By: Brenda Chuma

This is a part of the computer that carries out

instructions of the system. It is also known as
the brain of the computer.

Intel

AMD

It carries out all of the instructions imposed on

it.
It also helps out to operate the system.
The more powerful the better.

CPU is measured in Gigahertz.

The price. Make sure you pay for what you

really want.
What brand is it? Intel or AMD?
Overclockability.
Its cache memory.
Number of cores, the more the better.
Clock speed.
Is it compatible with your motherboard?

Having two or four or six cores help out a lot

when it comes to multitasking. You can now
browse on the web, write your report and
listen to some music at the same time.
Although it can be such a complicating matter,
having many cores is a good thing because
your computer will be more than powerful.

This is the pushing of your computer system

and components harder and faster than the
manufactures intended them to go and it is
definitely not a good idea to do so.
It takes a lot to overclock a computer but you
may not want to buy one that has a small rate.
Doing it may damage most of your hardware
and it will void your precious warranty.

This is a form of a simultaneous multithreading

technology by Intel. Consists of two logical
processors per core.
It is great for 3D modeling, photo processing,
video encoding and probably relational
databases.

If I were to build a CPU I would choose to use

Intel since it has more options including the
hyper-threading and it can get me more cores
that could help me when it comes to heavy
multi-tasking on my computer.
I was able to choose Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200
2.33Ghz Quad-Core OEM/Tray Processor from
the build my PC because it has 4 cores and
enough memory to satisfy my uses.

This is the printed circuit board containing the

principle components of a computer or other
device with connectors into which other circuit
boards can be slotted.

A form factor is the shape and layout of a

motherboard.
It affects where individual components go and
the shape of the computer.

ATX; is the most common form factor for a

motherboard. The board is approximately
11.2x 8.2.
BTX; this form has a different positioning of its
parts. Its processor socket is slightly rotated.
Micro-ATX ; this is a smaller version of the
standard ATX. With a maximum size of
9.6x9.6
Mini-ITX; this has a minimum size of 6.7x6.7
and it has a single expansion slot and it is way
smaller than the micro-ATX.

There are two types of sockets in a

motherboard.
LGA775 or AM2.
LGA775 is mostly for the Intel processor and
works well with it.
AM2 is mostly for the AMD processors.
They all work pretty much the same, they are
just in different processors.

SATA; is the Serial Advanced Technology

Attachment, which is the current standard
technology for connecting a hard drive to the
rest of the computer.
IDE; is the older version which is now replaced
by the SATA.
RAID; Redundant Array of Independent Disks,
this is when two or more drives work together
to enhance performance or redundancy.

This is an opening located inside the computer

on the motherboard that allows additional
boards to be connected to it.
For example if you wanted to add a video card
inside the computer you will have to buy an
expansion slot and put it on the motherboard.
I decided to choose Asus USB-AC56
802.11a/b/g/n/ac USB 3.0 Wi-Fi Adapter as
my expansion slot because it is portable and a
wireless adapter.

This is where things like keyboards, USB

memory sticks, mouse and speakers are
plugged in. There are five including;
Keyboard and mouse ports.
USB/FireWire.
Ethernet.
Serial/parallel ports.
eSATA ports.

I was able to choose Gigabyte GA-G41MTS2PT Micro ATX LGA775 Motherboard which
will nicely go with the CPU I previously chose
for building one and be enough for the space I
have.

RAM is the Random Access Memory.

This memory can be accessed randomly, that is
any byte of the memory can be accessed
without touching the preceding bytes.
It maters how much RAM a motherboard can
hold because you cannot add more into the
motherboard. So it is best to choose one that
will best fit your work.
Additional would only be needed if the current
memory you have is completely full.

Adding more RAM will enable you to do more

things at once.
I decided to choose Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x
4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory because it has
enough memory I need and it comes in a pack
of two.

This is an expansion card that allows the

computer to send graphical information to a
video display device like a projector, monitor
or TV and it has its own processor and
memory.
You will only need a video card if you are an
active gamer and does a lot of 3D graphics,
photographers and video editors.

First you should consider the memory you

need for your work.
You will then need to know how many bits you
want and ones you can afford and they range
from 54-bits up to 512-bits. These numbers
represent how quickly your information travels
from one area to another.
A good budget friendly card you should have
should be around 124-bits and it can be quite
affordable.

The one I chose is Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760

4GB WINDFORCE Video Card, because it has
enough memory, it is affordable and have
enough bits.

