From Mark Kyrnin,
Your Guide to PC Hardware / Reviews.
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Last Updated: 1/24/2008

Introduction

Many people don't realize how easy it is to put together a computer system from parts. In fact, many systems that users build can outperform purchased desktop computer systems. The biggest challenge of putting together a computer system is typically finding what parts to buy. That is where this guide comes in.

This is really a guideline for those looking to put together their own computer system but don't want to break the bank. For under US$700, it is possible to to put together a highly functional computer system that works extremely well for general purpose computing such as internet access, office applications and even digital photography. Below is a list of parts that I have selected that can be used to put together such a system. It includes all of the parts that are internal to the computer plus the operating system. Items such as a monitor, mouse and keyboard also need to be purchased.

Remember that this is just a guide of recommended products. There are many alternative components available that will perform just as well. In addition to the name of the item, a link is included for price comparison shopping for the components.

The Budget PC Components

• Case – Antec Sonata III
  A well designed low cost steel desktop tower case that also includes a high efficiency 500W power supply. The case has many great features that make it very easy to work with and is well suited to low noise operation.
  
• Motherboard – ECS G33T-M2
  This is a small mATX board that provides strong performance even though it may lack a few features. It supports the latest Intel Core 2 processors. One thing to note is that it does not have any IDE connectors.
  
• Processor – Intel Core 2 Duo E4500
  Most people probably think of the Celeron processors as Intel's budget processors, but there ar a number of much faster Core 2 Duo's that offer far superior performance for only a slightly higher price.
  
• Memory – Kingston 2GB PC2-6400 DDR Kit
  DDR2 memory has come down in price significantly allowing budget systems to easily have 2GB of memory. This allows it to run the Windows operating system much more smoothly than the previous 1GB sizes.
  
• Hard Drive – Western Digital Caviar SE 500GB SATA
  Hard drives sizes keep getting bigger and that's great. The Caviar SE drive provides a large amount of space with respectable performance.
  
• CD/DVD – Sony NEC Optiarc AD-7190S 20x DVD+/-RW DL
  This low cost DVD burner supports all of the current DVD media standards and has 20x speeds for DVD+/-R media. It uses SATA which is important for the motherboard of this system and is easier to install.
  
• Operating System – Windows Vista Home Premium
  Of course an operating system is also needed to get the system up and running. While XP is still available and less expensive, Vista is easier to get installed with the latest hardware and is more future proof.
  

What Else is Needed

This list of components will make up the heart of the computer system, but it still needs a few parts. For ideas on purchasing a mouse and keyboard, check out the Keyboard Buying Guide and Mouse Buying Guide from the About.com PC Peripherals Guide. A display is also needed in order to get the system up and running. For this, I recommend checking out my selection for the Best 19-inch LCD Monitors.

Putting it All Together

Of course, once you have all the parts, the computer system will have to be assembled and installed. Tutorials on the various steps required to install the parts together into the computer system can be found in one of two ways. I have available a 5-day E-mail Newsletter Course that puts the steps in a logical order or you can just dive right into the individual Tutorials themselves.