Thanks to the contributions of others, this guide, including the "much anticipated PART IV" is well underway, though it is still new and under construction. thanks to everybody who has helped so much! INDEX: PART I: what you need PART II: putting it together Step 1. inventory Step 2. CPU installation Step 3. CPU cooler installation Step 4. RAM Step 5. PSU Step 6. Motherboard Step 7. Drives Step 8. Video Card Step 9. Cooling PART III: powering up and setup: coming soon. PART IV: recommended systems with current specs.. This is a basic guide, to which i hope others will contribute. I should be able to compile several resources that may be helpful as you build your PC. Keep in mind, i am not an expert, and of course, my computers will probably begin to fry one by one as soon as i finish this guide, so i hope it was worth it. Here goes: PART I: Parts you will need So, you've decided to build your own computer? good. Now comes the fun, and probably longest phase of building it: picking out the parts! Becuase things constantly change, i wont go into too much compatibility detail here, but this is the single most important part of buying the right stuff, so maybe somebody else will help out with that. very basic compatibility checklist these are just some common compatibility issues, there are plenty more, so do your research. *Enough power, make sure PSU is powerful enough and High quality. *SATA hard drives require a motherboard that supports SATA *The socket type of the processor MUST match the socket type of the motherboard. *The motherboard will only support AGP or PCIe x16, one or the other, your video card must match. *RAM must match the type supported by the motherboard, it will say which is supported, DDR2 WILL not fit on a DDR motherboard. Basic "needed parts" list: getting all of the parts is also critical, so here is the stuff you will need: Motherboard The motherboard is the large circuit board that holds the processor, the system memory, the chipset, and other goodies that your computer will need to run. when you buy your motherboard, make sure it has the appropriate graphics card interface (or just buy the right video card.) there are two common types of graphic card ports, AGP and PCIe, your motherboard will be one or the other, and so will the video card. make sure that they are both the same, or they WILL NOT fit together. RAM (system memory) you will need RAM for your system to operate. at the writing of this guide, most gamers suggest getting 1 gigabyte of RAM (1024 Megabytes), but many current gaming rigs have 512 MB (sometimes less). when buying ram, it is usually better (at the time of this writing) to get 2x 1/2 of what you want: for example, if you want a gig of ram, it will run faster if you get 2 sticks of 512 rather than one stick of 1024. buying ram can be complicated, decipher which ram is supported by your motherboard (it will say), and which ram is best for your processor (buying ram that is faster than needed can be a waste of money.) see the Opurt guide to memory: http://forums.steampowered.com/forum...hreadid=285248 Power Supply Unit (PSU) The PSU delivers power to all of your components. this is the piece of the computer that plugs directly into the wall.(well, surge protector or UPS, if you are smart.) here is a guide which may help in selecting the PSU: http://shsc.info/PowerSupplyGuide (thanks to thegrommit) Processor (CPU) Dont build a comp without it! You generally have 2 options here: 1. buy a CPU that is a "retail" version. this usually means it comes with a CPU cooler (you need one) and a longer warranty. 2. buy a CPU marked "OEM." this usually means that you will need to buy a CPU cooler, and the warranty period will be shorter. some compatibility information for mobo/cpus The type of processor you buy will determine the type of motherboard that you need, or vice-versa. There are currently, at the time of this writing, several socket types to choose from. both the processors and motherboards will plainly state which socket type it is, and no other types of processors will be compatible with it. here are some examples of socket types: INtel: Skt 478, Skt LGA 775. AMD: Skt A, Skt 754, Skt 939. make sure your motherboard and processor are compatible. also, even if the socket type matches, there may be other compatibility issues. best bet is to look for a motherboard that specifically says (at the manufacturer's website) that it supports the processor you want to use. short of this, there are a couple of numbers you can look at to make sure it is compatible: FSB and SKT type. if the Motherboard supports the FSB speed that your processor says it has, it will say. make sure that it does. The skt type will indicate if the processor will 'fit' on the motherboard, the FSB will indicate if it will run fast enough. CPU cooler CPUs generate a lot of heat, without a cooler, they will burn up very quickly. CPU coolers will generally include the 'stuff' you will need to install it: It will generally consist of a heatsink (big metal thing), a fan (some can be fanless), thermal conducting material (paste or