Ive built PC's with out aid of books and internet. Its easy.

i only used the book as a reference once. after that i was well away. easy peasy

Maplins is a good resource for you computer building needs, however it can be expensive. I personaly wouldnt go near PC world.

i tend to use PCWorld more and Maplins only when PCW havent got a part i want. i suppose that only cos I get my brothers staff discount.

just out of curiosity where do u go??? always worth building a knowledgebase of parts companies.

It'd be better to have such a 'database' in its own topic I think. this one is about 'How to build' rather than about 'Where to buy'.

agreed, and definately worth a thought. maybe a thread should be started whereby ppl can add their 'most used' to the thread and build up a database that way. the company names, location and websites etc could be added.

Does it matter?

course it does.. Catweasle does have an extremely valid point.:mrgreen:

If you want to learn how to build a machine and at the same time, build the one that you will be happiest with, try this:

Go to www.anandtech.com

Decide whether you want Intel or AMD. (there are several reviews there that mey help you decide)

Read recent reviews on the following:

1. CPU's 2. Mainboards 3. Ram 4. HDD's 5. Video cards 6. Cases
(Note: there are several other components you'll probably want to check out, but these will get you started.)

This will give you an idea about what works with what, as this site provides a lot of info regarding that.
Once you pick out your mainboard and/or CPU, go to the manufacturer's website and view the manual on the product. Most mainboard manuals give you a fairly decent set of instructions on how to assemble your machine.

Intel and AMD both tell you what size power supply you need for each processor and various configs. This is really important, if the supply is too small, your system can reboot w/o warning, or commit any one of several other nasty little annoyances. I've had people RMA up to 5 mobos before they gave up and brought it to me, when all they needed was a larger power supply.

That should get you going at least. If you would like me to make a step-by-step tutorial for you, or help you decide what equipment to purchase, go to my site and post your request on the forum or email me directly.

-Smitty

You got all that stuff wrong way round mate.

First thing is to work out what use the PC is intended for.

Second thing is to work out what components it needs to have to meet those uses. (The power supply unit needs to be adequate to power ALL devices in the PC, not just the processor)

Whether you choose an Intel or AMD processor (and motherboard socket type) is about the least important of all decisions to make.