How do you build a computer?

Seriously, I need to know the major components of a PC inside out because I plan on building a gaming rig for Battlefield 3. I was looking at a ton of user built computers and you guys seemed like you knew what you were talking about so I decided to join this forum. I plan on building a PC in the summer so I will be buying the parts around then and my friend will be installing them. What I need however, is a list of the major components (i.e. CPU, GPU, Processor), what they do, and which brands you guys recommend. I also plan on buying a case from this site so which would you guys recommend? -I'm looking for a medium size tower that has ports along the back and top, and is also a little bit portable.



-Also, some more specific questions like, will USB 3.0 be commercially used by then and would it be worth buying a motherboard that supports it

-What's better, liquid cooling or air cooling, and how does liquid cooling work

-What's the difference between SSD3 and SSD4 and will there be a lot of SSD4 available next year (I saw a post somewhere on engadget on newly released SSD4)

-What's a good size for the hard drive and does it matter?

-Is it better to have dual processors or have 4 or 6? (My friend said that dual is more for gaming and you get more cores only if you want to multi-task more than gaming)

-What's a good graphics card line that supports more than one monitor?

-Are there any sites that customize cases or sell cases--%26gt;(I'm looking for a TRON blue light theme)

I have a budget of around 800-900$

-I have many more questions, but these were the freshest in my mindHow do you build a computer?
To build a computer, the components you NEED are:
Processor - Also called CPU
Power Supply - Also called PSU
Graphics Processor - Can be integrated or a video card - Also called GPU
Motherboard - Referred to as MB often
Data Drive - Hard Drives or Solid State Drives - Called HDD and SSD respectively
RAM - Random Acess Memory - Also called Memory
CPU heatsink is also necessary, fan is almost always necessary


Components that are not required but highly recommended:
Case - To keep your computer safe from static/spills/dust/whatever

Optional Components include:
Optical Disk - DVD Burners, ect
Wireless Adapters - For wireless internet
Card Readers
Extra Fans
Many more

As for brands - There are a lot of reliable and good brands for all components, but I will give my opinions for most components:
For Processors I prefer Intel
For Motherboards I prefer EVGA and ASUS
For Video Cards I prefer EVGA
For Power Supplies I prefer Corsair
For RAM I prefer Corsair (Corsair Dominator is the best, all Corsair is good)
For Hard Drives I prefer Western Digital
For SSDs I prefer Intel and Crucial
For Cases I prefer Corsair (their 600t case is around $150, and the best case in my opinion - the Corsair 800D - is around $270) for a cheaper option I recommend Li-Lian ones
For purchasing components I recommend Newegg.com, for non online purchases I recommend Microcenter if you live by one.

And here are the answers to your specific questions:
1. I don't think USB 3.0 will be more common than USB 2.0 for at least another year. If you can afford it and plan on keeping your computer for the next 5 or so years, then I recommend you get USB 3.0.

2. Liquid Cooling is better than air cooling in almost all situations. However since you haven't had a lot of experience with building computers I recommend you put off liquid cooling until the future. It works basically the same way air cooling does. With liquid cooling, you need to setup a 'loop'. A basic loop would be for cooling the CPU only and would include a radiator with fans, a pump, a reservoir, and a CPU block all connected by tubes filled with non conductive liquid. The reservoir holds extra liquid to compensate for the slight amount of evaporation that occurs and allows you to refill the loop less often and more easily. The Pump pushes the water around the loop in circles. The CPU block transfers the heat from the CPU to the water, heating up the water and cooling the CPU. And the Radiator takes the heat from the water and the fans push it away, cooling the water. So in short, the pump pushes cool water through the CPU block, which heats up the water and cools the CPU, then the water goes through the radiator getting cooled back to the reservoir and to the pump.

3. I am not sure what SSD3 or SSD4 are. If you mean SSD with SATA 3, then those are going to be more widely released within the next year (currently only Crucial has SSDs with SATA 3). SATA 3 is much faster than SATA 2 if the device can utilize it.

4. A system hard drive should be at LEAST 40gb. I would imagine a normal user wouldn't use more than 120GB of storage, but 1TB hard drives cost around $60, and 2TB drives around $90 - So getting a larger one isn't a bad idea.

5. I assume you are talking about processing cores. Right now a dual core CPU is almost a necessity. Most applications and games don't utilize more than two cores currently. However, excess cores will help in multi tasking situation, and a 4 core CPU with each core the same speed as a 2 core CPU will never hurt. Generally Intel CPUs perform around %30 better compared to AMD at the same clock speed and same amount of cores. On top of that Intel has some CPUs with Hyperthreading technology, which is basically allowing each core to work on two tasks at the same time. Hyperthreading (called HT) will generally give around a %20 performance increase in software that is able to utilize HT compared to identical non HT CPUs.

6. A good graphics card line would be Nvidia (ATI is also alright). The best gaming card available right now would be a GTX 580. A GTX 470 is a quality card and can be found for around $210 after rebates at newegg.com

7. You can try browsing around overclock.net's forums to see if you can find someone to custom build a case for you. However this will likely be extremely expensive (the case alone will easily cost you $900) and won't perform any better than a Corsair 800D. You could also contact local silversmith/bodywork shops for custom cases.

8. I have many more answers, but these were the ones to questions you asked.

EDIT: Wow, I spent 40 minutes writing that. I hope it's the best answer!
http://www.maximumpc.com



Download free PDF's of back issues, most of which are directly relevant to your questions. See "Best of the Best" section for recommended components in various price ranges.How do you build a computer?
Since you don't have the common sense to pick up a book or search online it'll just be better for you to go to a professional
Check the forums.How do you build a computer?
This website can help you build a computer, and it shows u the components needed.



http://www.pcityourself.com/
I am not going to describe the whole process on here but you can email me: nathan_adcock@yahoo.com

I have built many computers and I know its over whelming but its fun when you get the hang of it. Liquid cooling is way better then air cooling but since it is your first time I don't recommend it. But you can pick up like the corsair H70 which is a beginners water cooling setup. As for the hard drive I would go with 1TB, but a 1TB ssd would be crazy expensive. As for the processor a nice quad core would be good but it all depends on your budget. As for a gpu I am an intel person so I would go with a gtx 570, as for ATI I would go with a ati 6950, good price/performance. Ha sorry I just saw your budget. Just email me and I can help. With that budget you won't be getting an ssd by the way.

EDIT: and I can provide a list of parts as well if you would like of what I would do with that budget.
OH Gawd that is a lot of questions

Okay.... basic stuff

1.Motherboard - Gigabyte, a brand
2.HDD
3.GFX Card (optional, but recommended)
4.RAM (4GB+ Recommended)
5.Power Supply-Corsair, a brand
6.CPU-Intel
7.Opperating System
8.CD Drive
9. Case- Optional

USB 3.0 is available now but, you shouldnt purchase now

Liquid cooling is much better, but should be done by pros
Thermal compounds should be done by pros as well, too much of it can harm your computer

Size of HDD doesnt matter ( depends on what you will do) however the 7200RPM is recommended for gaming systems

A GTX460 is what I use for it, I think it has 2 sockets, but I never used other one- a bit cheap nowadays

A budget of 900$ will not get you far... So i reccomend cutting corners whereever possible