how to build a pc | Page 2

new user. A c omputer used for web
surfing and writing the occasional letter does not need to be power ful in any sense, as the speed
limiting-steps are invariably the intenet connection speed and the speed you can ty pe.
A worthwhile addition to any computer is a basic printer; printed w ebpages are portable and
can be used when the computer is turned off, whether it be a recipe f or use in the kitchen or
road directions for use in the car. Also, almost everyone will need to print and send letters at
times.
A dial-up (56kbps) modem is more than adequate for web browsing, but for users who want to
do a lot of web browsing and dowloading large files, a faster modem such as DSL or cable
might be preferable.
Server
If you are going to use your computer as a server(for a lot of c lients) you will need to buy lots
of RAM and fast hard drives. Servers are more availably used in bus inesses for remote access
from clients and kiosks.

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Office Computer
For an office computer, you will not need much in the way of graphics or comput
ational power,
but you will want to spend more money on interface devices, such as an ergonomic keyboard, a
nicer printer, and a larger monitor with a sharp picture, since you may be spending a lot of time
using the computer and having to stare at the screen for long periods of time.
Gaming Computer
On the other hand, somebody who is going to be playing the latest gam es on their new
computer is going to need a lot more graphics power. However, they ma y not want to spend
much on computer peripherals such as scanners, printers, or webcameras , because they have no
interest in such devices. Note that even if you have the fastest c omputer in the world a slow
internet connection will make it useless for internet gaming.
Workstation
Some may be more interested in processing large amounts of data . For instance, processing
video, rendering, or running computer simulations. In this case the focus is primarily on CPU
speed and a common choice is dual CPUs. Gobs of memory is secondary, a nd a fine RAID
hard drive setup can be helpful. Choosing a good motherboard is critical. As is choosing the
right amount of RAM (Random Access Memory). Most newer games requi re from 512MB-
1GB of RAM
Entertainment System
Here, you'll be most interested in a silent, good-looking case des ign and, of course, a good
monitor. There's a good chance you want to use it as a Personal Video Recorder (PVR) in
which case, TV tuner cards, either integrated with the video card or se parate, should be selected
wisely.
Do I plan on overclocking my computer?
Overclocking is running components of a computer at faster interna l speeds than those for
which the components were designed. If you plan to
overclock your components, some parts
respond to overclocking better than others. If you are going to serious ly overclock your
computer, you need to do extensive research into the components you are sel ecting.
Components that respond well to