Gaming Builds.com recommends Tiger Direct, Amazon, or Newegg for purchasing the following parts. We also have a complete computer building guide right here. If you need to look at some build ideas, they are right here. They are perfect for new builders as they are researched to be complete working builds. Use these builds to avoid any compatibility issues you might come across by choosing your own parts and making a mistake.
Parts List for Building a Computer
1. Processor/CPU
2. Motherboard
3. Case
4. Power Supply – Sometimes comes with the case
5. Video Card – One or more
6. RAM
7. Hard Drive – One or more
8. Operating System – Windows 7
9. Case Fans – Sometimes these come with the case
10. Extra SATA cables – You may need to order extra depending on whether or not you are going to hook up more than one hard drive and optical drive.
Another thing to include in your parts list for building a computer is obviously a monitor, if you don’t already have one.
Generally one can simply order a case, motherboard, cpu, hard drive, power supply, RAM, a video card, and an operating system and be good to go. The hard part is just making sure you don’t have any compatibility issues. Read this post on some advice for this, or use one of my researched builds, here.
The basic thing to remember when organizing your parts list for building a computer is to simply make sure everything is compatible. That means making sure the motherboard will support everything you plan on plugging into it and that the case will support the motherboard, etc. For more help with this, consult this post. But, the basics are as follows:
Like I said, be sure the motherboard supports the chosen CPU, or vice versa. Be sure the case is compatible with the motherboard and power supply unit. Ninety percent of the time this will mean buying an ATX form factor case, motherboard and PSU.
The Motherboard is an Essential Part of the Parts List
Also, be sure that the motherboard can support SLI or Crossfire if you plan on using more than one graphics card. SLI is Nvidia’s name for allowing the use of two or more video cards on a motherboard, Crossfire is ATI’s version. The reason someone would want to use more than one video card for a build is to increase the graphical capabilities of the computer, usually to play the latest games at the maximum video setting at high frames per second (FPS). It is actually very easy to set up with a little research, but my personal recommendation is just to buy the single best video card you can afford as doing this will usually show better results than two cheaper cards running in SLI or Crossfire.
This has been an overview of a complete parts list for building a computer; to go to the complete builds list, click here.