Many customoers now opt to build their own computer so that they are in control of the specifications they want and save more than just a few $. There are a multitude of do it yourselves found all over the World Wide Web, and yes, it is possible to build one yourself! But before doing so, you must choose the necessary components for your computer. Here are some of the very basic components you need to get:

Computer Case

Computer cases now come in many different designs and colors. Some also come with a panel window where you can see the inside components through. What is important when purchasing a case is that the size of the case should support the size of the motherboard. A mid-tower case is highly recommended as it has enough room for the components.

Power Supply

The power supply must provide you minimum 300 watts and fit perfectly in the computer case you choose . If you are one of those extreme users or gamers, you may want to buy a bigger power supply to feed additional cooling, USB devices and case lighting.

Processor

The processor is the most important part you have to get while setting up your own computer . You have to know perfectly what kind and how fast you need. There are many options from AMD and Intel , for example: AMD Athlon, AMD Sempron, AMD Duron, Intel Celeron, Intel Core 2 Duo, among others. If you only use the computer to surf the web, do word processing, gaming and some graphics editing, the 1.8 GHz - 2.0 GHz might be enough. Extreme gaming, 3D rendering and video editing would need at least a 2.4GHz processor.

CPU Cooler

Processors usually come with a fan and a heat sink . But it is the best option to get a cooler that is more efficient and quieter than the one included in the package . Remember to get a thermal compound to put onto the CPU core.

Motherboard

Choose a motherboard that matches your processor's socket type and supports the same bus speed as the CPU.

RAM

Similarly, select a RAM (Random Access Memory) that is compatible with the motherboard's bus speed. Get at least 1GB of RAM.

Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

The Hard Disk Drive is the permanent storage for system files, applications, documents, games and so on. Get the highest HDD capacity that you can afford. If you are on a tight budget, you can get at least a 60GB. Most motherboards have IDE slots for HDDs. Newer ones also have SATA connectors for SATA HDDs, which are faster than IDE HDDs.

Graphics Card

If you use the computer for regular office work, you can get a motherboard with a built-in video card. If you use it for gaming, you might need to buy a separate video card. Video cards usually use an AGP slot or a PCI Express slot on the motherboard.

Sound Card

Most motherboards have in-built sound cards which generally have good quality. If you use sound mixing or audio/video editing, you can get at least a 24-bit sound card for better quality.

CD/DVD

Of optical drives, it is best to seek for a DVD/CD-RW combo or a DVD'RW; the latter is a better choice. DVDs have larger capacity to allow you to store more music and movie files and back-up data. If you do not expect to burn disks, you can opt for a CD-R or a DVD-R drive.