Build your own computer guide

All parts mentioned are readily available for sale on eBay by many sellers.  I also feature all of these items in my store Digital Divide Computing.

I named my store digital divide computing because I believe that to thrive in todays economy requires each person to have a basic level of computer literacy.  I feel that this literacy should not stop at just being able to use a computer effectively but also being able to maintain, repair, and upgrade your computer to meet your specific needs.

I have used several companies barebone computer products and was very impressed with the Asus Vintage.  This system was built for as a gift and I decided I'd document the process and write up this guide.

Decide on the use

The person that was going to receive this computer only needed a computer for Internet, eMail, family pictues, and to use for her hobby of embroidery.  This told me that the computer needed basic graphic capability, moderate cpu speed, at lease 512 MB Ram with the ability to easily upgrade, a floppy for the transfer of small files, and a CD/DVD burner for video and photos.

Choose your components

Barebone (Case, Motherboard, and Power Supply)

I first did a rather indepth search for barebone systems.  The advantage of a barebone system is that the case, motherboard, and power supply have already been integrated into one unit.  Choosing these components and making sure they integrate and are compatable can be a little daunting for the first time system builder.

I settled on the Asus Vintage barebone for this project:

I chose this system superficially because of its looks and pricepoint.  It has a sleek look that is perfect for a home, home office, or even a business office setting.  It does not have the lights and agressive look of a gaming system.  The price was very affordable at about $100.  I then looked into the specifications and found that this was a very up to date and easily expandable system.  The installed motherboard is equipped with onboard video, sound, and lan.  CPU specifications call for a socket 478 P4 and will accomodate up to a 3.4 MHZ processor!  Memory slots number two and will hold up to 2GB of PC 2100/2700/3200 DDR400 DIMM sticks.  There is more than enough room to add extra PCI devices as well as additional hard drives and CD drives for expandibility.  The power supply is only 250 watts and would be more than enough to accomodate the basic setup this machine was going to get.  This would have to be taken into consideration when upgrading the machine at a later date.  There are two onboard IDE channels which is again, more than adequate for this configuration.

CPU Choice

The motherboard calls for a socket 478 P4.  I wanted to use the full speed of the front side bus (800 MHZ) and the highest processor speed that made economic sense.  I settled on the Intle P4 206 GHZ retail package.  Again, I choose the retail package because all the items necessary to install a CPU are included; CPU, heatsink, and fan.  The price for this will run about $160.00.

Memory

This was a fairly easy choice at this point because I had already decided on 512 MB and the remaining specs were pretty much dicitated by the motherboard and cpu choice.  I choose SuperTalent memory becuase most ram sticks come with heatsinks and it is my personal preference to use this type of memory to help keep it cool.  SuperTalent memory also comes with a lifetime warranty.  I chose to install one stick of 512 RAM to make it easier to upgrade later.  By adding one more stick of RAM to the second slot you could easily bump up to 1GB of memory.  Cost is about $40.

Hard Drive

My personal Hard Drive choice is usually Maxtor or Western Digital simply because they are very widly available at many capacities, they have a good price point, and great warranties.  If I were building an extremely high end system there would be other factors to consider but they don't come into play here.  I chose an 80 GB HD for its reasonable cost and knowing again that it would be a simple matter to install a second drive with a higher capacity, if needed.

CD ROM Drive

I wanted to equip this system with a CD/DVD dual layer burner.  Asus had one that retails for approximately $55.00.  It is the Asus DRW-1608P2 16x Double Layer DVDRW Drive. This also the retail version and comes complete with burning software.

Floppy Disc Drive

Sorry but I just don't get excited over a floppy disc drive anymore and just go for a basic oem version.  This runs about $8.00

Operating System and other software

For the average home user the choice usually rests, at the current time, between Windows XP Home and Pro.  It is important to ensure that you are buying your software from a reputable dealer and are actually purchasing genuine Windows software.  If you desire support from Microsoft around the windows software then I would recommend buying the retail version.  If you want to save some money and go for it then purchase an OEM version.  I will caution again to know the seller of your software.  If the deal is too good then it probably is.  I sell windows in my eBay store but only bundled with a complete system to be assembled by the purchaser.  For application software I simply choose to install Microsoft Works 8.0.  This provides all of the necessary programs a home user would need.  Again, additional software can be purchased and added for specific uses.  The Asus Vintage system comes with Norton Anti-Virus included so no additional software is needed.

The Complete Package

I place my order and a few days later the parts arrive via my favorite package delivery service!

As you are unpacking the boxes take care to ensure that you have recieved everything that you ordered.  I do not recommend opening the individual items until it is time to actually install them.  Many of the components are sensitive to electro static discharge and may become damaged if carelessly handled.  I've found it also helps me stay organized.

Part two of this guide will detail the assembly of these components.