There are vast amounts of guides out there that try to explicate how to pick a gaming Pc. I have found that 99% are either out of date of complete rubbish. The idea of this record is to set the record level for 2010.
To help guide you though this we are going to effect an example throughout the guide based on a few requirements, you should also have a few requirements for your build.
Western Hard Drive
Our requirements are;
Fast Gaming Pc
Offers Value
Upgradeable
Looks Good
The Cpu
This is one of the first choices you will make to decide the technology to base your convention Pc around. The best way to retell it would be the brain of a Pc. There are two players in this field, Intel and Amd. As its stands, Intel own the high end Cpu market, the effect is a very clear selection when selecting a Cpu with most gaming Pc builds being based nearby an Intel i5 or i7 Cpu with the latter being the fastest. Amd's Phenom Ii Cpu is sometimes used but they are more generally found in budget computer builds. Each technology has many choices, so study the specs of each Cpu carefully.
We need to pick a Cpu for our example, from our former requirements we can match the top three requirements with an i5 Processor which currently come in any flavours;
650 3.20Ghz 4Mb cache Lga1156
750 2.66Ghz 8Mb cache Lga1156
660 3.33Ghz 4Mb cache Lga1156
670 4.46Ghz 4Mb cache Lga1156
The most favorite selection is the 750 because of the larger L3 cache. We are going to base our example nearby this. You may pick something different but for the purpose of this guide it will show you how a Cpu selection affects your whole build.
The Motherboard
Right, so you have picked your Cpu? Don't worry if you haven't, often when selecting the right parts you will base your final decision nearby three or four parts as they all relative to each other. If you don't, then you could end up with a badly balanced system, a big no no in our eyes.
This is where things then start to come to be a exiguous tricky. There are probably 1000 motherboards out there that you can pick from so its foremost that you make the right choice. The best way to pick the right motherboard is to make a list of the features that you want your computer to have and may want to use in the future. foremost features are mainly;
Socket type
Chipset
Memory type
Memory capacity
Memory Speed
Expansion slots
Onboard devices
Raid features
Overclocking potential
Internal and external connectors
Graphics card support
Size
Brand
Price
As you can see there are rather a lot of things to consider! Don't panic though as once you pick your motherboard your other options are fairly level send as they have to conform to the motherboard specifications but this is the hardest selection to make. For our example we have chosen an Asus P7P55D Le Intel P55 Express Socket Lga1156 Ddr3 Motherboard for the reasons outlined below;
Socket type - This motherboard has a socket Lga1156. You may observation that this is the same socket as the i5 750 Cpu we picked, well if you did you would be correct. Motherboard socket types are directly linked with the Cpu socket type, they have to match. It describes how many sense points are on the processor and motherboard, if these sockets do not match then the Cpu just will not fit.
Ok, so hopefully you have matched your motherboard socket type with your Cpu. It's that black and white it makes the decision fairly easy. Your choices of motherboard have now dropped considerably. Your 1000 choices has now dropped to probably nearby 50, 5% of what you started with.
Chipset - Each socket type will have a unique chipset linked with it. Its sounds complicated but to put it plainly it's a fancy code that describes a motherboards basic features such as it having on board graphics, memory technology or the speed of the Pci-E slots.
Currently the socket Lga 1156 platform has four linked Chipsets, the H55, H57, P55 and the P57. The mainstream chipsets available to the home user is just the H55 and P55 so we only have to combine on them. Both chipsets vary from each other sLightly, but not massively. I won't go into a huge whole of detail about these singular chipsets as this could be an entirely different guide in itself, but in short the P55 is faster and we want a "fast gaming Pc" so the P55 chipset is chosen. Depending on your chipset choices you are probably now only left with 20 motherboards to pick from.
Memory type, capacity and speed - This selection is practically made for you when you pick a chipset. The Ram that you pick later in this guide is defined by what your motherboard will support.
Expansion slots - Our requirements included being "upgradeable". Expansion slots play a weighty part into what you can "bolt in" to your Pc. If you plan on adding things such as graphics cards, sound cards and network cards make sure your motherboard has the available slots to do this. The Asus P7P55D Le used for our example has plenty!
