New PC Checklist questions

[sacco20]

Hello everyone. Got a favor to ask of anyone with the time. I am sort of new to working on computers. Most i've ever done is installed a few different items. Gfx card, memory, etc. But I am interested in Building my own now. I was wondering if anyone could give me some sort of checklist of hardware and software needed for the process. Of course I am not going to try and just piece it together. I have others to help with that. Just looking for some input.

I dont really need information like what "type" of motherboard, hard drive, and so on. Just the basic list will do.

Thanks for the time and help. If any.

 

[silverpig]

As for software, all you'll need is your OS really. Everything else (drivers) should come on disks with the hardware you buy. As for hardware:

Motherboard
CPU
Case/Powersupply (some cases don't come with them, most do)
RAM
Hard drive
Optical drive (cd/dvd/rw/whatever)
Video card (might not be needed if your mobo has video onboard)

That's probably the bare minimum other than keyboard/mouse/monitor. It's still a good idea to have a floppy drive for driver installs, so I'd put that on there for sure. Optional are sound card, network card...

Oh, and make sure you have a phillips head screwdriver so you can mount the drives etc.

s signature has been formatted to fit your scr

 

[Robc1880]

silverpig gave you a good checklist, but as for him saying that the sound card and network controller are optional, I just thought I would mention that most motherboards come with both of those integrated today and they are pretty good quality.

 

[sacco20]

From what ive noticed most Motherboards dont come with very good video cards. Do you think it is a better option to search for a motherboard without one on it?

 

[Rugger]

If you plan on doing some gaming beyond Solitaire, then I would recommend getting a separate vid card.
When researching/pricing here are a couple of tips:
1. Make sure you know what you get when looking at retail vs OEM products. OEM is less expensive for a reason. Example an OEM CPU doesn't come with a heatsink and fan (HSF - also known as CPU cooler).
2. I personally like to have a 3.5" FDD - there are still some reasons to keep them around.

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[Guest]

make sure to check out the benchmarks and reviews on this and other sites to be sure you're getting the right products. And remember that you don't <b> HAVE </b> to have the most expensive card out there...though it can be nice I would assume Just get what you need, and happy hunting.

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