Pinoy Tech Guy

Written on Wednesday, 6th of Feb 2008 – 2:27 pm | by sylv3rblade | 688 views

Whether you’re buying your first gaming computer or upgrading an aging computer, it’s good practice that you look around for parts yourself and build a computer that fits your needs from scratch instead of buying a prebuilt one. Why?

For one you get to build a computer that you really want by having your pick parts by model and manufacturer yourself. Second, you save yourself a lot of headaches from bloatware and trialware that comes preinstalled with package PCs. Thirdly, if you’re just upgrading then you can check if what you’re planning to buy will work with your current PC or will you need to buy more parts to get it work.

Here’s my guidelines when considering parts for a new PC or an upgrade:

Upgrade or New?

The decision is usually influenced by budget but sometimes, buying a new PC costs less than maintaining an aging computer.

If you decide to go for an upgrade, list down what parts you need to change and if those parts will still be supported by future technologies. Prime examples are graphics cards. Take this case for reference, if you have a PC with an AGP slot, and thinking of an upgrade, you’ll find yourself with two options:

• Replace just the card - You get a kick from your newer card but not from everything else. It’s the cheaper option though which is why many people will choose it especially if your PC dies.
• Replace everything - Since you’re giving your PC a boost, you may consider replacing your motherboard, your processor, RAM and even your PC case as well. Doing so will keep your system viable for upgrade but is sometimes more costly than buying a whole new rig altogether.

Now, owning multiple PCs MIGHT seem a waste of money but if you’re not the only one using a computer or have tasks that leave your PC unusable for a while (like burning DVDs, converting movies, etc) then a second or even third computer is indispensable. Which is the reason for the next item..

What will you do with it?

Will it be a Gaming Rig (PC for games only) or a Work Station (all-around yet powerful PC)? Your primary PC or your secondary PC? Or will it even be your third PC? If you’re a gamer or a power user then it’s a must that you have a powerful computer under your belt. Most of the latest games and calculation intensive applications are very demanding in terms of hardware which is why some people really “need” these monster machines.

If it’s just going to be a spare PC or a download machine though, then you can go with a midrange or even just buy as you please. Just make sure you have enough specs to run what you need. Since it’s just a “spare” PC, you can pour all your budget on your primary one.

What’s your budget?

Most people don’t just go out and buy what’s the best available which is why the budget is a big consideration (I’m planning to start a series for this). If you’re on a tight budget, the you have to consider things per part, keeping in mind the benefits and availability.

A sample breakdown and explaination is provided below. Note that it’s only for performance parts. If I included every part of the PC then I’m afraid I won’t be able to finish:

• Processor - We all know it as the heart of your system. If you’re pondering about going multi-core, if you’re budget can squeeze it then by all means go multi. The benefits of multi-core CPUS are not only useful gamers but also for people using CPU intensive programs. If you can’t go with a high end processor but plan sometime later to get one, make sure it’s a socket family that’s still active (CPUs in that family are still being produced) so you don’t end up replacing your board prematurely.
• Motherboard - don’t go with the first one that fits. Your motherboard will determine can still be upgraded or needs to be fully replaced. Of course, performance boards are more costly than budget ones.
• RAM - is another essential component that you can’t scrimp on if you plan to get the best performance out of your system. Even older pcs can get quite a performance boost by adding some RAM to them. Just check what kind or RAM your system can handle, DDR1 or DDR2 and it’s clock speed
• Video Card - AGP or PCIE, if it’s a new computer then it’s likely to be PCIE.
  For many users, A midrange or even a lowrange video card will do. But for gamers and people with GPU (note that it’s G not C) intensive tasks will definitely love a powerful card under their belt
• Storage - SATA or PATA if it’s a new computer then it’s likely to be SATA. Also, buying a large drive won’t hurt anyone, even your budget. 250GB is cheap and will probably be more than enough for most but you can always go 500GB or 1TB. Just remember to backup your important data

Do I need anything else?

If your budget still allows it why not check out other items like a bigger/better monitor, a printer or a scanner, or even some luxury items like Gaming mice or Wireless Keyboards. Do your speakers suck? Why not get a 4.1 speaker set. Display too small? Go for a 19″ LCD. Since peripherals are not tied to performance, it’s really up to you to spice up your computer experience if you have the money to spare.

Digging quite deeply you may even be able to find packages (Gaming or otherwise) that come with the essentials can save you tons of time and money.

Hope it helps.

Oh if you’re wondering why I wasn’t able to update PTG for the past week, it’s because my net went down for about 3 days and I was busy with the new theme for AX and here. I hope I’m able to squeeze more of my time to finish it but as of the moment I’m still quite busy with several stuff so the new update will have to wait.

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