Onboard Devices - Motherboards come with some devices already installed. These could be something as easy as having 4 Usb ports right up to having an integrated sound or graphics. If you plan on installing a expedient as an expansion then pick a motherboard that does not have these built in and save yourself a exiguous money. On the other hand, selecting a motherboard with lots of onboard devices will also save you money as expansion cards are more high-priced as they are first-rate to the onboard solutions.
Raid - Used to growth hard disk doing or data security. Do you want to back your data up "on the fly" or be able to read data faster? If the sass is yes then you will want a Raid highLight on your motherboard.
Overclocking - If you plan on overclocking then you will want a motherboard that is good at this. Unfortunately manufacturers do not state how good their motherboard is at overclocking in the product spec. The only real way to tell is to investigate it yourself. Try hunting nearby forums online to see how others have got on overclocking your processor and motherboard combination.
Internal and external connectors - Its no good picking a motherboard out if you plan on using a Ps2 keyboard and mouse and it does not have Ps2 connectors. Check what you plan on plugging into the machine and if you have enough connectors to do so. Its not too much of a question if its not quite right as you can add extra connections via the expansion slots but in the long run, it will cost more.
Graphics card support - In our example we are building a gaming Pc, we therefore have to have a motherboard that supports the latest graphics cards. Our P7P55D Le has a Pcie 2.0 x16 expansion slot which will do exactly what we want. Our selection also has an supplementary Pcie 2.0 x16 slot that supports Ati® Quad-Gpu CrossFire X Technology so if we want to setup 2 Ati graphics cards we can.
Size - Most motherboards are of a accepted size so you don't get much of a selection here, just make sure it will fit in the case you have your eye on.
Brand - pick a good brand. Man who has been in the motherboard game a long while is a good start but the maker should also have good customer support, trustworthy and generally well respected. 95% of the motherboards out there are thankfully from the good guys so you should be ok. Our recommendations would be to go with Asus, Gigabyte, Msi or Dfi.
Price - You tend to get what you pay for when motherboards are priced. Go for the best you can afford to ensure you not left lacking in any group and importantly to aid with hereafter proofing.
Not easy is it? Although once you have picked a motherboard and Cpu composition all things else falls into place and your choices are then based on what your motherboard will support. You also may find that you have to compromise a exiguous on your highlight list, don't worry, its general there are very few "perfect" motherboards out there and not to mention, everyone's requirements are different.
Memory
Choosing the right Ram is a decision that is halfway made for you by your motherboard if you have already picked one. Your motherboard will only accept distinct Ram, a bit like the socket example when considering a Cpu. Try not to base your build nearby the Ram, what you go for should be secondary to the Cpu and motherboard you choose. Our Asus board has the following memory specification;
"4 x Dimm, Max. 16 Gb, Ddr3 2000(O.C.)*/1600/1333/1066 Non-Ecc,Un-buffered Memory, Dual Channel memory architecture."
In English, this means there are 4 memory slots that will take a total of 16Gb Ddr3 type Ram. Frequency speeds of 2000(O.C.)/1600/1333/1066 Mhz are accepted in dual channel configuration (has to be paired). The memory has to be of non Ecc type.
Generally you pick how much you want followed by how fast it is and what it costs. The rest of the specifications are something you have to abide by rather than choose. Overclockers and doing hunters will look at other things like Latency timings. We want 4Gb in our build and price and availability defines that we should get a dual channel kit that has a frequency of 1333Mhz. We have chosen some;
Corsair 4gb (2x2gb) Ddr3 1333mhz Xms3 Memory Kit Cl9 (9-9-9-24)
Why? Well its fast, probably the best brand out there, good latencies, will overclock well is carport not too high-priced and importantly fits our motherboard.
