|
 You may not need a separate video card at all because new motherboards have video built in. Add-on video cards come in two basic "flavors". Fast, expensive, high-performance cards designed for gamers that can cost $500 or more and standard cards with 64-128MB memory that cost $50-$100. For a non-gaming system a $50 AGP/PCI card is all you'll likely need so put the money into a better monitor!
At a minimum you'll need a SATA hard drive ($50+) and a CD/DVD  ($35+). I prefer keyboards that don't have the numeric pad built in since I never use one and they fit better on my desktop. Adesso makes such a keyboard for about $30. Finally, any inexpensive mouse will do.
If you are going to splurge, do it on the monitor and buy the best monitor you can afford. Your eyes will thank you and you'll actually be able to calibrate it! I prefer LCD monitors and the Samsung Syncmaster series is an excellent choice. A good monitor is one area where you will probably spend considerably more money then you would in a "pre-assembled system". This is because including cheap monitors is where system manufacturers can control costs at the expense of your eyesight!
Selecting the right combination of motherboard (mobo), CPU, and memory can be tricky. These components must be properly matched so I prefer to start with a bundled motherboard/CPU/memory but if you are brave you can purchase components separately and save a few dollars.
Assembly is relatively easy. Start with the power supply and case fans. Follow instructions that come with each component. Next place the drives in the case bays. Next secure the motherboard/CPU/memory unit. Mount the video card, attach cables (see motherboard manual) and plug in the power cord, keyboard and mouse.
The first time you turn on your new system you may get error messages caused either by hardware or operating system problems, this is common so don't panic. On another computer go to Google and search on the text of the error message. You'll likely find both a description of what's gone wrong and how to fix it. Again, work slowly and solve one problem at a time.
You'll need a variety of software to make your new computer run. Much of it is now available as Open Source, or freeware, even the operating system (Linux). Open Source software is developed by communities of dedicated programmers. The programs are available for free. As such, however, the documentation often is not as complete as commercial equivalents so installation and operation of the software takes a bit more work on your part -- but the price is right!
|
