RAM may be limited by operating system and motherboard.
• Video Card – AMD or NVIDIA. Onboard is not an option for the PC that I want to build.
• Storage – SSD or conventional hard drives, or both.
• PC Case – Basic or with extras.
• Optical drives – DVD writer is a must, Blu-Ray not really needed.

Other components

• Mouse and keyboard
• Computer monitor
• Audio Card / Onboard
• Headset with Microphone

When I build a PC I usually start with the selection of the processor and go from there. When I have the processor I know which motherboard I need. From there I get the RAM, video card and the other components.

CPU

I never go for the fastest cpu available. The price difference to less powerful processors is just to steep and does not justify the price, at least not for a desktop computer. You can save lots of money if you buy a slightly less powerful cpu. That still leaves the question if it should be an Intel or AMD cpu. I do not really have a preference in this regard but have used Intel in the past which is why I stick with Intel on this one.

I definitely want to pick cpus with Intel’s new Sandy Bridge architecture. You may notice that Sandy Bridge processors are offered with and without k after the number. K indicates cpus with an unlocked multiplier, which is great if you are into overclocking.

The following two cpus are my favorites currently.

• Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz – $230
• Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz – $320

The Core i7 is faster than its Core i5 counterpart but not as much as you might expect. Hardcoreware have compared the performance of both cpus. The differences range from negligible when it comes to PC gaming to somewhat noticeable for tasks like rendering or archiving. Does that justify the $90 extra that you have to pay for the i7-2600k? Not necessarily.

Motherboard

Now that I have the cpu, I can start evaluating motherboards for that cpu. Both processors require LGA 1155 socket type motherboards. Motherboards come in all sizes and shapes, and it is important to have a solid understanding of what you want before you start picking the first one you see. For instance, do you need USB 3.0, Firewire or Bluetooth support? Want two or four memory slots? Should it have a 1000 Gigabit Ethernet port? How many PCI Express slots should it have, and should it have PCI slots as well? What about SATA 6 GB/s?

My requirements are the following: I want a motherboard with an UEFI-BIOS which offers many advantages. I’d also like SATA 6 GB/s support and USB 3.0 support. I want it to have onboard sound, and I do not need PCI slots, only PCI Express. It should have at least one Gigabit Ethernet port.

The following two motherboards are my favorites:

• ASRock P67 EXTREME4 – $160
• MSI P67A-GD55 (B3) – $165

Both support all the features that I need and affordable enough.

CPU Cooler

I usually do not use boxed cpu coolers as they are often to loud and do not cool the cpu down as good as third party coolers. Still, I often try them out first before I purchase a new cooler. For now, it is the boxed cooler that I’ll use. Selecting the right cooler is a science for itself.

One cooler that I’m currently looking at is the Noctua NH-U9B SE2 92mm.

Power Supply

The power supply has to be efficient and silent at the same time. It is at least 80 Plus power supplies that I’m after, preferably Gold standard.

My old PC has an Enermax Modu 87+ 700W and I want to buy the same power unit for the new PC as well. It is almost silent and very effective thanks to its Gold rating.

• ENERMAX MODU87+ EMG700AWT 700W – $180

Ram

My old Pc has 8 Gigabytes of Ram, and my intention is to double the amount of RAM on the new one. This may be overkill and I know that. Still, the price seems to be right.

• G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 – $210
• CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 – $210

Video Card

I just bought a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470 which is sufficient for all the gaming that I do. I will keep the card for now in the system, and get a new card in a year’s time when new cards are released by AMD and NVIDIA.

The card is a Zotac GeForce GTX 470

Storage

The combination of a fast Solid State Drive for the system partition, and a large conventional hard drive for storage is in my opinion excellent. My intention is to buy a new generation SSD that promises even faster speeds as this generation.

My current favorite is the OCZ Vertex 3 VTX3-25SAT3-120G. It is a bit pricey right now at $300.

The conventional hard drive should have storage capacities of at least 2 TB, better three. I only want one additional drive because of heat and noise.

One options is to wait until the new versions of the Seagate Barracuda XT are available which manage to pack 1 TB of data on one platter, making the 3 TB drive a three platter drive.

The drive currently retails for $200. Prices will drop when availability increases. I may alternatively look at a slower 5400 rpm drive.

PC Case

My old PC case is a Lian Li PC-8NB with additional noise protection build in. I’d like to buy the exact same tower for my new PC. It retails for roughly $150.

Optical Drives

DVD writers are very cheap nowadays and they are all that I need. You can get them for about $20. I have had good experience with Samsung drives in the past and will purchase one for the new PC as well.

