Sorry if this is a bit long of a post but this is what my uncle replied.
It might actually help some of you out and his email is tarascio@gmail.com just tell him you are Adrians friend from the modsonline forums. You can ask him basically anything about computers but dont abuse him plz! lol but heres wat he repllied to me...
The first thing you need to do is come up with a budget - how much money you have to spend is going to totally control your project, no matter what kind of project it is.
There are SO many different computer parts available, at so many prices, that there's no way to sort it out until you know how much money you have to spend.
You can build a Super-PC that costs a fortune, but it is just as fun to build a super-cheap or a super-small Mini-ITX PC.
You can buy a case for $50 and a motherboard for $50. Or, you can spend $500 on each if you want. There's a huge range.
So, the first step is deciding how much money you have, and then putting a number next to each item on this list, or deciding where you are going to get it if you are not going to buy it:
* Case + Power Supply (usually come together, but not always). About $50 on sale.
IMPORTANT: You have to decide on a Form Factor first. This is the size of the case. It determines what kind of motherboard you can fit in the case. The common sizes these days are:
1. ATX - the oldest, largest, most common standard. ATX cases are big enough to hold the most powerful motherboards
2. Micro ATX - a medium size case that has become more popular lately.
3. Mini-ITX - the newest, ultra-small, ultra-low-power size. I think they're pretty cool, even if they're not the most powerful systems. Plus, smaller + less power usually means cheaper to build.
So, learn about the three form factors ATX, Micro-ATX and Mini-ITX, and pick one that you will base your "build" on.
* Motherboard. There are hundreds of these, at every price from $39 to over $1,000. This must be the same size as your case. Good brands are Asus, Supermicro, MSI, Gigabyte, FIC, etc. IMPORTANT: this part MUST work with (or "support" in computer jargon) the CPU (main processor) that you buy. The RAM chips you buy must also be the right kind and speed to work with the motherboard and CPU you have. Sometimes, it is easier and cheaper to buy a "bundle" deal on all three (motherboard + CPU + RAM) together. I've seen deals like that for $130 or so.
* RAM (don't need if you buy a motherboard bundle). Your RAM must be matched to the motherboard and CPU speed. The current popular type is DDR2, and there are a few different speeds. As long as the speed you buy is equal to or faster than your CPU, you're OK.
* CPU (don't need if you buy a motherboard bundle). Your CPU must be supported by (in other words, work with) your motherboard, and you must have the proper cooler for your CPU if it does not come with one (they usually do). Even older CPUs are fast enough to work well.
* Video card. Sometimes this is built right on the motherboard, but most get plugged in to a PCI Express slot reserved for the video card. Can be cheap or VERY expensive. If building a cheap computer, it's obviously better to have this built-in to the motherboard.
* Hard drive. Pretty cheap these days, especially for a "small" one, but even the "small" ones are very big! These have "form factors" too, just make sure your case can fit the size hard drive. The two main sizes are 3.5 inch (normal) or 2.5 inch (laptop). This is a good thing to ask around for, sometimes you can get an old one that still works, for free.
* Monitor. Not too cheap, but maybe you can ask around for a used one someone doesn't want.
* CD drive for booting & installing software. A cheap one is probably $25. Another good used item, if not too beat up.
* Operating system. Vista is very expensive, and a real hog of everything. XP is only sold with certain new computers now, and nobody can sell it (except on e-bay) after next month. Best bet is to get XP for cheap somewhere, perhaps "grey market," or use a free os like Ubuntu.
If you go with Ubuntu, you should make sure the peripherals (video card, motherboard, etc.) work well with it. In other words, you have to be more careful that the motherboard, disks, audio and USB will work OK with Linuxes like Ubuntu.
The big benefits to using a free operating system is:
1. You'll learn a lot about how serious computers (the ones that need to run for years without crashing) work. Windows can't run for years without crashing.
2. They're free, so there are a lot of great free programs for them.
3. You can do everything you can do with Windows, except play all the Windows games, which if you want to surf the net, email and learn, who cares.
4.
* Keyboard, mouse. Cheap, but still cost $, so you have to put these in the budget, too!
Anyway, that's a place to start. Make that list, and write some numbers in it. Maybe you can ask for some of the parts you need as presents, or ask for money and save for the things you need.
