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So, you’ve decided to build your first computer. What now? The first thing you’ll want to do is assemble a list of parts you intend to purchase. If you don’t have all the right parts—or the parts aren’t compatible with each other—your computer won’t fit together. Even if you managed to fit incompatible parts together, they wouldn’t function as intended. So, let’s look at all the parts for building a PC. We’ll cover essentials and add-ons that you can use to improve your build,

Motherboard (MOBO)

The motherboard, or MOBO, is the device that allows all of your computer components to interface with each other. Without the motherboard to convert all the signals, the parts would have no way to interact with each other and produce the information needed to perform processes. It’s crucial that you choose the right motherboard because your motherboard choice will influence what Central Processing Units and Random Access Memory sticks your computer is compatible with.

You can get motherboards from several manufacturers, including ASUS, MSI, and GIGABYTE. Different motherboards come with different features, including expansion slots and different outputs and inputs on the backplate. So, it’s crucial to choose a motherboard that comes with the features you want.

MOBO Expansion Slots

Expansion slots are where you can attach additional components to your system. The expansion slots use a standard known as a peripheral interconnect or PCI. There are several types of PCI standards, including PCI and PCI express (PCIe.) You may also see accelerated graphics ports (AGP) or industry standard architecture (ISA) expansion slots on some motherboards.

You’ll use the expansion slots to add any components not strictly required for a computer’s processing. These slots can add functionality to your computer and make it more capable. Examples of components that get slotted into the expansion slots are discrete graphics cards, additional SATA controllers, and some solid-state drives.

MOBO RAM Slots

Another slot to consider when choosing your motherboard is the RAM slots. Different motherboards come pre-installed with different types and amounts of RAM slots. You’ll need to ensure that the RAM sticks you purchase are compatible with your motherboard. Otherwise, they will not fit and you won’t be able to use them. A computer cannot function without RAM sticks. So, ensure that your RAM slots and sticks are compatible before spending money on them!

MOBO CPU Socket

Another factor to consider when choosing your motherboard is whether the CPU socket is compatible with your desired processor. The major producers of central processing chipsets in America are Intel and AMD. These two companies use different sockets for their chips that make motherboards incompatible with chips of another type. Additionally, there are many sub-sockets under the Intel and AMD socket list. If you choose an older CPU, you’ll need an older motherboard to ensure that the socket is the correct model.

MOBO Size

You should also familiarize yourself with different motherboard sizes. Motherboards come in several sizes and, simply put, if your motherboard is bigger than your case chassis, you can’t put the motherboard in the case.

ATX is the most common motherboard size. These boards typically measure 12 × 9.6 inches and are ideal for desktop computers. Unless you’re building a laptop or specifically building a small-form-factor desktop, this is likely the size of the motherboards you will see. Micro, Mini, Nano, Pico, and other small-form-factor ATX boards are also available.

The biggest thing to remember is that your case chassis must be large enough to fit the motherboard. You cannot fit a standard ATX motherboard into a Micro-ATX case.

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

You can’t run a computer without a CPU. The central processing unit is the “brain” of the computer. It performs all of the logic processing for the machine, which is the bulk of a computer’s tasks. Logic processing is how your computer does almost everything. Many modern CPUs can even process graphics, allowing you to run your computer without a discrete graphics processor if necessary.

Clock Speed

The first thing you want to look at when choosing a CPU is the clock speed. Logic processing speed is measured in Hertz. 1 Hertz is a single processing cycle. That means for every Hertz of power your processor has, it can execute one set of instructions per second. Most modern processors are measured in Gigahertz, that is one billion processing cycles per second. The higher the clock speed of a processsor, the faster it can process data and execute instructions. Thus, the faster the computer will run.

Cores

You’ll also want to see how many cores your processor has. Cores are single processing units that together create one CPU. When a processor has more processing cores, it can handle more simultaneous tasks. Thus, people who multitask should prioritize having as many cores as possible when choosing their processor.

Integrated Graphics Processing

People looking to build budget computers, particularly those who do not do graphically intensive tasks, such as gaming or video editing, might want to look for a CPU that doubles as a graphics processor. Not all CPUs have integrated graphics processing capabilities. So, it’s crucial to ensure that the processor you’ve chosen has an integrated graphics processor if you don’t intend to purchase a discrete graphics chipset.

Random Access Memory

Random access memory, or RAM, is the computer’s short-term memory. Session-specific data that isn’t downloaded to permanent memory stays in the RAM storage until the computer turns off. RAM is a type of volatile memory, meaning the data stored there is purged completely when the computer powers down. It’s important to power your computer down every so often to wipe the RAM as a computer operating with clogged memory will be slower and more prone to crashing.

RAM sticks come in many configurations and standards. The DDR5 standard is the most common at the moment, having replaced DDR4 in 2021. It’s expected that DDR6 will be finalized and launched sometime in 2024 or 2025. When the new standard launches, it will become the new operating standard for new PCs.

Older RAM sticks are not forwards compatible with new slot standards. In many cases, the RAM sticks won’t even fit in the slot, no matter what way you turn them. It’s important to ensure your RAM and motherboard slots are compatible as your computer cannot function without RAM.

