Components Required For Building Custom PC

Trying To Build A PC ! 

If you are going to build a pc then you must be aware of some of the important components of pc that you will be needing to built it. Building a PC is a slightly difficult process and the builder must have little knowledge about its components and wiring. Two steps involved are :

1. Buying components compatible to each other. 

2. Setting up of components into PC cabinet and wiring correctly. 

Components Required To Build a PC

Before buying of computer parts you should be familiar with the components. If you don't know what you are buying then how could you even think of building it. 

• Processor :- It is the brain of PC. Intel and AMD processors are available in the market. AMD processors are good for gaming as they have more clock speed per core but emits large amount of heat. So if you are going with AMD then you must have excellent cooling system. On the other hand Intel performs as all rounder. It doesn't emit much heat as compared to AMD. AMD processors are more cheaper than than Intel. Almost all Intel processor provides an integrated GPU called Intel HD Graphics or Intel Iris which may run games at low to medium settings but uses system RAM to run games. Some exceptional processor like Intel i5 9th gen comes with and without an Integrated GPU. Similarly AMD also comes with Integrated GPU called Vega 8, Vega 11 in Ryzen series processor. A processor without integrated GPU will be less costly than with GPU so if you are building PC for gaming then you are definitely buying a good dedicated GPU so you can save money by going for processor without integrated GPU. As integrated GPU will always have less gaming performance than dedicated one. 

• RAM :- It acts as temporary memory. When we play games or watch videos, they use certain amount of RAM. More the size of RAM, less chances of hanging and bottleneck of performance. Higher the RAM, more multitasking can be done without any lag. DDR3 RAMs are used for lower spec PC whereas DDR4 RAMs are used for medium to higher spec PCsPCs as they have higher clock speed. 

• Motherboard :- It connects all other components of PC together. Motherboard is determined mainly by type of processor. Some Motherboards are for gaming purpose as in it easy overclocking options will be available. Different motherboards have different processor socketse. E.g. LGA, PGA sockets supports for for Intel processors whereas AM3, AM3+, AM4 supports for AMD processors. PCI express of graphic card should also match that of the motherboard. Otherwise they will not work properly. 

• HDD/SSD :- They are storege components of a PC. They are available in 500Gb, 1Tb, 2Tb etc. More the storage, less chances of lagging due to insufficient storage. SSD is more faster in data transfering and processing than HDD. So if you install your windows in SSD then your PC will boot up very fast as compared to HDD. But yes, SSD is also double expensive than a HDD. If you buy a 256 Gb SSD for 3000 Rs. then same at that price you can go for 1Tb of HDD. 

• Power Supply Unit (PSU) :- Its purpose is to supply power to PC. Its also called SMPS. It directs the electric current from AC socket and distributes to all components of PC. PSU should be purchased carefully. PSU of different watts are available in market. Before buying you should be aware of how much watts does each components of your PC will use. If you are setting up a high end PC then you will definitely need a Higher power supply and should go for 750 - 1000 w PSU. But if its a low end or medium end, then you can go for 450 - 750 w PSU. You can calculate an approximate total watt with respect to components you buy or you can use online PSU watt calculators. Note, if power supply watt is less than total watt used by your PC components then it can damage your PC as components will not get sufficient current to operate. 

• Graphics Card (GPU) :- This is the main component which determines your PCs gaming strength. If you don't know what's GPU then you should read my previous blog (click here). Low, medium and high end GPUs are available in market. If you want your PC for office works, projects and very little gaming then you should go for low end GPU and spend more money on processor. On the other hand if you want it for gaming then you should go for atleast medium to high end GPU. Remember one thing, higher the GPU, higher be processor. If you buy a high end graphic card like GTX 1080 and spend less money on processor like Intel i3 then your system will definitely bottleneck. You should minimum have Intel i5 9th or 10th gen processor or AMD ryzen 7 to utilize your GPUs maximum capacity. Not only processor but motherboard and RAM is also very important aspect. If you have DDR5 GPU but your motherboard only supports maximum of DDR3 GPU then your games may run but will have very low FPS and may lag. Sometimes your PC will automatically shut down frequently due to incompatibility of graphic card with motherboard. Similarly if you buy a DDR5 graphic card and combine it with a DDR3 RAM then also your GPU and processor will be bottlenecked as they have less speed as compared to DDR4 RAMs. And also capacity of RAM is also important. For entry gaming spec minimum 8 Gb of DDR4 RAM is necessary. Another very important thing is cooling. If you are buying a graphic card for gaming purposr only then you should go for twin fan cooling GPU. When you play high end games for long hours then the graphic cards are likely to warm up and may lead to decreased FPS. Having two cooling fans and good heat sink material will allow GPU to run for long hours and are better than single fan in long run. Other than cooling system, V-RAM of graphic card is also very important. Good gaming PC should have minimum 4Gb of V-RAM. While playing high graphic consuming games, if the V-RAM of GPU is insufficient then it will start using system RAM and can result in decreased over all performance. 

• Cooling System :- Most important thing that a gaming PC should have is an excellent cooling system. Imagine a situation where you buy expensive high end graphic card along with a powerful processor and other components but spends less on cooling system. You will not be able to run that PC for even atleast half an hour. After that it may shutdown due to overheating and may cause damage to GPU or Motherboard. For a low end PC, stock cooler available with the processor should be sufficient but for a medium to high end PC powerful cooling system is necessary. You can go for a wraith cooler provided by AMD for a medium end PC. But for high end, liquid cooling system is necessary. 

• PC Cabinet :- Finally comes the housing of the components i.e. PC cabinet. Different sizes of cabinets are available in the market e.g. ATX, mid-tower etc. Size of the cabinet is determined by components you buy. If a high end gaming system is the target then size of graphic card and motherboard also increase whereas for low end system, mini ATX cabinet is sufficient. Another important aspect related with cabinet is the exhaust fans. For a good gaming system good exhaust system is also necessary. Imagine a situation where you built a system with high end components and excellent cooler but provided only one single exhaust fan at the back of cabinet. No doubt, definitely your system will be damaged by accumulation of heat generated by the components. For a low end PC, a single fan may be sufficient depending on its components but for a mid-high range PC 3 or 4 exhaust fans will be necessary. Different cabinets are available which provide multiple exhaust fans (one at back and 3/2/1 at front. Some cabinets also provide rgb lighting to their fans. 

Conclusion Note :-

Main components which are required for a gaming pc has been discussed above. You can also add DVD drive if you want. In modern day DVDs, CDs are not used that much that's why its not included in main components. If you are seeking for performance then you should concentrate more on processor and if you are building it for gaming then you should spend more on graphic card. You may also use Nvidia SLI or AMD cross bridge to use two graphic cards in one PC for ultra gaming.