Building your next workstation or home computer may feel like a daunting and expensive prospect. However, building your own computer offers the advantage of getting components at cheaper prices than you would have to pay if you went to a retail store and bought a ready-to-use computer. There is something to be said about buying a working computer that only needs power, a monitor, and a mouse and keyboard, but you must expect to pay extra for someone else getting it to that point for you.
If you have never built a workstation or home computer, the prospect may seem intimidating. Fortunately, building a computer is easier than you may expect. In fact, our technicians at Servers & More want to make your next computer build even easier by providing starter bundles, which include at least a motherboard and compatible CPU. Most of our bundles offer a motherboard, CPU, RAM, and a CPU fan, leaving just a few components for you to find and connect.
THE BARE MINIMUM FOR YOUR NEXT COMPUTER
All computers need the following to work:
- Motherboard
- CPU with Fan/Heat Sink
- RAM
- Hard Drive
- Power Supply
- Case
Once these six pieces are assembled, simply give your computer power and plug it into a monitor and a keyboard and mouse. Naturally, there are several other components and parts you may want to add to your computer, such as a graphics card for playing video games or editing video and images. In fact, one of the primary advantages to building your computer is knowing which components are plugged in so that you can plan future upgrades, rather than buying a completely new PC.
START WITH A BUNDLE
One cost and time saving tip is to start with a bundle, like the ones on Servers & More. Many of our bundles offer motherboards, compatible CPUs, RAM, heat sinks, and hard drives. By starting with this kit, all you need to provide is a case and a power supply.
Additionally, a bundled starter kit saves you time. Our technicians build these bundles by researching the motherboards to determine which of our CPUs and RAM will work, which leads down the further rabbit hole of verifying that the CPU and RAM are compatible.
Fortunately, we love that type of work. Most people building their next computer don’t need to care about compatibility issues, but they still want to save money. Instead of spending hours on researching which processors will work with your motherboard, and what memory will work with both, you want a system that needs very little of your attention.
NEXT STEPS
After you’ve picked the bundle that works best for you, reference the list above to determine which pieces you are still missing. Many of our bundles will only require a case and a power supply, which will require some research on your end.
Motherboards come in different sizes, so you will need to verify that your case can house the bundle and the power supply. In addition to verifying the motherboard’s size, you will also want to determine its power requirements, so that you can get a power supply with plenty of juice. In fact, we usually recommend getting a little more than you need, so that you can easily install future expansions, including graphics cards.
Finally, when your components are ready for installation, we recommend referencing a guide or video tutorial. Although motherboard installation is not particularly difficult, it can be frustrating if it is your first time building a workstation or PC. As a small bit of advice, remember that you should never have to force a connection, as most pins and connectors will slide in place and fit snuggly and naturally. Once the parts are installed and the case is closed, plug the case into a wall socket and connect the computer to your monitor and keyboard and mouse. If things turn on and work as expected, congratulations! You have built a computer. If not, power down and check your work.
We want to support our customers, so if you run into an issue with one of our bundles, hit the Contact button and allow us to offer some guidance or support.