Overview

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz – $230
Motherboard: ASRock P67 EXTREME4 – $160
PSU: ENERMAX MODU87+ EMG700AWT 700W – $170
Ram: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB – $210
Video Card: None
SSD: OCZ Vertex 3 VTX3-25SAT3-120G – $300
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda XT – $200
PC Case: Lian Li PC-8NB – $150
DVD Writer: Samsung HD203WI – $20

The complete PC in this form sets me back $1440. If you add a $200 video card and peripherals like mouse and keyboard you end up at about $1800 for the whole system without monitor. That’s a lot of money for a computer system. I could probably reduce that by half if I’d change the components.

Have you built a PC lately? What where your components?

I always start with an assessment of my needs. What do I need the new PC for? What would I like it to be? Which features should it have? Do I have hardware that I need to connect to the computer? Are there additional important characteristics that I should pay attention to?

The Assessment

I first and foremost need the PC for work which leads to the first batch of requirements:

• Responsive: I do not like waiting, not for the PC to boot, not for programs to open or for other operations during work.
• Silent: Noise can easily distract me from work, especially those high-fieping sounds that some PC components can make. The PC should be a silent PC, barely noticeable if at all.
• High Resolution: I like working on high resolution monitors. I currently use a 1920×1080 Samsung 24″ HD monitor and I like my new system to at least stay at that resolution.
• Wireless: I favored cables in the past, but wireless technologies have evolved and I like to get rid of cable restrictions which limit my work radius and comfort.
• Windows: I’m a Windows users and it will stay this way. I may consider running a dual boot system though.
• Power Saving: The more power I can save the better. Less power means less heat and less heat usually means less noise. That’s good, plus you save money as well.

But work is not the only activity on that computer. I’d furthermore like to use it for entertainment and gaming as well:

• Fast: The components should be as fast as possible without putting a serious dent into the budget or the work requirements. For instance, while it is very nice to run two high end graphic cards in SLI or Crossfire mode, it usually impacts the noise level of the PC negatively.
• HD: The hardware needs to be Full HD compatible.
• Future Proof: The PC should be capable of playing all games of the coming 24 months without difficulties (while I have no intention to play everything, it is reassuring that I could). I do not mind turning a setting down to play the game though (not the resolution though).
• Storage: I need enough storage for my extensive entertainment collection. I currently have 2 TB, would like to increase the size as much as possible without having to install two hard drives. At least one fast SSD for the operating system, core apps and games. Should have at least 128 Gigabytes of space. One external backup drive to backup the SSD, and important data that is stored on the storage drive.

And then there are things that I do not need at all:

• 3D: 3D technologies are hyped like hell but I personally do not find it interesting at all, especially with those stupid glasses that you need to wear. When they are at holographic displays I’m listening, right now I’m not.
• Blu-Ray: I do not watch movies on my PC, and I do not need extra storage volume on recordable discs. Blu-Ray is to expensive and of no use to me.
• Gimmicks: I do not a webcam, card reader and other peripherals like that. This includes premium motherboards who come with lots of gimmicks that I do not need.

Now that I have written down what I want, need and what I do not want or need, it is time to find the right PC hardware for that. The next part will be about that, stay tuned.

Both components vary highly depending on the needs of the user building the PC. A gamer naturally wants a fast video card to play games, someone who collects photos or videos needs lots of storage and Office worker a quiet video card.

Build your own PC: Storage

Storage devices are hard drives and optical drives. Hard drives can be divided into the two categories Solid State Drives (SSD) and conventional hard drives.

There are basically two options for selecting hard drives:

• Pick only conventional hard drives
• Combine conventional and solid state drives

Conventional hard drives have the advantage that they provide more storage for a cheaper price than Solid State Drives. Solid State Drives on the other hand are more expensive, offer way less storage but are way faster than convention drives. This is beneficial during system boot, playing games or loading applications.

The PC budget plays a big role in deciding the storage components. A good reliable Solid State Drive sells for about $250 for 64 Gigabytes of storage. Good conventional hard drives provide more than ten times the storage for that price.

PC users with a budget of about $400 for hard drives can consider combining Solid State Drives and conventional hard drives. The SSD would be used for the operating system and important applications (or games) whereas the standard hard drive would be used for storage.

Users with a lower budget should concentrate on buying a good fast hard drive instead that will be used for all files and the operating system.

When buying a Solid State Drive buyers need to make sure that it supports TRIM and garbage collection either out of the box or with a firmware update. TRIM and garbage collection ensure that the performance of the drive does not drop over time. This was a huge problem with first generation SSDs.

