If you would like to build a desktop PC, you will have to assemble all the relevant components in the proper and correct way. If you are a beginner, the whole process will look complicated. If you approach a computer shop for PC Building, they will probably dump a whole bunch of components onto you, which your PC might not require. Hence, it is vital for you to understand the core function of each component before venturing to assemble a PC. In this article, we will provide a list of all the important components required for PC Building.
Processor
The processor will perform all the required work such as word processing, calculations, video rendering and much more. Higher the clock speed and threads speed up work. Hence, if you want to perform video editing, you need to buy a processor with many threads.
CPU Cooler
When you purchase a processor, the product package will ship with a small cooler. The main functionality of the cooler is to decrease the amount of heat generated by the processor. If you want enhanced cooling performance, you should purchase coolers manufactured by third-party companies, which are much better at the job.
Water Cooler
If you build a PC and overclock it, it will generate quite a lot of heat. While air coolers can do a good job, they’re no match for a custom liquid cooling system. You can get pre-made All-in-One coolers or build your own system for a little extra money should you need all that cooling.
Thermal paste
The thermal paste is a chemical compound, which plays a pivotal role in the cooling of the processor. A thermal compound is used to ensure maximum heat transfer from the CPU to the CPU cooler. And we simply cannot stress its importance.
Motherboard
Think of the motherboard as the foundation for your computer. Every component is seated into the motherboard. And it’s the motherboard’s job to ensure that they all communicate and work with each other in the most optimal manner. They come in different sizes and feature sets. You should pick the one that meets all your needs.
RAM
RAM stands for Random Access Memory and is used to store data needed by the CPU or graphics card. The higher the capacity of RAM, the more applications you will be able to work with on the PC. There are many types of RAM and the most popular these days are DDR4.
RAM Cooler
RAM generates heat during usage, but never enough to warrant its own cooler. However, should you want more performance from your RAM then you can overclock it. And doing so will cause it to heat up a lot more and require its own cooling.
Hard drive
Hard drive is used to store data. They’re cheap, offer lots of storage space but aren’t as fast as SSDs. So the optimal thing to do is use a mix of hard drives and SSDs. The stuff you need frequently goes on SSDs while everything else can go on the hard drives.
SSD drive
SSD stands for Solid State Drive and are a much faster medium of storage compared to hard drives since all the data is store on silicon NAND chips similar to what RAM uses. Current gen NVMe SSDs are much faster than anything before.
Graphics card
Graphics card are required to render visuals and graphics. Current processors include graphics as well but they simply can’t compete with the performance of a discrete graphics card. A must need for any gamer.
Cabinet
A cabinet is an important item, which houses all the components required to build a PC. You need to pick a cabinet that can fit all your components and that which provides a good number of interface ports like USB. Also, cooling is one of the most important aspects of a cabinet, so choose wisely.
Power Supply Unit (PSU)
The power supply unit or SMPS (switching mode power supply) takes AC power from the wall socket and converts it into DC power for your computer’s hardware. You need to get an SMPS that supplies the right amount of power needed.
Case Fans
The case fans are inserted onto the relevant positions inside the cabinet for cooling purpose. You can attach either a normal case fan or fans with fancy LED bulbs. The standard size of the fan is 120mm but you can get bigger fans for enhanced cooling.
Monitor
A monitor is used to enjoy visual content generated from the PC. Nowadays, widescreen LED monitors are available in various sizes starting from 15-inch. If you are looking for better color reproduction, you should buy a monitor with an IPS panel.
DVD drive
A DVD drive is required for your PC so that you can read and write data stored on DVD-ROMs. If you would like to view the contents of the DVD included with the Digit magazine, then you need to build a PC with a DVD drive.
External DVD Drive
You can also buy an external DVD drive so that you can use it with both your assembled PC and laptop. They often come with a USB connector and don’t need any extra power so they’re portable.
Keyboard & Mouse
The Keyboard and Mouse are required to interact with your PC. You can buy either a wired USB or wireless depending upon your needs. If you want your work place to be free of wire clutter, you can invest for a wireless keyboard.
Printer
A Printer is required to generate hard copy of your documents. Nowadays, you can easily buy a printer, which will not only print documents but also provides an ability to perform scan and copy operations.
Scanner
A scanner is used to generate soft copy from the hard copy. Unless you need to perform a lot of fast scanning, a normal multi-functional printer will be sufficient for your needs.
UPS
A UPS supplies the required power for your PC during power failures. Based on its capacity you can get anywhere from 5 minutes to more than a few hours of backup power. Use it wisely.
Surge Protector
Your valuable PC components will be damaged by voltage fluctuations or because of spikes during a lightning storm. A good quality surge protector will be able to prevent damages to your equipment.
Speaker
A speaker is used to listen to the audio output produced by the PC. A 2.1 or stereo speaker setup is sufficient for a basic rig but you can always go for a 5.1 setup for a proper surround sound system.
Headphone
A headphone is used to listen to the audio output without causing disturbance to others. You can get wired as well as wireless headphones which use Bluetooth. If you’re into multiplayer games then get a headset with a mic.
Modem
A modem is used to establish connectivity with the Internet. Modems generally tend to have built-in routers as well but sometimes you might have to get one separately. A good Wi-Fi router has become essential these days.
LAN card
With a LAN card (or Ethernet adapter), you will be able to attach an Ethernet cable from your modem. Every motherboard these days ship with at least one Ethernet port, so you’ll not need one.
TV Tuner
A TV Tuner is an add-on card, which slots into the Motherboard. It will help you to watch television channels directly from your PC. You can either buy an internal or external card depending upon your requirement.