This is an electrical device that will affect the

performance and reliability of your entire
system.
As that consumption is measured at the wall,
multiply by the review system's power
supplies efficiency to get the output. (If you
don't know, 0.82 will be close or slightly
pessimistic.) Don't purchase a PSU just above
your requirements unless you plan not to
upgrade the system.

You should be sure that a power supply

produces enough power for computer.
You should also consider the size, shape,
running efficiency and the temperature of the
power supply, besides you definitely dont
want it to blow up on you!!
Price as well. Most of the high priced power
supplies produce the most power for the
computer.

I chose be quiet! Dark Power Pro 10 650W 80+

Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power
Supply on my pc picker because it has the
power I need and it doesnt make much noise
which is good for me.

Hard Drive

Solid State Drive

A hard drive is a basic non-volatile memory on

the computer. They are metal platters with a
magnetic coating. This coating stores any of
your data.
An SSD is similar but instead of the magnetic
coating, the data is stored in the interconnected
flash memory chips that retain the data even
when there is no data present.

Price; in general SSDs are more expensive than

hard drives but this is because the SSD is a
newer version and might have to spend a bit
more than expected.
Storage; Hard drives can hold more than SSDs
making it more price reasonable.
Speed; SSDs are way more faster.
In general I would advice you to get SSDs you
might have to spend more bucks than intended
but it is worth it when it comes to speed and
technological terms.

Hard drives tend to fail from time to time

either physically or logically.
Physically is when internal parts breakdown
due to different reasons.
Logically is when you can not access your
information saved on the drive.
You can prevent the loss of your data by
installing a second hard drive in your system in
order to back up all of your information in
your other hard drive.

I chose the Intel Pro 2500 180GB 2.5 Solid State

Drive.
I chose this because it was cost effective when it
came to the memory I needed and the maker I
trusted which is Intel. I also chose SSD because
it is the latest technology and works way faster
than the hard drive.

A PC case can help hold some parts together in

the motherboard and make it more efficient.
It can also act as a shield against all of the
external dangers like dust and stuff.

You might want to consider the following

things;
The color and size
Where you are planning to put it
Upgrade availability
How big your motherboard is
Its power supply
Its service.

I was able to choose Cooler Master HAF 922

(Black) Mid Tower Case.
I preferred a snap case because it is easier to
assemble, and open it whenever I decide to.

Passive CPU Cooling consists a heat sink

where by it draws all the heat to it instead of
the system and reduce the cooling.
Water cooling a water block is attached to the
CPU heat spreader in a similar fashion as
passive or active cooling. It allows the heat to
pass through it.
Cooling fans are the most effective way of
cooling a CPU. It starts working as soon as you
turn the computer on and cools it down from
the beginning.

I chose Cooler Master Glacer 240L 86.2 CFM

Liquid CPU Cooler because it was cost effective
and has low generation of noise with it.

Optical drives use a laser light to read data

from or write data to an optical disc. These
include CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs.
It is used to read and write data from an optical
disk(CD/DVD).

If it is DVD or Blu-ray disc, DVD is the older

version and it is very cheap and many people
prefer it because I has been around for a
longtime, while Blu-ray is a newer version and
not many people use it.
You may also consider its speed on reading the
information or write the data.
You may also consider the type of connection it
normally uses.
You definitely dont need both, one of them
works just fine.

I chose LG BH16NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD

Writer on the PC Part picker because LG is a
company I trust and the drive takes both Bluray disks and DVD/CDs so its a win-win
situation.

This is used to read information from SD and

memory cards and generate information into
the computer.
Having this will be useful just incase your
memory fills up in the card, you can easily
transfer the information to your PC.

You may want to consider things like budget

choices, like how much are you willing to
spend for one?
After that you can look at things like speed,
power and versatility, like how fast does it read
the memory and how much power it needs.
Also its versatility as in the ability of it reading
any type of card it gets.

These are devices used to either put

information or display out information.
Headphones output.

Keyboard input.

Mouse input.

Speaker output.

A monitor is a device that displays graphical

information.
It is an output device.

This is the software that supports the basic

functions of a computer such as scheduling tasks,
executing applications, and controlling
peripherals.
The differences in the operating systems between
normal PCs and Macs include; Macs are preinstalled with their system OS X and PCs come
with Microsoft windows and it is very hard to get
Apples software unless you buy a Mac while you
can easily get Microsoft Windows anywhere.
I would choose Mac because their system is up to
date and more modernized for daily uses.