Hard drives come with speeds of 5400 and 7200. The former are more quiet while the latter are faster. A user who only works with light applications could consider buying a 5400 rpm drive whereas gamers or users with high end applications should buy a 7200 rpm drive.

The best combination at this point in time is to use a SSD as the boot drive and a 5400 rpm hard drive for storage.

Our Picks

• SSD: Intel X25-M Mainstream SSDSA2M080G2R5 80 GB ($300)
• Hard Drive: Samsung EcoGreen F3 2000GB SATA II 32MB ($200)

The Intel X25-M is one of the fastest SSD when it comes to read speeds. The write speeds are usually lower in benchmarks but better in real life situations. It also offers 80 Gigabytes instead of 64 Gigabytes that most SSDs offer in that price range. It supports both TRIM and garbage collection.

The Samsung EcoGreen F3 is a drive with a speed of 5400. It has slower access and read speeds but offers 2 Terabytes of storage space. It is used to store everything but the most important applications, games and the operating system.

Build your own PC: Video Card

Selecting the right video cards usually depend on the level of gaming activity on the PC. We currently would suggest to buy an Ati Radeon 5000er video card as it is the only video card series currently supporting DirectX 11.

Gamers need to look at the Radeon 5850 or 5870 video cards for optimal performance. The selection here again depends on the budget. The Radeon 5870 retails for about $400, the 5850 for about $300. The 5870 is the faster card of the two and manages to beat the 5750 by 10fps+ in all benchmarks. Both cards can be used to play all modern games just fine.

Casual gamers might want to take a look at the ATI Radeon 5770 video card instead which retails for about $180.

Our Picks:

• High End Gaming: Sapphire Radeon HD 5870 Vapor-X ($440)
• Mid Level Gaming: ASUS EAH5850/2DIS/1GD5 Radeon HD 5850 ($300)
• Casual / No Gaming: POWERCOLOR PCS+ AX5770 ($170)

Our PC System:

Case: Lian Li PC-8NB ($100)
PSU: Enermax Modu 87+ 700W ($200)
CPU: Intel Core i7-860 ($300)
CPU Cooler: Prolimatech Megahalems Rev.B CPU Cooler ($60), 120mm fan, for example be quiet Silent Wings USC (BL013) ($20)
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-P55-USB3 ($120)
RAM: CORSAIR XMS3 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 ($270)
Hard Drive 1: SSD: Intel X25-M Mainstream SSDSA2M080G2R5 80 GB ($300)
Hard Drive 2: Samsung EcoGreen F3 2000GB SATA II 32MB ($200)
Video Card: High End Gaming: Sapphire Radeon HD 5870 Vapor-X ($440)

Some components have not been discussed yet. This includes optical drives, keyboard, computer mouse, monitor, printer, sound adapter, network cards and other peripherals.

We have selected the Intel Core i7-860 as the cpu, the GIGABYTE GA-P55-USB3 as the motherboard and the CORSAIR XMS3 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 as the RAM for the computer system.

The computer’s processor obviously determines the cpu cooler that we need. There are some choices here. Retail cpus usually come with a cpu cooler that can be used. The disadvantage of that cooler is that it does not cool the cpu that well and that it is rather noisy to the ear.

Build Your Own PC: CPU Cooler

We therefor recommend to purchase a separate cpu cooler to increase the cooling and decrease the noise of the system. The choice of the cpu cooler depends a lot on the user’s intention with the computer system. A user who needs the computer for Office and work that does not require lots of performance might even be happy with the boxed cooler. But there are also users who want to play games, overclock the cpu or reduce the noise of the PC system by buying a cpu cooler that supports large slow spinning fans.

The cooler that we want to use should be as noiseless as possible but still support performance intensive tasks but no overclocking.

The Prolimatech Megahalems is compatible with the 1156 cpu socket. It received many excellent ratings and combines proper cooling with good noise reduction especially in combination with a 120mm fan. The only drawback is the size of the cooler which means that users need to make sure that it fits in the case and that it does not block any of the slots, e.g. memory.

My Selection

• Prolimatech Megahalems Rev.B CPU Cooler ($60)
• 120mm fan, for example be quiet Silent Wings USC (BL013) ($20)

Build Your Own PC: Case

The case selection is as complicated as the cpu cooler selection. There are literary hundreds of cases available from cheap but functional cases for $30 to advanced cases with all kinds of gadgets and expensive materials for $150 and more.

The Lian Li PC-8NB is a case made of aluminum. The components fit in the case which comes with two fans at the front and back. The fans are relatively noisy and need to be undervolted or replaced by fans that are quieter.