Conclusion
In this article, we have attempted to list all the components that are required for building a PC. Some of these are optional such as the TV Tuner card. In the forthcoming chapters, you will learn more information about the above components in detail. Without any further discussion, let’s get started.
Processor
The processor will perform all the required work such as word processing, calculations, video rendering and much more. Higher the clock speed and threads speed up work. Hence, if you want to perform video editing, you need to buy a processor with many threads.
CPU Cooler
When you purchase a processor, the product package will ship with a small cooler. The main functionality of the cooler is to decrease the amount of heat generated by the processor. If you want enhanced cooling performance, you should purchase coolers manufactured by third-party companies, which are much better at the job.
Water Cooler
If you build a PC and overclock it, it will generate quite a lot of heat. While air coolers can do a good job, they’re no match for a custom liquid cooling system. You can get pre-made All-in-One coolers or build your own system for a little extra money should you need all that cooling.
Thermal paste
The thermal paste is a chemical compound, which plays a pivotal role in the cooling of the processor. A thermal compound is used to ensure maximum heat transfer from the CPU to the CPU cooler. And we simply cannot stress its importance.
Motherboard
Think of the motherboard as the foundation for your computer. Every component is seated into the motherboard. And it’s the motherboard’s job to ensure that they all communicate and work with each other in the most optimal manner. They come in different sizes and feature sets. You should pick the one that meets all your needs.
RAM
RAM stands for Random Access Memory and is used to store data needed by the CPU or graphics card. The higher the capacity of RAM, the more applications you will be able to work with on the PC. There are many types of RAM and the most popular these days are DDR4.
RAM Cooler
RAM generates heat during usage, but never enough to warrant its own cooler. However, should you want more performance from your RAM then you can overclock it. And doing so will cause it to heat up a lot more and require its own cooling.
Hard drive
Hard drive is used to store data. They’re cheap, offer lots of storage space but aren’t as fast as SSDs. So the optimal thing to do is use a mix of hard drives and SSDs. The stuff you need frequently goes on SSDs while everything else can go on the hard drives.
SSD drive
SSD stands for Solid State Drive and are a much faster medium of storage compared to hard drives since all the data is store on silicon NAND chips similar to what RAM uses. Current gen NVMe SSDs are much faster than anything before.
Graphics card
Graphics card are required to render visuals and graphics. Current processors include graphics as well but they simply can’t compete with the performance of a discrete graphics card. A must need for any gamer.
Cabinet
A cabinet is an important item, which houses all the components required to build a PC. You need to pick a cabinet that can fit all your components and that which provides a good number of interface ports like USB. Also, cooling is one of the most important aspects of a cabinet, so choose wisely.
Power Supply Unit (PSU)
The power supply unit or SMPS (switching mode power supply) takes AC power from the wall socket and converts it into DC power for your computer’s hardware. You need to get an SMPS that supplies the right amount of power needed.
Case Fans
The case fans are inserted onto the relevant positions inside the cabinet for cooling purpose. You can attach either a normal case fan or fans with fancy LED bulbs. The standard size of the fan is 120mm but you can get bigger fans for enhanced cooling.
Monitor
A monitor is used to enjoy visual content generated from the PC. Nowadays, widescreen LED monitors are available in various sizes starting from 15-inch. If you are looking for better color reproduction, you should buy a monitor with an IPS panel.
DVD drive
A DVD drive is required for your PC so that you can read and write data stored on DVD-ROMs. If you would like to view the contents of the DVD included with the Digit magazine, then you need to build a PC with a DVD drive.
External DVD Drive
You can also buy an external DVD drive so that you can use it with both your assembled PC and laptop. They often come with a USB connector and don’t need any extra power so they’re portable.
Keyboard & Mouse
The Keyboard and Mouse are required to interact with your PC. You can buy either a wired USB or wireless depending upon your needs. If you want your work place to be free of wire clutter, you can invest for a wireless keyboard.
Printer
A Printer is required to generate hard copy of your documents. Nowadays, you can easily buy a printer, which will not only print documents but also provides an ability to perform scan and copy operations.
Scanner
A scanner is used to generate soft copy from the hard copy. Unless you need to perform a lot of fast scanning, a normal multi-functional printer will be sufficient for your needs.
UPS
A UPS supplies the required power for your PC during power failures. Based on its capacity you can get anywhere from 5 minutes to more than a few hours of backup power. Use it wisely.
Surge Protector
Your valuable PC components will be damaged by voltage fluctuations or because of spikes during a lightning storm. A good quality surge protector will be able to prevent damages to your equipment.
Speaker
A speaker is used to listen to the audio output produced by the PC. A 2.1 or stereo speaker setup is sufficient for a basic rig but you can always go for a 5.1 setup for a proper surround sound system.
Headphone
A headphone is used to listen to the audio output without causing disturbance to others. You can get wired as well as wireless headphones which use Bluetooth. If you’re into multiplayer games then get a headset with a mic.
Modem
A modem is used to establish connectivity with the Internet. Modems generally tend to have built-in routers as well but sometimes you might have to get one separately. A good Wi-Fi router has become essential these days.
LAN card
With a LAN card (or Ethernet adapter), you will be able to attach an Ethernet cable from your modem. Every motherboard these days ship with at least one Ethernet port, so you’ll not need one.
TV Tuner
A TV Tuner is an add-on card, which slots into the Motherboard. It will help you to watch television channels directly from your PC. You can either buy an internal or external card depending upon your requirement.
Conclusion
In this article, we have attempted to list all the components that are required for building a PC. Some of these are optional such as the TV Tuner card. In the forthcoming chapters, you will learn more information about the above components in detail. Without any further discussion, let’s get started.
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