Graphics card
We are building a gaming Pc so we are going to want a decent graphics card. It's the most foremost component that defines how good a Pc is for gaming. Just like the Cpu selection there are two players; Nvidia and Ati (owned by Amd). Our motherboard has 2 x Pcie 2.0 x16 expansion slots so we can pick either 1 Nvidia or Ati card or two Ati cards in crossfire. We have value and upgradeability in mind so we are going to pick one singular Ati card rather than two but we have the selection to crossfire them at a later date should we pick too. There are lots of features that a video card has that will help make you mind up. The graphics card shop is very tight so to be honest, you do get what you pay for. Pick a budget and try to stick to it. We have chosen an Ati 5850 for our build, its great value for money and importantly very fast. You may have other budget and card in mind so it is best to google the bench marks for the singular card(s) and see how it fairs to the others.
The Case
An often underrated part of a convention computer build. Out of all of the parts you pick for your build, this is the part that will survive time. If you have the right case, then you will re use it upgrade after upgrade so it is foremost you get it right.
When finding for a case you will need to consider;
Size - Make sure what you plan to put inside will fit. Especially foremost if you are fitting the latest graphics cards or Cpu coolers.
Cooling - How many fans does it have? Are they quiet?
Price - Go for the best you can afford. If it lasts 10 years then it will pay for itself over and over.
Features - Fan controllers, air filters cable management, dampeners and displays all help. decide if these features are for you and contain them in your search should you wish.
Cases are certainly a personal choice. What I think is a good finding case you may think otherwise. Just make sure you don't go for a cheap case as you will regret it. For our build we are going to use an Antec 902, it's a exiguous more than we want to spend on a case but we know it will last build after build. other brand to think is Coolermaster, who along with Antec are the shop leaders and have been for sometime.
Power Supply
Probably the most underrated part of a convention Pc build. When selecting a Power Supply, don't just look at the rating. If you not clued up on Psu's then the best thing to do is pick a decent brand, collate a 800w cheapo brand with a potential branded 650w Psu and the lower rated potential branded Psu will come up trumps every time. The next rule of selecting a Psu is do not push your luck! If you plan on popping in a meaty graphics card, extra hard drives and a combine of Dvd drives then upgrade the Power Supply! always have more than you need, which will not only give you a 'safety barrier' but also room to upgrade.
Things to factor into picking the right Psu;
Watts - This tells you how fine a Psu is in watts.
Ac Input - Your wall voltage
Dc Output - Power contribute peak amperage
Peak - Maximum wattage for each rail
Continuity - The continuous amperage value
Cables - Does the power contribute have the right connections?
Form factor - Will it fit your motherboard?
Efficiency - pick something that doesn't cost a fortune to run
Noise - The quieter the better
We have chosen a corsair 650w Tx unit for our machine. It ticks all our boxes and whilst it isn't one of the cheapest units out there it is probably one of the most reliable, quietest and has loads of connectors for us to use.
Hard Drive
You will pick a hard disk based on how much it will store compared to its cost. 500Gb - 1Tb tends to be the area where cost per Gb is at its lowest. pick a disk that will spin at 7200Rpm or more and has a cache of at least 16Mb, 32Mb if going for a larger disk. all things is Sata Ii interface now, so pick a Sata Ii interface disk too. Good brands contain Seagate, Samsung, Maxtor and Western Digital.
Solid state hard disks are also manufacture an appearance here and there, if you are all for doing then look into these supplementary but they are still very high-priced and the cost per Gb is sky high. For our build we have opted for a Seagate 500Gb Hard Drive 7200rpm 16Mb Cache disk, excellent for what we want.
Cd and Dvd Drive
Optical storehouse cant get an cheaper. For the price of a combine of cinema tickets you will find an visual drive that will do all things you want. Again, 90% of the time visual drives have a Sata Ii interface so make sure you go with one of these. Blu-ray players and writers are considerably more, so decide if you for real want blu-ray functionality in your convention Pc.
Final thoughts
There is no denying that selecting the right parts for a custom Pc build is a difficult and laborious process, don't be surprised if it takes you a week to make your mind up fully. The foremost thing is to weigh up all your choices together and try to come out the other end with a few firm requirements and resulting component choices. You can then base your other choices nearby these firm choices which should make things easier.
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