Me? Build a computer?
Why not? Without wishing to minimise the learning and building processes involved, putting together a computer is an attainable project and one that many students and teachers are now undertaking.
First, let’s demolish some expectations. “Building a PC” says Roger Frost, one of Online’s technology gurus, “is like growing up a baby. Fun, educational and not cheap.” Nowadays it’s unlikely you’ll be able to build a regular no frills PC for less than the big hardware companies. If it’s a specialist graphics or music-based machine then, yes, you might save money, but not much.
That said, building your own computer can be an immensely satisfying experience with two clear benefits. The completed machine will be exactly tailored to the user’s requirements and more "future-proof" than a commercial PC built with proprietary parts.
The most time consuming and important part of the whole process is the pre-planning and part ordering stage. An experienced technician would expect to assemble a PC from scratch in around three hours. That’s considerably less time than deciding what type of machine to build and where and how to buy the components.
Decide on your budget and objectives and stick to them. High-end processors and state-of-the art graphics and sound cards can easily eat up an entire budget so always be aware of the relationship between cost and performance.
Build from scratch or buy a "barebones" kit that, as the name suggests, is a partly assembled unit; typically case, power supply (PSU), fan and motherboard. The basic advantage of going barebones is time saving. Disadvantages? First, you’ll not learn as much about computers, second, as the supplier will be trying to keep costs down, quality is not always assured. If your build specification calls for a fast processor, two hard drives and high-end graphics card you’ll need a hefty power supply. Suddenly, that barebones system with a puny 250 watts doesn’t seem such a bargain.
The core components of the computer will be: case (usually fitted with power unit, fan, cables), motherboard (this includes processor chip, heat sink and memory modules), hard drive(s), removable drive units (floppy, CD-RW, DVD-RW) and graphics and sound cards. PCI slots (they’re on the lower back of the case) accommodate your particular connection and sound/graphic card requirements. Typically these would be a mixture of the following; sound and/or graphics card (plugged in at the top of the PCI bus), additional USB and Firewire/IEEE 1394 ports, (Firewire has become established as the de facto connection for DV camcorders and is an option on some printers), network point(Ethernet and/or wi-fi) and a modem connection .
It’s preferable to have at least one USB and Firewire connection on the front of the case for devices such as camcorders that are frequently plugged and unplugged. If the PC is going to be used for music a MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) connection is essential. Although it’s gradually being supplanted by USB, the MIDI connection is still the most common way that digital keyboards and equipment communicate.
RAM memory and hard-drive capacity are crucial to the success of your project Microsoft recommends 128 Megabytes of RAM for the XP Professional operating system (OS) Any sort of digital sound/image manipulation software is RAM intensive so think of 1gigabyte of RAM as a minimum.
Similarly, modern software takes up a huge amount of hard drive space. Adobe Creative Suite 2, for instance, weighs in at over 2 gigabytes, Encyclopedia Britannica at a super-sumo 4. It really isn’t worth skimping on hard drive space, especially as units are relatively cheap at the moment. There’s much to be said for installing 2 hard drives with the operating system )OS) on the master drive and data – images, text, etc – on the slave or secondary drive. Windows XP’s disk management tool makes it easy to partition and reformat hard drives so why not create a partition for the OS and related software? That way, if you need to reformat or reinstall an operating system it’s going to be a lot less hassle.
When all the hardware is ready to be assembled check you need two essential commodities - infinite care and extreme patience. Finely manufactured parts such as RAM modules and PCI cards are usually designed so that they can only be fitted one way. That doesn’t mean, however, that seating a multi-pin cable or board is necessarily a straightforward procedure. Remember, a three-hour from-scratch build is strictly for professionals. Think maybe a day rather than hours.
Not so peripheral
The most basic decisions that are made when building a computer should ensure that the machine is reliable and meets the original design criteria (eg processor speed, RAM memory and hard drive capacity). But there’s a second tier of decision making and component selection that can greatly enhance both personal productivity and enjoyment.
Whether you’re archiving sounds or images, producing music or movies, a DVD writer/player is indispensable. In some ways, it’s the hub of the multimedia experience. And as those video and sound files get larger and larger, the need for fast burning and capacious storage becomes more imperative. One of the consortium that originally developed the DVD format, Pioneer, has just launched a new selection of machines. At £30 for an internal-drive, the DVR-110D represents good value for money supporting 8x Dual/Double Layer and 16x write speeds on both DVD-R/+R media. That 8.5 gigabyte capacity? It’s a fair amount of iPod/MP3 files.
Got a digicam and a phone that takes pictures? Then you’ll need a multi-card reader. If you are using a number of different cards or are thinking of changing cameras or moving to another format it makes sense to buy a unit that can read as many formats as possible. Fujifilm’s new range definitely falls into the “objects of desire” category with trendy blue, back-lit illumination. Take a look at the DCR2 - 161 (£35). This can read and write to all popular memory cards and also offers 3 USB 2 ports. And, as we all know, you can never have enough of those.
The price of wireless and Bluetooth peripherals has plummeted in the past few years and the post-Christmas sales could be a good time to check out some of the newer keyboards and mice. The “walkability” of wireless equipment is a serious consideration admittedly, but some of the new products from market leaders Logitech and Microsoft are certainly worth looking at. Both companies now offer mice with highly-accurate laser tracking and both have a good selection of keyboards. Notebook users will want to check out Logitech’s V400 (£30), a well designed, compact, cordless laser mouse, while anyone doing extensive digital editing cannot fail to be impressed by the Logitech DiNovo 2 (£125) and Microsoft Optical 5000 (£55) keyboard and mouse package. The Optical 5000 keyboard - bundled with Microsoft’s Digital Image Suite – has an extremely useful magnification slider for viewing those images in detail and a set of configurable buttons for the most commonly used editing functions.
Fed up of webcams with inferior lenses and limited software support? Creative’s new Webcam Live! range is worth considering. These employ face-tracking technology to “follow” subjects as they move. Top model, the WebCam Live Motion (£80) has a software -controlled motorised pan-and-tilt function and an excellent wide-angle lens that works well in all sorts of light conditions and can be zoomed for optimum effect.
|
Software
Acquiring more than a basic knowledge of your operating system is essential if you want to maximise the new computer’s potential. Windows OS, XP, has some very powerful tools that can monitor and restore software settings, partition and compress your hard drive and allocate memory more effectively. Use Device Manager to ensure that all the components are working and have the proper drivers.
“If you royally jack your BIOS, you can toast your system,” says technology journalist Wayne Hardman. You can’t say plainer than that! Going "into the BIOS" is an essential part of configuring your computer. But do be careful. If in any doubt opt for the “restore all settings’ option and make a speedy exit.
Tools
Non-magnetic slotted and Philips head screwdrivers.
Socket or Hex drivers. Many of the screws have heads that fit hex drivers. This reduces the chance of dropping these little items into the case
Long-nosed pliers, tweezers or a retriever tool with a set of spring-loaded fingers that can retrieve any escapees.
Plastic zip ties. Keep cables where they should be and improve the airflow inside the computer.
Grounding strap that attaches to wrist or ankle and ensures that static electricity is not introduced.
Multimeter for checking voltages and current in the computer. Principally to make sure that the power supply is healthy but also to check voltage levels on connectors.
Flashlight (ideally with a gooseneck attachment) and mirror.
RESOURCES
|