a pad, paste is recommended). Video Card got to have it! you cant see what your computer is doing if you dont have one of these. some motherboards come with integrated graphics. these are fine for most home-use applications, but even <font color=yellow>the</font> best integrated cards aren't very good for games. at the time of this writing, do not consider a video card with less than 128MB of RAM if you are going to be gaming. (see the video card guide tutorial, a stickie by Lotos.) Hard Drive (HD) The harddrive stores information such as operating system files and games. you can generally use as much as 2/3 of the overall space of the HD (without performance loss), so try to shop accordingly. You will need a hard drive that has the appropriate interface. your motherboard will say which interfaces it has that you can use. the two most common types of interfaces for home computers are: *SATA 150 *IDE (IDE is used for IDE, ATA, and UATA, but the motherboard will specify if it has ATA or UATA support) 40GB is about as small as you should go for gaming, but that's streching it a little thin if this will be your only storage space. Optical Drive Nowadays, these come in many different configurations, buy according to your needs, but you at least need one that has CDROM functioinality, and it is advisable to also have DVDROM functionality as some games will begin shipping on DVDs. Cables Yes, you will need a way to connect the various components to the motherboard, this is done with, thats right, cables. a cable is referred to usually by the the type of interface it uses. for example: Hard drive cables can be SATA or IDE b/c a hard drive will use one or the other. CD drive cables use an IDE interface, so they are usually simply called IDE device cables. *most* motherboard manufacturers include the cables that you will need. specialty cables that match your color scheme and/or are rounded for style are available for cheap. Other Misc. Stuff you may already have: Monitor Keyboard Mouse Speakers OK, so what is that so far, in short? motherboard RAM PSU CPU Cooler HD CD drive Cables Misc. Stuff Now, while all of those things together should give you a working computer, there are some other parts that many people (myself included) would highly recommend. CASE (chassis)Note: HIGHLY recommended! you don't want your computer spilling out all over the floor or your desk do you? NO? well, consider getting a case. I have found that small wooden shelves (dont conduct electricity) work well if you want to build a comp w/o a case, but its not recommended to leave it out of the case b/c of dust and other FOD (foreign object damage) possibilities (Beer). Sound Card Most motherboards come with onboard sound which is fine for most people. A sound card will usually give better sound and more features. Extra Cooling this normally comes in the form of extra case fans. one could write an entire guide on fans alone, so i can't go into this much, but it should suffice to say, if you put your computer in a case, you will usually want at least one extra fan to keep air moving through the case. 3.5" drive: (floppy) remember these? these can become very useful, even if you dont want to leave it installed all of the time, it is a good idea to have one. If you purchase a harddrive with an SATA interface, the 3.5" drive may be needed to install the SATA drivers for windows if you only use one SATA drive. (using 2 will avoid this problem, usually.) Media card reader these are becoming more popular. they allow you to insert any one of many types of flash media cards that are used in PDAs, Cameras, and other digital devices. (much faster than using the device to read/write onto the card.) Uninterrupted Power Supply(ier)This will give your computer a stream of power if the power goes out at your house. even cheap ones will give the computer enough power to shut down properly. the better ones will let you game for hours if your power goes out. Some powersupplies may have the UPS built in, or, it may be a separate unit. Extra USB ports many cases come with fron USB ports. if you are buying one that doesnt, you can always use the ones that are on the motherboard (which will be on the back of the case.) if you want easy access, consider a fron USB panel. many media readers have a single USB port on them as well. PART II: Putting it all together Once you have all of your parts sitting in front of you, you will naturally want to build it now. dont forget to go to all of the websites that you bought the parts from and begin reviewing the packaging of the parts. note: i have this ordered in "steps." this is the order that i find easy, but, there is not a particular "correct order" that you must use. Step 1. Inventory and precautions this is simple, make sure you have all of the necessary parts before you start building. when building the computer, it is important to be cautious of static electricity. there are static-preventing wrist bands that you can buy, but most people just recommend touching grounded bare metal before handling any components. handle all of your components