Building a Custom Computer: Introduction Part Two

Building a Custom Computer: Introduction Part 2

So now that the decision to build has been made, now it is time to decide what to build. This decision is solely on you. What do you want to do with it? A gamer will want power and looks. If you just do Facebook and a few “flash” games; then you will not need a lot of power. Need can be deceptive though, because if you crunch a lot of numbers or render a lot of digital video or photos, you will need some power as well.

I realize that I may have left some readers hanging from part 1 of this post. If you are reading this post then perhaps that reason has become clear. You may have put some thought to what you want your next computer to do. My best answer is to buy as much computer as you can afford. You should do the same even if you buy it from the store. If your computer is working now then you have time to search for options and deals. If you are building then you can spread out purchasing parts to make it easier on the wallet. Keep in mind that if you spread out buying your parts you may run into parts that go obsolete very quickly. Two years ago I built a box with an a motherboard that had an Intel socket 775. The board itself was three or four years old so I had to do some searching for a decent CPU for it. I ordered one through Amazon. Fortunately it worked just fine, but I did get it for cheap.
I order my components through two venders, TigerDirect and Newegg. Both offer pretty much the same components and the prices are usually pretty close together. One may be cheaper but you pay shipping and the other might be more expensive but offer free shipping. Both will usually process and ship your order the same day. The choice is really up to you. Newegg offers veterans a free, one year subscription to its Premier program. This program has special offers and free two day shipping.
What about warranties? Most of the parts you will order will have at least a two year warranty. Some will have a lifetime warranty. Both of my venders offer a at least a 30 day return policy for your products. I still have yet to use either of the two. The manufacturer does a test on their products called a life expectancy assessment. This test will show an average of how long the product will last. Technology evolves at an alarming pace and there is even a formula that describes this. With my profession a computer will be obsolete, of legacy, within 10 years. Today five years is considered to be obsolete, or legacy. This means that it can no longer be upgraded and be within a standard usability. Extended warranties are no different. It may seem that they serve to protect the buyer’s interest but in reality it is money in the bank for the vendor. The extended warranties are cheap but they will do little to replace a part that fails, but if it gives you peace of mind then get it.
The biggest part of ordering your parts is to DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Cheap is not always bad and expensive is not always good. Read the reviews but keep in mind that the reviews may not be totally accurate. You never know the level of experience that the buyer has. Indeed, I have seen some bad reviews that had nothing to do with the part. This portion concludes this segment. At the end of the entire series I will offer a PDF that you can download.