Build Your Own PC

You can easily build your own PC, with all the specifications you want. Here's a checklist of items you may need:

Motherboard

Cost from £55

The main part of your PC, the motherboard connects all the other peripherals together. You can ones with built in soundcards, video cards, modems, and other items, so you might not need to buy so many items.

Memory

Cost from £50

Memory can be complex thing to buy, so check the recommendations of the motherboard manufacturer. Some shops do bundled deals with motherboard, memory and processors. Get at least 512MB, but the more the better.

Processor

Cost from £100

The brain of your PC, this is usually either an AMD or Intel chip. This will depend on the motherboard as they are usually built for a particular type of processor. Don't forget to get one with a fan to keep it cool.

Case

Cost from £25

Everything else goes inside this, so pick one that you like the look of. Most cases come with a power supply, but check for extras like case fans, front USB sockets and space for hard drives/CD drives.

Hard Disc

Cost from £35

Hard disc drives are growning in size all the time, so go for the biggest that you can afford. Speed is only really important if you want to capture analogue video, but size is equally important as captured video takes a lot of space.

DVD Re-Writer

Cost from £45

Burn your own data, video or picture discs, using either rewritable or once only discs. DVD Re-Writers can also burn CDs and the new ones can also burn a design on the top of the disc, instead of you having to print a label.

Video Card

Cost from £60

If you want to play games, get a fast video card with plenty of memory on board. This can be an AGP card, or the newer PCI-Express type, depending on what your motherboard can take. If you don't have a digital camcorder and you want to capture video, make the video card has a video in. A video out can be used to play your pictures/video/games on your television. Newer games will require the latest hardware features of video cards, so as always, buy the best card you can afford.

Modem

Cost from £10

Not everyone has or needs a broadband connection, so you might need to get a dial up modem if you want to get email or surf the internet. Your PC will need to be near your telephone socket.

Monitor

Cost from £170

You can choose between a regular monitor or a flat screen one, depending on the space you have. You could of course have both, if you have two outputs on your video card. Modern monitors use a digital input, but video cards usually supply an adapter to use on analogue monitors.

Keyboard

Cost from £5

You still need this if you want to input anything, but the range can vary, with extra buttons added to help with surfing the internet or playing media files. You can get cordless keyboards, but if you can move 25 feet away from your computer, will you be able to see the screen?

Mouse

Cost from £10

The mouse really should be optical (which means no rubberball or mousemat needed) but you can get a bluetooth or cordless one. If you play games, you may find that the cordless ones don't respond quick enough.

Floppy Drive

Cost from £6

The 3.5" floppy is not strictly needed these days, as you can boot from CD (as most operating systems install this way) or from a USB drive, but as the cost is so cheap, you might as well get one. You probably have files on floppy disc that you anyway.

Card Reader

Cost from £20

If you have a digital camera, a dedicated card reader can make it easier to transfer your photos to your PC, especially if you don't have a docking station or want to fiddle with USB cables.

Speakers

Cost from £17

Unless you're going to plug your PC into your hi-fi, you'll need speakers to hear your CDs, video and audio files. Get the best that you can afford, as tiny speakers really don't help.

Bear in mind that if you upgrade your PC, you can use some of the old items in your new PC. The list above doesn't include those extras you might want, like a firewire card if you have a digital camcorder with DV out, a printer, or a scanner.

Don't forget that once you've built your PC, you'll need to install an operating system and software, which can add a considerable cost.