with care. they are all very fragile and sensitive, treat them as such. thanks to thegrommit: "You might want to mention that you'll need a small cross-head or phillips screwdriver" ---indeed, you will certainly need one of these. this basic checklist from AMD applies to almost any system you may want to buld, so have a gander: http://www.amd.com/us-en/assets/cont...docs/24387.pdf Step 2. Installing the CPU: I wanted to take a quote from a post that T Rush recently made, as to why and how you may want to install the CPU onto the motherboard before you put the motherboard into the case. So here's what he has to say about that: "I feel it is far easier and better to put the RAM, CPU and heatsink/fan on when you can get to and see the the slots, sockets and clamps/catches. with some heatsinks like the ZALMANs you need the motherboard out of the case to replace the 'back plate' with the one that comes with the heatsink....other heatsinks like the XP-120 not only needs to have a new mount attached to the stock back plate (which may come off the back of the motherboard when you remove the stock mount)...but the XP-120 also uses 4 spring clips which are very hard to reach from any angle but the side, as they are under the fins. I really like to be able to see what I'm doing when seating a CPU in its socket and applying thermal paste... with the board outside of the case you have much better lighting....I also do the thermal paste twice...after putting on the heatsink...I take it back off, and look at the mark left on the CPU and heatsink by the paste...this will tell me if I used too much or too little...and if the heatsink is make'n good contact and is setting level and flat.....then I clean off the paste and do it all over again." thanks 2 T Rush Like he says, if you are going to install any parts onto the motherboard, keep something protective under it, like the pad that comes in the bottom of the motherboard box. The intallation procedure on recent motherboards has become fairly simple. The manual that came with your motherboard will probably have a fairly good outline of the process. SKT A AMD: http://www.unicore.com/techsupport/a...stallguide.pdf (the procedure outlined in that guide actually also pretty much applies to the newer "skt 754 and skt 939" processors and motherboards as well this applies to the CPU only, not the cooler!. you should not use tools when install the cooler for an a64/sempron/opteron system that is socket 754 or higher.) thanks to thegrommit, and to quote him on sound advice: "My suggestion is that you follow the illustrated guide that comes with the Athlon64, not that PDF." here is an additional building guide from AMD that is helpful: http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/...2_9342,00.html INTEL: here is a good guide from Omnicast.net (with pictures): (hope link stays good ) http://www.omnicast.net/~tmcfadden/guides/build/P4.html The basic procedure is something like this, and barely varies with newer processors: 1. "open" the socket. 2. set (do not force) the CPU carefully into the socket using the correct orientation, and touching only the sides of the unit. 3. "close" the socket, locking the CPU into place. Step 3. Installing CPU cooler: those guides linked to above will also show you how to install the cooler. a few things to keep in mind: *thermal paste is generally recommended over the thermal pad, although (for AMD, at least) the manufacturers support the use of the thermal pad. (make sure to use a thin layer) *try to keep the cooler flat as you install it. *remove the cooler after you have installed it and examine the paste to make sure that it has been applied correctly. *the use of an aftermarket cooler may provide several advantages over the stock cooler in terms of quietness of operation or overall cooling performance, or both. This guide is popular, but kind of old, it has pictures though: http://www.dansdata.com/coolers.htm so after all that is said, here is the basic process for installing the cooler: 1. apply a thin layer of thermal paste to the Heatspreader of the processor, or to the top of the chip (have a look at those guides) 2. set the heatsink down FLATLY onto the processor and clip it on. 3. remove the heatsink to examine how well your grease application has worked, make sure that it is uniform and thin. 4. clean the thermal grease off of both (coffee filter and isoprophyl alcohol will work, although, many people recommend using a more pure form of alcohol, available from electronics stores that is made for cleaning electronic parts. Here is a tip from Taimaster regarding the removal of thermal grease: "...Brake cleaner (only used spray type) from your local Auto parts dealer and Q-Tip cotten swab is the best way to clean the Thermal grease off anything and it doesnt leave a residue. Spray a little on a Q-Tip by putting the cotten swab right on the spray nozzles hole so as to contain any over spray. Wipe the area to be cleaned with the swab, the cleaner desolves the grease and the Q-Tip soaks it up. I spin the Q-Tip between my finger and thumb as i wipe, it helps prevent smearing as the grease loads the Q-Tip." thanks to Taimaster. 