So you’re interest in building a computer? Well, you’ve come to the right place – Chi Systems specializes in custom PC builds – from the cheapest internet-only machine, to the biggest and best gaming machine you can dream up!
There is one problem – what options do you have in building a custom PC? What parts are required for a successful build? This guide is designed to help answer your questions and help you decide what parts you would like in your new Chi System!
Case
The case is perhaps one of the most important components that is selected during a custom PC build. While the case has no real part in processing or interpreting data – it contributes greatly to the overall aesthetic feel of the machine and allows for upgradablility.
Picking a case should be one of the first choices that go into creating your custom machine. Select a case that 1) you like aesthically, you will be looking at it for likely years to come and 2) offers you the features you may desire.
The aesthics are a given – what do you think looks cool? Pick something that really suites your taste. However, the features of a case are not as well known. Many higher end cases are have many great features such as quick swap drive bays, external connectors and options for water cooling. Consider the machine you are building, and pick a case that will match the parts you plan to have in the machine.
If you aren’t quite sure what you need, feel free to ask one of our qualified technicians!
Power Supply
The power supply has a very important role – providing power for your system, however, deciding on a power supply is often a very simple process. Based on the amount of hardware you plan to put into your custom machine and it’s power requirements - one of our technicians will be able to suggest a certain mega wattage for your power supply – that is, how much power the power supply can generate safely.
Motherboard
The motherboard is similar to the highways and byways of the country. The motherboard is where all of the components of the computer are plugged in. Through the motherboard, all of the various components of the computer are able to communicate with each other.
Important things to look for in a motherboard include the number of PCI slots, the CPU socket type, memory capacity and overall level of connectivity.
Processor
The processor is often called the “brain” of the computer. This small chip processes most of the data that runs through the computer. The faster the processor, the more data per second the processor can process and overall, the faster your computer will be. In a processor, look for the frequency (often mentioned in gigahertz – 3.2GHz for example) as well as the number of cores. A multi-core processor essentially has several smaller processors that are able to split up the work load and more evenly distribute data processing – in short, it’s faster!
Memory
The memory, or the RAM (random access memory) of a computer is used as a temporary storage device. When the hard drive feeds data into the computer, it must be stored somewhere while waiting to be processed by the processor – the RAM fills this role. RAM can have different effects on the speed of the computer depending on the other components and the use of the computer. For most purposes, 8GB (gigabytes) to 12GB will be sufficient, assuming you will be doing graphically intensive computing such as playing video games or editing videos.
Graphics Card
The graphics card, also called the GPU (graphics processing unit) is essentially a second processor that is dedicated to processing graphical data. A better video card will allow the computer to increase the overall frame rate of video games (this means the games will run smooth instead of choppy) as well as increase the graphics settings in the games you play. For a gamer, a high quality video card is essential.
Hard Drives
The hard drive acts as the computer’s long term memory. When you install a new piece of software, download a picture or move an icon to the other side of the screen, data is saved on the hard drive to allow the computer to “remember” things that were done previously. Major points to consider when deciding on a hard drive include the capacity – which is either in GB (gigabytes) or TB (terabytes). Terabyte hard drives are becoming more and more common and we feel most people will want a large drive such as this. To put it into perspective, a terabyte is 1,000 gigabytes, in other words – its A LOT of storage! Beyond the storage capacity, consider the RPM (spin speed of the hard drive) which will allow the hard drive to load data faster.
Accessories
Be sure to consider any other accessories you may want with your new Chi Systems build – CD/DVD drives, burners, a nice new Logitech keyboard and mouse set – these are going to be the polishing features to your new machine, be sure to take them into consideration!
We hope this has made your custom build a little easier – should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact one of our technicians at help@chi-systems.com to assist you with picking out the parts for your new build.
