So with Starcraft 2 release just around the corner I felt the incredible urge to build a whole new rig for myself in this momentous occasion.

Why build a computer?

Well lots of reasons, it’s easier to upgrade a custom built computer, which beats buying a new rig every couple years. Your computer will be much faster than a low end Dell, HP, or Gateway because you’ll be picking the components. Rather than Dell using cheap OEM components to keep the price down. You’ll also know where your money is going and able to get a bigger bang for your buck.

Dolla Dolla Bills Y’all

First thing before you even start thinking about your components is your budget. How much are you willing to spend?

It is completely possible to spend less than $1000 and have a pretty fast and powerful computer. Just keep in mind that if you want the newest and greatest components they will cost way more than they are worth. So I would suggest buying the components one step down. You can always upgrade later.

For this build my budget is about $1200. I’m aiming to build a gaming rig capable of PC gaming, photo and video editing. So it needs to be a little more powerful than your average use, but not blazing over the top. Now that you have your budget in mind, you can start looking for components. There are so many possibilities when choosing parts. Want 24GB of Ram? There’s a motherboard for that. Want 2 solid state hard drivers? Sure! 4 hard drives? Why the hell not?! The possibilities are endless, the only thing limiting you is your wallet.

But I’m not going to go over all those possibilities, that’s for you to decided. I decided to go with what I absolutely needed.

So parts do you need?

Listed below are the bare essentials you will need.

• Motherboard
• Processor
• Memory
• Hard Drive
• Power Supply*
• Case*
• CD/DVD Drive
• Video Card*

Note: Most (not all) cases come with a power supply. Also some motherboards have integrated video so a video card isn’t an absolute essential. Most motherboards also come with integrated network and sound ports.

Listed below are some optional components.

• Sound Card
• Monitor
• Speakers
• Keyboard and Mouse
• Misc.

I really won’t be going into detail on the optional components, if at all. If you have a previous computer chances are they are compatible with your new one. As ar as the sound card most motherboards come with integrated sound and that is what I’ll be using.

The Processor

The first component I looked for was my CPU, the biggest choice you’ll have building your computer.

AMD or Intel?

There is no right or wrong choice, but personal preference and research. I’m not going to tell you which one brand you should get that decision will partially be based on what you will be using your rig for. For my personal opinion based off of experience and research if you are staying pretty strict to a budget go with AMD. As AMD does offer more for your dollar. For example, if you have a budget of $75-150 on your CPU you’ll get a better performing CPU from AMD rather than Intel at that same price range.

However, if you don’t mind spending a little more at the higher end Intel’s CPUs are better. Intel’s i7 runs better and faster than AMDs Phenom II processor (depending on your setup of course), it takes up less power and runs a little cooler. But you have to keep in mind Intel is a  little more expensive too.

For my personal choice I went with the Intel Core i7 930 Bloomfield Quad Core Processor. I decided to go with Intel because of several factors.

• I planned a decent amount of my budget to go to my CPU and motherboard so spending the extra money was planned and ok.
• From past experiences AMD didn’t hold up too well for my gaming, video and photo editing. (Not all at the same time.)
• I am a HUGE multitasker and my past Intels have always been able to keep up.

Motherboard

Now that you have your CPU chosen you can find the motherboard you need. By looking at the specs on the CPU you can see the CPU socket type is a LGA 1366 with a FSB QPI 4.81GT/s. By narrowing your search this way it will ensure you that your motherboard will match your processor. By choosing additional specs such as RAID, onboard video, memory slots, price, etc. you will further refine your search and zero in more on the board you are looking for.

Also keep in mind the form factor of the motherboard. If you buy an ATX motherboard, the computer case will need to be ATX also.

The motherboard I chose is the ASUS P6X58D Premium.

Memory, Memory, Memory….. How much?

This surprisingly was a little tough for me to decide on. The hard part wasn’t deciding what brand or type to get, but really how much memory I would need.

Almost everyone will say the more memory the better and faster. In fact my motherboard is rated to handlee up to 24GB! Of course I don’t need that much, my computer would be so fast it’d be able to read my mind…..*silence* ok bad joke, but 24GB is still overkill. Plus that would cost me a kidney. According to Microsoft’s website it’s recommended that 1GB of RAM for 32-bit and 2GB for 64-bit. If you plan to utilize the XP mode feature I’d bump up those requirements an extra 1GB.

After my 2 year nightmare with Vista a part of me doesn’t believe Microsoft’s memory requirements. I have 4GB in my Vista machine now and it barely functions. However, the Windows 7 user community says it will boot up with the minimum RAM requirements. Need to remember there’s a HUGE difference between being able to boot your system and being able to do anything with it. With that being said I’d recommend no less than 4GB of RAM if you plan on doing anything with your rig.