5. Re-apply the paste and re-seat the heatsink/fan assembly 6. ALWAYS, always, always, make sure to plug the fan into the motherboard. the fan connector will usually be marked "CPU." *note: your motherboard manual probably has the procedure outlined in good detail, if you have it. if you are installing an aftermarket cooler, they will usually come with detailed instructions. if your aftermarket cooler calls for a backing plate, DO NOT ignore this part of the directions! not using the correct backing plate will at best make you computer less mobile, and at worst completly f-up the mobo. Step 4. installing the RAM The ram goes into slots that have clips on either side of them that will latch onto the ram. Make sure to check your motherboard instruction manual to make sure you are using the right slots. Push the ram down into the slots until the clips 'click' into place. This requires a bit of pressure, so dont be afraid, but at the same time, dont force them in if it seems like they aren't going down with a good amount of pressure. The ram is made to be easily installed and removed becuase this is one of the most common upgrades that people make to their computers. follow the motherboard instruction manual, and you will have no problems. the ram is made to be installed in a particular direction. look at the interface, you will see a notch that is offset, you will see a corresponding piece in the slot. make sure they match up. Step 5. Install the PSU The PSU screws into the back of the case, usually at the top. you will see the holes on the back of the case. it may be easier to install the motherboard first, before the PSU, becuase you dont have the wires to deal with. If you do this, however, you will run the risk of dropping the rather heavy PSU onto the motherboard, the CPU, or the CPU cooler, damaging it, so be careful. Step 6: installing the Motherboard into the case: The motherboard screws down into the case. well, actually it usually screws down onto spacers that are installed in the case. Most times you have to screw these spacers in yourself, MAKE SURE YOU DO THIS! (your motherboard will short out and possibly be ruined if you screw it directly down onto the metal back of the case!) The motherboard has two special power connectors for it. a 20 or 24 pin connector and a 4 pin connector. there is only one place for each of these to go, and it will be easy to spot them. be sure to install them both. Step 7: installing the Drives You will see where your case manufacturer intended for you to install your drives. If they are meant to be screwed in, i recommend screwing down both sides of the drive, which means taking off the other side of the case. when you first set it up, for ease of removal and reconfiguration, you may not want to do this; once your comp is set up the way you like, however, it is a good idea. the drives will slide into the drive rails and you will need to remove the plastic covers from the front of your case for the CD drive so that it will be able to open and close. For your hard drive, i keep reading that you shouldnt install them upside down. OK, dont install it upside down then, install it with the label side facing the ceiling, not the circuit side. For each drive that you install: 1. Install the drive into the case 2. hook up the appropriate cable to the drive 3. hook up the cable to the appropriate interface on the motherboard (more to come on this) 4. be sure to hook up the appropriate power cable from <font color=yellow>the</font> power supply. The CD drive and the Hard drive will require their own power source, so make sure you give it to them. they usually accept a female four pin power connector from the PSU which is called a "molex" connector. Special SATA procedure If you have an SATA hard drive, are installing windows, and are planning on using a single SATA drive as the primary hard drive onto which you will install windows, there is a special procedure you must use that involves using a 3.5" disk to install the SATA drivers. i can't go into this right now, but maybe i can get some help on this. otherwise, just be aware of the issue, and do some google searchin'. Step 8. installing the Video card And now, the video card! yippie! this is what the entire computer was built to run, right? this may not be the "heart" of the computer, but it sure is important, if you had to compare it to a body part (or parts) and its not the heart, then its probably, the.....um, well, you know. place the video card into the correct slot and push down, done. installing video cards is actually quite easy (another common upgrade). Your motherboard manual will tell you which slot to use if you are confused. If you are using a single AGP 8x or PCIe 16x card on a motherboard that is made for single cards, there will only be one slot that the card will fit into. (none, if you bought the wrong motherboard.) If you are using a single card on a motherboard that is made for dual cards (sli, crossfire), refer to the motherboard manual, which will be