~*~*~*~*~*Research*~*~*~*~*~
(specifically: HOW and WHAT to research)
This was originally going to be an overview of my thoughts on some of the current technology and cool features you can get for each piece of hardware, then I realized how much time I'd have to put into that and said fuckitall. I'll go over some of the specific things you should be looking at when looking at each component.
One thing I may do later, but am leaving out for now: links to some of the articles I reference. If you're serious about doing this, you'll find these articles yourself. It's the whole "teach a man to fish" thing. Or, I'm just lazy and drunk right now.
Firstly though: Identify the software you'll be using
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/system-requirements
"Microsoft" wrote
If you want to run Windows 7 on your PC, here's what it takes:
1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
That's not really a lot. In fact, the family computer we bought almost 10 years ago had those specs, albeit just barely.
That said, those specs are bare minimum, and I really wouldn't want to try running anything on that. Look at the recommended specs for the programs you intend to run, and we'll add a little extra for Win7 overhead. Given today's technology and prices, Windows shouldn't be the thing that's limiting your PC.
Another good resource is google searching and checking out hits on forums. People will list their specs and what problem they're having, and sometimes a solution will be found. It can give you some idea for a starting point. Just be sure to note the dates on the posts, as any price comparisons from, say, 2010 and earlier are garbage.
Something to note across the board
All the letters and numbers in a product code mean something. You should figure out what each one means, or at least figure out the difference between two that you're considering. A higher number is not always better. A 960x is different from a 960xt, which is different from a 960be and a 955xts. Once you find out the code, though, these designations will mean something to you and you can make an informed decision.
Price comparisons
You will be doing this as you go. Before "shopping around" for deals, you'll want a ballpark figure of what your computer will cost you. Use one source for this, and ignore sale prices since they come and go quickly. I recommend
www.canadacomputers.com, but that's because they're local, have good prices and I won't have to pay shipping (or hit a minimum price for free shipping). They also have an easy-to-navigate site with good descriptions for search results. Once a ballpark is determined and you've finalized specs, I don't care from where you get your parts - a lower price is a lower price. IMO, you shouldn't change what part you get based on a $10 sale at website x vs the price for another component on website y, but in reality a $30 sale on a slightly better/worse component may actually be a factor. Personal choice here.
Benchmarks
These days, I rely on
www.tomshardware.com. Easy to browse, graphs are simple, updated constantly. They'll also (usually) give input on what is the best value of the tested parts, not just a "this is the fastest" statement. They do features every so often where they'll build a PC for a certain use that's under a certain amount of money, ie "The best gaming PC for under $600". They review/benchmark just a few similar pieces at a time, so you're not overloaded with data. Not saying I don't trust other sites, but I don't really see a need to check out 3 reviews that will most likely be similar.
note: I don't put any weight on what people in their forums say, except for issues with reliability/customer service...and even then I'd probably google a product number and see what other forum hits come up as well.
Processor
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?cPath=4
At the time of writing, Intel's best (i7) is the fastest hands-down, but still fucking expensive. AMD has good value, and decent overclockability. Read up on what features these processors have, and some benchmarks that independent bodies have run. This is (probably) going to be the biggest single expense in your computer, and also where what we're going to base our next decision on. Still not sure what you need or where to start? Check out an i5.
Motherboard
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?cPath=26
So you've chosen your processor, now to choose the piece that lets your processor talk to the rest of your computer. The socket type of your processor (1156, AM3, etc) MUST be the same as your motherboard. 1156 is not "close enough" to 1155.
Next, look at the other features you want:
How many USB ports do you want? Do you need an IDE connection for an old hard drive that you want to install? Some motherboards come with onboard video, do you want this or will you be getting a video card and onboard would be an unnecessary expense? Do you need 2 slots for PCIe video cards?
RAM
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?cPath=24
You need to look at both size and speed. Your motherboard will only support a certain amount of both. I choose name-brand here (Corsair, Kingston, Mushkin, GSkill, some others) because their shit is good and they back it up with lifetime warranties. RAM timings are a more advanced thing to look at, read up on it if you want.
Video card(s)
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?cPath=43
You may not need one at all...or you may need two. Video cards can be a huge expense, but can also be avoided in some cases. I've heard that onboard graphics are pretty decent these days, don't know from experience though. This is definitely an "intended usage" thing. Points to consider here are speed and memory. Tom's keeps a hierarchy of graphics cards, grouping cards with similar performance together. Also when buying, consider the features that each manufacturer offers, and what you want/need. For example, ASUS and Sapphire both make an ATI HD4870 card, but one of them may have 2 DVI outputs while the other has 1 DVI, one DisplayPort and one HDMI output.
Power Supply
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?cPath=33
I like name brand here too. Stable, clean power at proper voltages ensures smooth running for years, and should be your main concern. Tom's has covered this before, and gives outlines of the typical amount of power your system will consume based on how much stuff you have going on. Make sure that it also has all the connections and power you'll need - 20- or 24-pin motherboard connection, graphics card(s), maybe legacy molex for old hard drives you can't do without. One nifty feature of some power supplies is modularity, that is, you connect only as many power cables as you'll actually use. Otherwise, you'll probably end up with a bunch of cables just hanging loose in your case. There's nothing wrong with this of course, the modular ones just make it look nicer when you open up your case.
Case/Aesthetics
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?cPath=6
Ah, the crux of everything, where style and function meet. There are a lot of offerings out there, some things to consider are what you want it to look like (obviously), cooling ability (some have many fans mounted, some none) and front peripherals. Some come with a power supply, in which case we should not only look at looks, but also the quality of the PSU as in the step above.
Size, in the case of cases, is also an issue. Do you want a smaller-than-normal case? How small? Standard is ATX, which will fit just about everything you want. If you want a teeny case, consider going with mini- or micro-ATX. In doing so, you will need a smaller motherboard, which will sacrifice options for size.
HDD
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?cPath=15
SSD for fast read/write, period. For storage, check out RAID configurations, and if any of them seem like something you'd be interested in, go for it. As far as the drives themselves, Western Digital and Seagate are name brands, iirc WD benchmarks marginally better. They have a few different lines (blue, black and green) that are all very decent. Two speeds, 7200 RPM and 10k RPM. Ignore the 10k imo, if you want speed get an SSD. A few months ago storage was dirt cheap until the flooding in Thailand, I imagine those prices should be back soonish. This is another category that depends entirely on intended usage.
Optical
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?cPath=3
Again, intended usage. I have an 8-year-old 4x DVD burner that still serves me well. I barely ever burn something, and when I do I don't much care how long it takes. Physical media is going by the wayside. Couldn't even tell you what are good drives these days. By this point you should be a master at googling/tomshardwareing this shit.
Warrantee Coverage; or,
Why We Don't Need No Stinkin' 1-Year Warrantee!
You might think that Futureshop's one-year warrantee is the bee's knees. Your computer suddenly won't turn on, bring it in and let them fix it.
The fact of the matter is, most name-brand computer parts have very good warrantee coverage, usually at least a year. In fact, the name-brand parts are usually so highly recommended because they will perform
to spec without problems in the vast majority of cases. And if they don't, you can send them back - you're not getting what you paid for, period. By buying components separately, you're now paying for a guaranteed level of performance from each part.
Some examples:
AMD processor - 3 years
Gigabyte motherboard - 3 years
Corsair power supply - 2-7 years
Antec case - 3 years
RAM (almost any brand) - lifetime
Video card - 1 year to lifetime, varies depending on manufacturer