Picking your memory is pretty simple, just need to make sure it matches your motherboard’s standard. My board takes 6x 240 pin DDR3 1600/1333/1066. I ended up picking 6GB (3x 2GB) Corsair XMS3 DDR3 sticks. I simply chose Corsair because I’ve never had a bad experience with their RAM so I won’t go changing now. I feel 6GB is still a lot and good for what I do regularly. If I feel like upgrading I still have 3 slots open.

To save money I would suggest not going for the fastest RAM unless you will be overclocking your rig.

To Graphics Card or Not?

Graphics cards is not quite an essential part since most motherboards come with integrated video. so the question need to ask yourself: Do you play PC games? And, I’m not talking about Farmville and Mafia Wars. -_- If you do, then spending some money on a graphics card is a good idea. If not, then any $50 graphics card or the integrated video will do.

If you haven’t noticed the pattern it’s all about matching things up to fit. Refer back to your motherboard’s expansion slots. My motherboard supports 3x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots. But of course I only need one. From there you can refine your search by researching what is best for you. ATI or Nvidia? DirectX 10 or 11?

Since I am not a full hardcore PC gamer, but I will be playing Starcraft 2, editing photos and videos I decided on the Nvidia EVGA GeForce GTS 250. Where it’s great for m e at a good price, but not crazy over the top.

Hard Drives and DVD Drives

It’s really crazy how far hard drives have come. At work I have a computer almost 30 years old used to program and burn eproms. Yes it runs DOS, but it’s still going strong and still uses a “true” floppy. Anyways the hard drive is 500mb! That’s crazy! It wasn’t too long ago when 1TB internal hard drives were being sold and that was simply insane. I remember thinking to myself, “What average Joe needs 1TB of space?!?!?!” Yea I still feel this way. I simply couldn’t convince myself that I need that much space.

My amazement for CD/DVD drives is the same. I remember burning my very first CD 10 years ago! The CD burned was hella expensive. I remember just being in complete awe over burning my first 16 song mix CD. Fast forward 10 years I burner CDs and DVDs for EVERYTHING and it’s so CHEAP now. But whatever the size hard drive and DVD drive you buy just make sure it’s a SATA bus. SATA is must faster than it’s ancient outdated brother IDE.

Of all the components your hard drive is the most likely to have a failure. Even before you install it. So base your decision on reviews from other buyers and make sure it has a good warranty.

The hard drive I chose is a 640GB Western Digital Caviar Black. My DVD drive is a Liteon CD/DVD Writer with Lightscribe support.

Computer Case and Power Supply

Where to house it all? In a case of course or you can experiment like these guys. I was at wits end finding a case. I find myself to be very practical at times. I don’t need crazy LEDs or flashy attachments and I certainly didn’t want to spend an arm and a leg. I never though finding a simple case was so hard.

When looking for a case your main concern should be that it fits your motherboard form. Mine is an ATX so I only looked at ATX cases. To save money many cases come with a power supply and case combo. That wouldn’t be a bad place to start. Keep in mind the cheaper the case the noisier it is and the less reliable the power supply that’s with it. So you get what you pay for.

When deciding how big of a power supply to get you should look at the manufacturer’s spec sheet for each of your components to find out how much power is needed to drive them. Then add them all up as a precaution I’d suggest adding an additional 100Watts as a buffer to be safe.

The case I chose was the Antec Nine Hundred. For my power supply I needed at least 750 watts so I chose the Cooler Master Silent Pro 1000W. I went a little bigger for the chances I may add additional parts in the future.

The Final List

Once you compile a list of the parts you want you should look for feedback, look up more reviews, and search around for others that may currently be usingg your components. Just search around for other opinions on your configuration. Personally, I found Twitter to be extremely helpful. But check out other websites, magazines, forums, friends, and friends of friends.

My Final Configuration

Now I am not saying to buy these exact parts as they were suited to best fit me, but it gives you a good idea for a decent gaming rig. I didn’t go over the top, but I chose components that I won’t need to replace 6-12 months down the line. I even left room for expansion if I so choose later on.

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $99.95

COOLER MASTER Silent Pro RSA00-AMBAJ3-US 1000W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.92 SLI Ready $168.98

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM   $59.99

ASUS P6X58D Premium LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $299.99

Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80601930 $289.99

EVGA 01G-P3-1158-TR GeForce GTS 250 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card $154.99

LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS424-98 LightScribe Support $25.99

CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 $174.99

Total of $1274.87
And then, the insane shipping to Hawaii was $174.19

Stay tuned for more videos on how to put this new computer together!