quite specific on this subject. don't worry about video card drivers and such for now, we'll get to that after you install windows. Many newer cards are made to use an external power source. this means that you will need to hook it up directly to your PSU. If you have this kind of card, you should be able to see where it is meant to accept (most commonly) a molex connector on the back of the card. be sure to plug this in or you will get some scary (though usually not harmful) results. Step 9. cooling installing fans is easy, and each set-up is different. you can plug your fans directly into the motherboard, or attach them to the PSU directly. there are many ways to configure your cooling, but just pay attention and make sure you have enough. this should now bring you to part III, power-up. PART III: powering it up and setup he BIOS (Basic In and Out System) is your friend it is the first step in getting hardware to run most hardware will be auto detected by the BIOS and be set-up for you when your system is first powered on, the BIOS will read 'micro codes' on the hardware you add to the motherboard..this will set the voltage to the RAM and CPU, CPU multi, CPU and RAM speed(ie: 200MHz), RAM timings, hard drive size and type, CD/DVD and Floppy type (often the micro codes will set the CPU and RAM to 'safe' default settings...RAM timings that are set by 'SPD' are often much higher than what it is rated at..you can then go into the BIOS and set them to the 'tighter' timings the RAM was tested/rated to perform at) in most cases you will want to clear the BIOS of any settings from hardware that the motherboard was tested with at the factory the BIOS is stored in a flash memory chip called the CMOS, and there should be a jumper on the motherboard to clear/re-set it with so that you can start with a fresh BIOS you may need to open the BIOS and change settings or have the BIOS try to detect hard drives after you have enabled controllers(SATA and RAID) RAID controllers have their own BIOS that you can use to set-up arrays use'n two or more hard drives remember that IDE drives (CD/DVD and Hard Drives) use jumpers that may need to be set on the drives themselves so that they match their placement on the IDE ribbon(master or slave) the BIOS still may be able to 'see' these drives if the jumpers are set wrong, but they may not work properly get all your hardware up and running/detected before you try and install Windows ( a RAID array will need to be 'built' use'n the RAID controllers BIOS before you can use it) also ...you will need a CD with Windows XP to have SP1 or higher if you are use'n a hard drive larger than 137GB Computer CRT and LCD Monitors... Resolutions and Refresh Rates/Response Times They Use What is it I am looking at? What do I need to look for in a display? So you actually want to buy one? The crash-course in buying the right monitor To LCD, or to not to LCD, is it a question? If I were to take every post here for and against LCD's, this would go on for about 100 pages. In my opinion, it is completely a personal decision. I own this monitor and I think its perfect. No ghosting, very clear picture. However, I have not tried a recent CRT, and since this is a guide; the best idea would be: * lIf you have the desk space, and cash isn't plentiful; try out a CRT. For the size to £ ratio, they cannot be beaten * If you don't have the space, then by all means go for the LCD. If you can try them before you buy, then all the better Advantages of a CRT: * Size / price ratio is low * Colour representation is far superior * Cannot suffer from dead pixels * Response time is not a factor, so an CRT will not ghost at all CRT Disadvantages: * The main one: Weight. * Use almost double the power of an LCD. * Screen can burn in, should a stationary image be left on the screen for a long time. As nicely demonstrated here. * Screen flicker, this can be lessened by setting a nice high refresh rate, but is still hard on the eyes. Things to consider in a new monitor DVI or VGA? This is the physical connection that your monitor makes with your graphics card. Currently, there are two different flavours DVI VGA/D-Sub (if its an LCD) Response time This is the amount of time it takes for the pixels to change, after recieving an instruction from the graphics card. It is measured in ms. Currently, there isn't any standard for measuring the response time. Wikipedia states the following on response time: Quote: Response Time is an attribute that applies to LCD monitors. It translates to the amount of time it takes for a liquid crystal cell to go from active (black) to inactive (white) and back to active (black) again You will find some manufacturers will only quote the active to black, or vise-versa. Anyway, you want to be looking for a lower overall time. The best thing to do however it to try before you buy it. If that isn't possible, see if *insert your favour mail order company here* wil let you return it if you're not happy with it. Some monitors with 8ms times can have huge amounts of ghosting, while other 16ms panels are fine. Resolution and Aspect