How to Build the Ultimate Gaming PC

Whether it's blasting aliens from the galaxy beyond or battling the undead out to destroy you, PC gaming has come a long way since the days of "Lode Runner" and "Zork." PC gaming remains a high-cost industry, but more importantly, it can be a frustrating industry as assembling the ultimate gaming PC is far different from buying a game console. However, building the PC is a gratifying hobby, and won't limit you to the three big name game consoles.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Shop around for the ultimate gaming PC. Try Best Buy or Circuit City, or go online to tigerdirect.com to find your ultimate gaming PC. Make sure it's capable of running the games you're interested in and that it's in the price range your have in mind (see Resources below).

2. Get the specifications. Once you find your ultimate gaming PC, review and copy its specifications so that you will know what you're shopping for. Get all the information you can, from the video card, RAM, hard drive to the operating system. You need all the data you can find on your dream PC so that you can build it to specification.

3. Start to shop around for parts. Using sites such as tigerdirect.com or cdw.com, find the parts or comparable parts for your gaming PC. Be sure to make note of the prices and the manufacturers your components come from (see Resources below).

4. Purchase wisely. A key in building your gaming PC is not to overspend. You don't want to spend more on building this gaming PC than you would on a store-bought PC game. You can cut some corners with hardware that meets the same specs but is made by different manufacturers (e.g. AMD versus Pentium CPU).

5. Find out about any incompatibilities. Research your components using the websites' tech support as well as contacting the manufacturers' websites and manuals. Most components do not generate conflicts, but there can be problems with the drivers of the hardware and the operating system. Check your manuals and online documentation.

6. Ground yourself while assembling. While building your system, make sure you are grounded (not generating your own electrical charge). Touch the metal chassis repeatedly, or use a grounding strap around your wrist. This keeps you from possibly shorting out a component with your own charge.

7. Build and test. Once you've finished putting your machine together, fire it up and load your first game. Make note of any glitches or errors that appear, and reference them with the game's manual or your operating system's documentation.

Tips & Warnings

• Follow the manuals on all parts while building.
• Be careful when dealing with electricity.

Resources

• Tigerdirect.com
• Cdw.com

[caulon]

on 12/20/2008 nvecta.com has a video in its learning center step by step

[caulon]

on 12/20/2008 nvecta.com has a video in the learning center

[eknowitall]

on 11/3/2008 Simply touching the power supply chassis while it is plugged in is enough to discharge yourself.