Part One Build your Own PC

Building your own PC at home is not quite the feat of magic may people thing it is. In this next series of articles Richard is going show you the parts you need and how to assemble your computer and install Windows 7 or 8.

To start you are going to have to determine where you will purchase your parts. If you do not discount electronics store close by, you can purchase all the components you'll need online at www.newegg.com or www.tigerdirect.com. I have used both. I use newegg because it's a bit easier to find the parts I'm looking for and the brands I choose to work with.

The first component you need to decide on is the case. There are myriad of choices. For this series I'm going to stick to the smallest of the tower cases The Mini Tower, the most popular by far for the typical home user. While this series will focus on the mini tower case, all the instruction work for whatever size case and motherboard you choose to use.
 
I cannot stress enough the importance of a good solid case made of a heavy gauge steel. One of the best I've found  for everyday use is the In Win brand. The IN WIN Z583T.CQ350TB3L is a solid, well built, well ventilated component. The case is considered tool less because you need a minimum amount of tools (Phillips head screwdriver) to complete the assembly of your components.


This case comes with a 350 Watt Power supply, adequate for your basic PC with on board Video, Sound and LAN. The prices for this case runs between $65 -- $76.

Among some of the other great brand names available are,

In Win
Cooler Master 
NZXT
Antec

One added note, many of the high end cases come without a power supplies so be aware of that when selecting your case. If you decide to go for a more powerful system a 550 watt power supply is recommended.

Next: Motherboard, Processor & RAM.