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What will be the main function of the computer?

If you're going to build a computer from scratch for a specific purpose, you'll want to keep that purpose in mind when choosing your components; don't just go to the store or an online shop and start buying components. First, decide what you want to use the computer for. The reason you have to consider this is that you may be able to save money by only specifying expensive, premium components where needed. Choosing a main function does not necessarily limit the capabilities of the pc you build, it just allows you to focus on whats most important to you and therefore better allocate your resources.

Many differing speeds of computer can offer Internet browsing and word-processing capabilities; however, one computer might be faster than another at such tasks. For an office computer, the main components for speed are the processor, memory (RAM), system bus, and hard drive. If the computer is for gaming, the addition of a high-end graphics accelerator expansion card also becomes a major area which greatly affects computing performance and speed.

Simple web surfer

The most important tip is not to go overboard. Basic users can easily get by without the latest gadgets, and although it is easy to get caught up in the hype, you simply do not need to pay a significant amount of money for a computer intended for a new user. A computer used for web surfing and writing the occasional letter does not need to be powerful in any sense, as the speed-limiting steps are invariably the Internet connection speed and the speed at which you can type.

A worthwhile addition to any computer is a basic printer; printed webpages are portable and can be used when the computer is turned off, whether it be a recipe for use in the kitchen or road directions for use in the car. Also, almost everyone will need to print and send letters at times.

These days, a dial-up (56kbps) modem is no longer adequate for web browsing, since so many sites now have Active-X, Flash and other content which demands a fast connection (if the user is not to spend a lot of time waiting for pages to download). Modernly, for anyone who will be using the Internet often, a faster connection (at least 1Mbits per second) is a must.

Server

If you are going to use your computer as a server (for a lot of clients) you will need to buy lots of RAM, fast hard drives, one or more processors or processor cores, and good network hardware. Graphics and sound are not important. Servers are more availably used in businesses for remote access from clients and kiosks.

Office computer

For an office computer, you will not need much in the way of graphics or computational 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. Also invest in productivity software and a client edition of your operating system (if working from a remote location).

Gaming computer

On the other hand, somebody who is going to be playing the latest games on their new computer is going to need a lot more graphics power. A powerful graphics card from nVidia or ATI is practically a must. A fast gaming processor such as the Athlon 64 line or Core 2 Duo would be very useful, too. However, they may not want to spend much on computer peripherals such as scanners, printers, or webcameras because they have no interest in such devices. Most newer games require anywhere from 1GB to 4GB of RAM. A DSL or cable internet connection is a necessity for multiplayer gaming - even if you have the fastest computer 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 or CPU cores. Gobs of memory is secondary, and 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). Depending on the application, you may need a decent video card. However, most workstation applications will work fine on a value-line video card, since they usually use fairly simple graphics compared to video games. For specific video applications, a video card with specific features may be needed.

Entertainment system

Here, you'll be most interested in a silent, good-looking case design and, of course, a good monitor. There's a good chance you want to use it as a Personal Video Recorder (PVR or DVR for Digital Video Recorder) in which case TV tuner cards, either integrated with the video card or separate, should be selected wisely.

GMP CoolMax CS-460 - tower - ATX ( 81003 )