In general, you’ll see the following sizes for RAM assortments:

Total RAM Amount	Stick Configuration
8 GB	4 GB×2, 8 GB×1
16 GB	4 GB×4, 8 GB×2, 16 GB×1
32 GB	8 GB×4, 16 GB×2, 32 GB×1
64 GB	16 GB×4, 32 GB×2

RAM Channels

One thing to consider is RAM channels. As noted in the table above, you only technically require a single RAM stick to run a computer. However, you’ll get more efficiency out of your RAM if you utilize multi-channel RAM. Using multi-channel architecture, you can transfer data faster, making the read and write speeds of your RAM functionally faster.

CPU Heatsink

As a CPU processes data, it generates heat from the electrical components. Unfortunately, processor cores are highly susceptible to heat damage. So, we use dedicated CPU heatsinks to pull the heat away from the CPU and redirect it into the air.

Processors can be air-cooled, using a fan, or water-cooled using a waterblock. Water-cooled CPUs tend to be more heat-efficient. However, the cost of entry for water-cooling is significantly higher. Even most standard workstations use air cooling since water cooling a computer requires an entire second chassis to hold the water.

CPU heatsinks have three main components: the chassis, the fan, and the thermal paste. Thermal paste is a type of highly heat-conductive that you apply to the top of your processor before affixing the heatsink to the chassis. The heatsink will use heatpipes to transfer the heat from the CPU’s surface to the fan, which will blow the hot air away from the processor.

Power Supply (PSU)

Of course, a computer requires a direct connection to an AC wall socket to function as it is an electrical machine. The conduit for this process is your power supply (PSU). The PSU draws power from the wall socket and disperses it to the components. You can’t plug the components directly into the wall or they’ll overload and blow out.

Modular vs. Non-Modular

When choosing a power supply, you’ll need to decide if you want a modular or non-modular model. Modular models come with additional cables that you plug into your power supply to send power to the components. A non-modular power supply has all the cables pre-installed, and they can’t be removed.

Modular power supplies are better for people looking for minimalist cable management. Since you get to decide for yourself what cables need to fixed to your power supply, it reduces the overall number of cables in the case and improves the look and management. However, this customizability isn’t free. Modular PSUs tend to be more pricey than their non-modular counterparts since the cables need additional adapters because they aren’t soldered to the PSU.

Wattage

You’ll also need to ensure that your PSU delivers enough overall power for your entire system. Simply put, if your computer needs 700 total watts of power and your PSU can only deliver 650, you won’t be able to run your computer very long.

Permanent Storage

The last thing you need is permanent storage. Without permanent storage, you can’t store anything, including your operating system. So, you wouldn’t be able to actually use the computer without this. There are two main types of permanent storage you can buy now: hard-disk drives and solid-state drives. Hard-disk drives tend to be cheaper. However, solid-state drives are faster. The reliability and projected longevity of the two are similar. Except since a hard-disk drive has more moving parts, they are slightly more prone to failure as they can fail mechanically, too. The upside of a hard-disk drive is that you can get them in much higher capacities than solid-state drives.

Interface

There are two interfaces you can use to attach a new hard-drive to your PC. The first is a Serial ATA (SATA) interface, which uses a cable into a SATA bus. You can also affix certain solid-state drives to the PCI slots. Some motherboards have specific PCI slots designed for use with solid-state drives.

If you use a SATA hard drive, you’ll need to run the cable into the drive chassis.

Most cases have a pre-installed drive chassis. The bays in the chassis come in multiple sizes ranging from 5.25-inch to 2.5-inch bays. If the drive bays are too large for your hard drive, you can buy adapters to size them down. However, for obvious reasons, you can’t stick a drive that’s too large into the bay.

Drive bays can also be used for additional drives such as optical drives for reading CDs. However, these are no longer considered standard fare for computers.

Peripherals

You’ll also need peripherals to run your computer. You need a screen, a mouse, and a keyboard to use your computer and speakers to hear the sounds. If you want to do voice calls, you’ll need a microphone and if you want to do video calls, you’ll need a webcam.

Premium Components

There are also premium components that aren’t necessary for the computer to turn on, but will improve its efficiency. Let’s examine some of the non-essential components you might consider adding to your build.

Discrete Graphics Cards

If you enjoy a graphically intensive hobby such as video games, video post-production, photo editing, or digital art, you might want to consider investing in a discrete graphics card. A discrete graphics card is a processor dedicated to processing graphical information. It operates alongside the CPU but processes information independently. This allows the CPU to focus on processing logic instead of pulling double duty.

A discrete graphics card is a necessity for most people who enjoy graphically intensive tasks. When splitting the processing power of your CPU, you get a significantly lower graphics ceiling. That is, your graphics can only look as nice as a half or less of your CPU’s processing power is capable of handling.

When using a discrete GPU, the GPU will come outfitted with its own processors, cores, and random access memory. These additional components will work solely with graphical information and that enables higher processing values for graphics and better graphical output.

Additional Case Fans

Air-cooled PCs often use additional case fans to improve airflow inside the case. Hot air buildup inside the case can prevent the heatsink from doing its job correctly and lead to damage to your components. Additional case fans blow air out of the case to remove the heat source. These can even be necessary if you have a case with poor native airflow, such as mine, which is made almost exclusively from tempered glass.