Topic: Build your own rig - For newbies

[chocho_qta]

So, you wanna build your own rig?

Here's your guide in your quest for a DIY(do-it-yourself) rig.

Socket Type and FSB Speed
A motherboard's socket type determines which CPUs it can support. Newer socket types include LGA 775 for Core 2 processors and AM2 for Athlon 64 processors. If you don't choose socket-compatible parts, chances are you won't even be able to insert the CPU without damaging it and/or the mobo.

Every bit of data that travels from the CPU to the motherboard goes through the front-side bus. Different CPUs have different FSB speeds, so you need to be sure your mobo supports that of the CPU you choose. Most likely, if the mobo has the correct socket, it will support all FSB speeds pertinent to CPUs of that type. However, there are certain cases where a newer processor with a higher FSB speed will use a socket type present on older motherboards. It's better to be safe than sorry, so always make sure.

Memory Speed and Type
Motherboards will only support certain speeds of memory, usually proportional to the FSB speeds of compatible CPUs. These speed requirements will be listed in the motherboard description and must be adhered to, lest your computer fail to boot up (which can be so incredibly anti-climactic the first time you hit that switch). Also listed in the mobo description will be the type of RAM supported. The current standard is DDR2 SDRAM, the successor to DDR, or dual-data-rate, memory. DDR3 is just rounding the bend, but for now, you'll likely be looking for DDR2. Lastly, motherboards are made to support RAM at a specific voltage level. If the RAM module is rated for a voltage that isn’t supported by the mobo, it simply will not work.

RAM specifications can be confusing, as there are basically two different naming conventions. "DDR2 800" is easy and literal; it means DDR2 memory running at 800MHz. But the other, meaning exactly the same thing, is "PC2 6400." Luckily, most product descriptions on computer shopping sites tell you both. Another term you're likely to encounter is "dual-channel." This basically refers to using two identical RAM modules in designated slots on the motherboard to increase performance. For this reason, it is advisable to use two 1GB RAM sticks instead of one 2GB stick, for example. Not to mention, higher density modules are usually more expensive and can sometimes have slower RAM timings, which is a topic for another day.

Video Card Slot
As of now, there are a multitude of different types of video cards available. Not only do they vary in application, speed, noise, and power consumption, but also in the way they interface with the motherboard. If your mobo doesn't have the correct slot in which to insert that brand new GPU, you’re out of luck. PCI is the slowest of the expansion slots. It's usually used for sound cards, TV tuners, and other things that don't require the bandwidth a speedy video card does. That isn't to say there aren't video cards that use this interface; several compatible and usually low-end GPUs are still available today. AGP was the first expansion slot to be made exclusively for GPUs; hence the name "accelerated graphics port." Representing a sizable portion of the PC market, AGP video cards are still widely available, though new ones are seldom manufactured. The new standard in GPU slots is called PCI Express. Promising more bandwidth than AGP, all of the top-shelf graphics cards are created for this bus type.

Power Supply Wattage and Amperage
The PSU may very well be the most underrated PC component of all time. Every builder knows you need one, but some do not know or care how important a quality power supply is to the well-being of your system. With insufficient power, the best case scenario will be a complete system failure. If the PSU is damaged in such an event, you'd be lucky not to have other components fried and rendered useless. As a general rule, follow the recommendation of your graphics card manufacturer as to how much wattage your PSU needs.

New GPUs push the envelope of power requirements and it becomes important to note the amperage the PSU provides, particularly on the +12V rail. A detailed explanation of power supply specifications would be longer than this entire article, so all that needs to be said here is to be wary of how many amps your system requires, paying close attention to the video card.

Hard Drive Interface
It is important to note which type of hard drive you purchase and be sure that your motherboard supports it. Older hard drives use the IDE interface, the latest iteration of this was called ATA-133, meaning the hard drive could transfer data at 133 MB per second. Serial ATA came along a few years back and was sometimes called ATA-150, due to its increased transfer speed. Now we have SATAII, which can theoretically transfer up to 3 gigabits (375 megabytes) per second and introduced new features such as Native Command Queuing. That said, the real-world performance difference between SATA and SATAII isn't much. If you buy a SATAII hard drive and your mobo supports only SATA, the drive will still work.

With the new Serial ATA standard, large ribbon cables are a thing of the past. SATA cables are much thinner and are available in greater lengths than IDE cables. Of course, this also means you need to be sure your mobo has enough SATA ports to accommodate the number of devices you are looking to include. As with expansion slots, old standards die hard, so you're likely to find at least one IDE slot on even the newest of motherboards.

So there you have it. Hope this gives you a nitty-gritty in building your rig. It sure helped me! 

Many thanks to source: http://firingsquad.com/hardware/fall_2007_pc_build_guide/page2.asp