My Selection

• Lian Li PC-8NB ($100)

Build Your Own PC: Power Supply Unit

The power supply unit needs to provide enough power to the PC system. A PSU with 80 Plus certification was desired. The psu should be as quiet as possible as well. The following two power supply units were selected by us:

• Enermax Modu 87+ 700W ($200)
• Seasonic X-650 ($180)

Both power supply units have received a 80+ Gold certification which is the highest possible certification for desktop psus. They are both very quiet and therefor ideal for users who prefer a quiet computer.

So far:

We now have six components for the PC that we are going to build, they are:

Case: Lian Li PC-8NB ($100)
PSU: Enermax Modu 87+ 700W ($200)
CPU: Intel Core i7-860 ($300)
CPU Cooler: Prolimatech Megahalems Rev.B CPU Cooler ($60), 120mm fan, for example be quiet Silent Wings USC (BL013) ($20)
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-P55-USB3 ($120)
RAM: CORSAIR XMS3 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 ($270)

That’s a total of $1070 and we still have to pick a video card, hard drives and other components like a DVD drive, mouse and keyboard.

The project aims to build a quiet cpu that can be used to work without distraction and to play the latest games.

The benefit of building a PC instead of buying one is that the builder can customize the hardware configuration. There are usually some shops in the vicinity that offer to build the computer from the components picked by the user for a small fee. That might be an interesting option for users who are not confident to build the PC themselves but still want to have the control over the hardware selection process:

The following computer is not an ulta-high-end computer. It instead offers great performance for its price which is everything that I care about. It should also be relatively quiet thanks to the selection of specific hardware that is quieter than the usual solutions found in pre-build PCs.

There have been some changes since the last build. Ati has released the DirectX 11 compatible Ati Radeon 5000 series of video cards. Another thing to consider is that USB 3.0 devices will be more common in this year and that the computer should be have USB 3.0 if such devices will be or might be bought in the future.

Main PC build:

CPU: Intel Core i7-860 [$280]
CPU Cooler: Prolimatech Megahalems Rev.B CPU Cooler [$60], requires a 120mm fan to be bought separately for about [$20]
Computer Memory: CORSAIR DOMINATOR 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) [$300]
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD3 (comes with USB 3.0) [$135]
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon 5770 Vapor-X [$180]
Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer 7.1 [$90] or any other sound card for that matter depending on your sound system setup. Onboard sound might be fine to for some users.
Hard Drives: 2x SAMSUNG EcoGreen F2 HD154UI 1.5TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5″ Internal Hard Drive [$200] ; OCZ Vertex Turbo OCZSSD2-1VTXT60G 2.5″ 60GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) [$269] for operating system, applications and games.
Power Supply: Seasonic X-650 [$170]
Case: SILVERSTONE Fortress Series FT02B-W Black Aluminum / Steel Computer Case – Retail [$239]
Computer Keyboard: Logitech G110 [$80]
Computer Mouse: Logitech G500 [$60]

Alternative build:

The alternative build replaces some components to reduce the price of the PC system.

CPU: Intel Core i7-860 [$280]
CPU Cooler: boxed cooler that ships with the cpu [$0]
Computer Memory: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) [$95]
Motherboard: MSI P55M-GD45 (comes without USB 3.0) [$120]
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon 5770 Vapor-X [$180]
Sound Card: none, onboard sound used instead [$0]
Hard Drives: Western Digital Caviar Black WD10000LSRTL 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5″ Hard Drive [$105]
Power Supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V [$100]
Case: NZXT GAMMA Classic Series GAMA-001BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case – Retail [$30]
Computer Keyboard: Generic keyboard [$20]
Computer Mouse: Generic mouse [$20]

The alternative build is more than $1000 cheaper than the initial build. It is not as fast and quit as the original PC but it is still a great computer system.

What are your thoughts on the two builds? Would you replace hardware or add other hardware? Let us know in the comments.

The article is divided into four parts, the first talks about the parts that you need and some things that you should take care of. What I really like is that he gives tips without hardware recommendation. The advice is general and users who have never build a PC in their life will love his advice will professionals will probably only skimp over it and come to the conclusion that they hardly learned anything new from the article.

The other three parts are Assembly, Testing, Loading the Operating System and as a bonus optional tweaks. The assembly part is without doubt the most important part if you want to build a PC. Believe it or not I did not put any thermal paste on the CPU of my first PC that I build myself. I was lucky that it ran without problems until a friend reminded me that I had to apply it immediately.

You will find those tips there, tips that you learn the hard way sometimes but are guaranteed to never miss again. I will write an article with images detailing the process of building the PC from the parts that I will buy. The only thing that I do not like that much is that you actually have to click on the different parts to read the whole article. That’s not very user friendly.