Most customoers now want to put together their own computer so that they are in more control of the specifications they want and save more than just a few pounds. There are a multitude of DIY's available all over the Internet, and yes, it is possible to build one yourself! But before doing so, you must choose the right components for your computer. Here are some of the very basic components you need to get:



1.)Computer Case

Computer cases now come in many different designs and colors. Some now even have a panel window where you can see the inner components through. The main thing while buying a case is that the size of the case should be enough to support the size of the motherboard. A mid-tower case is highly recommended as it has enough space for the parts.

Power Supply

The power supply must provide you at least 300 watts and fit perfectly in the computer case you purchase . If you are an 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 exactly what kind and how fast you need. There are many options from Intel & AMD , for example: AMD Athlon, AMD Sempron, AMD Duron, Intel Celeron, Intel Dual Core, 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 default one . 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, choose a RAM (Random Access Memory) that is compatible with the motherboard's bus speed. Get at least 1024MB of RAM.

Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

The Hard Disk Drive is your permanent storage for system files, applications, documents, games and so on. Get the largest hard drive 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 hard drives. Newer ones also have SATA connectors for SATA HDDs, which are quite faster than IDE HDDs.

Graphics Card

If you use the computer for regular office work, you can get a motherboard with an in-built video card. If you are going to use it for gaming, you may 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 built-in 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.