Building the Perfect PC

Chapter 1. Fundamentals

The idea of building a PC for the first time intimidates a lot of people, but there’s really nothing to worry about. Building a PC is no more technically challenging than changing the oil in your car or hooking up a VCR. Compared to assembling one of those “connect Tab A to Slot B” toys for your kids, it’s a breeze.

PC components connect like building blocks. Component sizes, screw threads, mounting hole positions, cable connectors, and so on are standardized, so you needn’t worry about whether something will fit. There are minor exceptions, of course—for example, some small cases accept only half-height or half-length expansion cards. And there are important details, certainly. You must verify, for example, that the motherboard you intend to use supports the processor you plan to use. But overall, there are few “gotchas” involved in building a PC. If you follow our advice in the project system chapters, everything will fit and everything will work together.

Note

Most compatibility issues arise when you mix new components with older ones. For example, an older video card may not fit the AGP slot in a new motherboard, or a new processor may not be compatible with an older motherboard. If you build a PC from all-new components, you are likely to encounter few such issues. Still, it’s a good idea to verify compatibility between the motherboard and other major components, particularly AGP video adapters, processors, and memory. The configurations in this book have ...