I have my new computer up and running! After I put the compatible CPU in the motherboard, the computer came up as expected. I have been busy loading software and transferring files from my old computer to the new computer. Of course I have also been playing with the new software too!

It gives me such a sense of accomplishment to have built my own computer and have it working. All it takes is a little research to find the right parts for the price you can afford. If you go with parts that are not the latest and greatest you could build your own computer for around $500. If you want to go with all the latest Intel Processor, motherboard, etc. then you may spend above $3000.

You can find all the information you need to build your computer online by doing a Google search for “computer hardware reviews” or searching for “motherboard manufacturer”. The first goal is to find a compatible CPU and motherboard. The motherboard will determine what type of RAM you need. Motherboards can only use certain types of RAM modules. Once you select the motherboard, you can select the size of RAM that will work in the motherboard. Check with the motherboard specifications for the type and size of modules to use.

Your motherboard may have support for E-IDE or SATA drives, so you will need to decide which type of drive to use. If possible you may want to use SATA, because it is faster and you can get large capacity hard drives. SATA is the newer type of drive, so it may cost more to use SATA instead of E-IDE.

The graphics card that you choose will depend on what you want to do with your computer. If you use word processors and surf the internet with your computer then you could use a cheaper graphics card with less RAM. If you use your computer to play games or use graphics editors, then you may want to get a newer model with more and faster RAM. The size and type of monitor that you select will depend on what you use your computer for as well. LED monitors are fairly cheap at this time and it is easy to find a good size LED monitor in your price range.

You may want to get a DVD Burner/Drive for your computer. You can find these fairly inexpensive and with multiple formats to suit any of your needs. You can use the burner as your CD/DVD drive as well, or choose to get a separate CD/DVD drive so that you do not wear out the burner for every day use.

Most motherboards have integrated sound. You can choose to use the on board sound driver, or get a separate sound card. This will depend on what you use your computer for. If you compose or edit music with your computer then you may want to get a higher priced sound card that has inputs for various audio devices and better sound quality for output. Your selection of speakers will also depend on your use and applications.

There is a wide range of keyboard and mouse input devices. Your selection will depend on your applications and your tastes.

You may also want to consider getting a memory card reader for your computer. This will enable you to load photos from your digital camera memory module directly to your computer by plugging the memory module into the reader. This may be faster then connecting your camera to your computer. I find it a lot easier for my own use. Memory cards are also used for MP3 players and MP4 players. This will allow you to load files directly to the memory card instead of connecting the player, and may be a faster way to transfer large music and video files.

These are the basic components of a personal computer. You can add other components as you see fit for your own needs.

I wish you success in all your legitimate business ventures and in your every day life too!

Sincerely,

Jim Van Dyke

The King of Scripts

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… C: wait… SD: wait…

Back on November 10, I wrote a post about my new computer. I had bought the parts and was looking forward to building my latest computer. I decided on the fastest AMD CPU and a GigaByte Motherboard that I thought would handle the CPU. I picked the motherboard because it had the capacity for 16GB of RAM. I could only find 2GB modules at the fastest speed, which added up to 8GB of RAM (4 modules). I figure I can upgrade later to get 16GB of RAM.

I wanted the large amount of RAM because I do a lot of graphics and video editing. This is a hobby that I have, and I am using for my business. I also bought the Adobe Creative Suite Master Collection. This has all the latest graphics, video and website tools available. So, I wanted to make sure I have enough RAM to run these high end programs.

I probably should have taken extra time to research the compatibilities of the hardware, etc. But, I was excited about the new software and getting a new computer to run the software. On November 14, I wrote a post about a problem that I had when I built my computer and tried to turn it on. I got a black screen and the monitor had a message that there was no graphics input. I first suspected the graphics card and called up the Tech Support for the Graphics card. The person told me that my power supply was not putting out enough power to run the graphics card. I had to buy a new power supply to replace the one that came with the computer case.

I get the power supply and installed it. I still had a black screen with the error message…. Now I decide there must be a problem with the motherboard or the CPU. I call Tech Support for the motherboard. The person has me go through different steps to troubleshoot the motherboard. I had already tried most of the tests. After a while the person told me that the motherboard or CPU may be bad. I did not have a motherboard that would support the CPU or another CPU to test which component was bad, so the person suggested I send both back to the vendor for replacement.

I go through the process to get the RMA and then send everything back. I get the replacements parts yesterday. I figure that the new parts should work and once again I am excited as I put together all the pieces. Then I turn it on. Black screen and error message again…. Now I am really getting upset. I have spent all this time building and tearing down my computer and still it does not work. I call up GigaByte Tech Support and this time I ask about the compatibility of the motherboard and the CPU. The person looks up the serial number of the motherboard and finds out that the BIOS will not support the CPU.

If you know anything about BIOS, then you know that you can not upgrade the BIOS without running the computer. There is no way to upgrade the BIOS with a CPU that does not work with the current BIOS. I asked the person what was the fastest CPU that the BIOS would support. I then bought another CPU for my computer. By the time you go through all the hassle to install a CPU and heatsink, it does not make much sense to replace it after upgrading the BIOS.

This has turned out to be the most frustrating computer project I have ever had. I will not get the new CPU until Friday or Monday, depending on when it ships. I do not know if this will be the fix or not, but it does seem like it was incompatibility with the CPU and the motherboard. If only I had taken the time to research more about them….

I have never had problems like this before. Usually I get the parts and build the computer and it works. There are a lot of advantages in building your own system. For one thing you can get more computer for less money. You can get the graphics card of your choice. The biggest reason is to avoid getting an integrated system where everything is on the motherboard. This is a bad thing especially when the graphics fail. It seems crazy to put all your eggs in one basket. Then you have to change the whole motherboard to replace the graphics or sound. It is hard to find a motherboard without integrated sound, so this is still a problem, but you can still run without sound. It is hard to run without video.

Now it is your turn. Let us know about your computer projects or upgrades. We would like to hear about your successes or problems you may have faced. Enter your comments below. If the comments box is not seen below this post, then please click on the title of this post to open the post with the comments.

I wish you success in all your legitimate business ventures and in your every day life too!

Sincerely,

Jim Van Dyke

The King of Scripts