ratio Resolution is simply how many pixels your monitor can display. An example of a resolution would be 1280 X 1024 The resolution of your monitor can be in two different formats There are: * Normal 4:3 e.g. 1024X768, 1280 X 1024 (However, LCD's are more square shaped than CRT's, so the ratio of them us more 5:4. You are still getting the same picture size. Personally, I have never noticed the difference; but sources inform me otherwise.) This is your standard resolution, I would say that 95% of monitors have this aspect ratio. * Widescreen The ratios and resolutions vary, from 16:10, 16:9 and 1280X800 and 1920 X 1200. But as a small rule of thumb if the horizontal value is much higher than the vertical resolution; it will probably be a widescreen. You don't have to remember any of the resolutions or aspect ratios, but they are a nice guide to look at when deciding on what type to get. Go widescreen or not? Go for it! Chances are most people will watch at least one film on their PC, and films are far more epic in widescreen imho. Games now include widescreen as a standard feature, without having to edit INI files manually. Games that haven't yet supported it, fear not! The guys here are here to help. They have a complete database of games that are supported; so take a look to see if your favourite game is supported if you're wary of splashing the cash. Size This one is pretty much self-explaniatory. The main size for an LCD is 17", although 19" versions are starting to become more affordable. Anything above 20" however really does start to make a bigger hole in the wallet. At time of writing 20" monitors seem to be edging out the 19"s and becoming more affordable. Of course the main thing to look for, can your desk support the monitor? Contrast ratio This appears as a ratio (duh) e.g. 400:1, 1000:1 and basically refers to the difference between the darkest blacks and the lightest whites. The number refers to the amount of lumens. As with most things in life, the higher the number; the better. LCD's with higher constrast ratios have more realistic looking black colours. A true black is impossible to recreate on an LCD, due to the backlight, also the way the LCD screens works; it isn't possible to block all light from it. Constast ratios are only quoted for LCD's for the reason that a CRT potentially has an infinite ratio. Refresh rate Mainly applicable to CRT displays, but a few LCD refresh rate questions have popped up recently; so I will go through it. This is the amount of time per second that the screen is updated. Realistic monitor refresh rates very from 60 to 120hz. Refresh rate is not proportional to frame rate, but it also is. (bear with me here) If your monitor is refreshing at 60 hz and you have V-Sync enabled, and your graphics card is capiable of more than 60 fps you will be capped at that. If your card cannot go any quicker than 60fps, then the refresh rate does not effect it. Personally, when using a CRT monitor I need a nice high refresh rate (85hz or so) or I get a headache in minutes; it is advisable to run a CRT with the highest refresh possible. Be warned however that running a CRT at the higer refresh rates will reduce their life ever so slightly. LCD have a refresh rate, but they don't as such. The graphics card will update the monitor at 60hz, but a LCD doesn't 'refresh' in the same way. A CRT works by an electron gun firing different coloured electrons onto a screen, magnets then direct the electrons into the needed place; and the circle starts again. This is the refresh rate. LCD's only change the pixels that need to be changed, whereas a CRT will change the whole image; even if a pixel has not changed from the last time. HDCP compatablility This is reasonably new technology that iis built into monitors and is quite controversial. How much wallet busting do you want to do? Now that you have read the guide, and understood. Its time to make a nice hole in your wallet. Recommended options: LCD * 15" * 17" * 19" * 20" * 24"+ Suggestions are good, actually better than good; awesome! I will put everything in (slowly), possibly rewrite some other things. But give me a chance, I'm pretty new to the art of guide writing. The Introductory Guide to PC Audio PC audio has always been one of the most under-discussed topics of computers. Unlike the RAM, mobo, processor and graphics cards, it isn't as simple to benchmark soundcards (disregarding listening tests as a method), requiring complex hardware to analyze signals and such. Hence very few sites actually bother to bench audio hardware in this fashion. Most written guides are based purely on the specifications given by the manufacturer, and perhaps on the writer's experience while using the soundcard/speakers. Hopefully this guide will help the average user understand what those complicated sounding terms (EAX, frequency response etc), and of course, to help you select the best speakers for your soundcard (50 dollar speakers + 200 dollar soundcard = bad, and vice versa ) Contents 1. Soundcard specs, what the hell do they mean?! 2. Connectors 3. Understanding speakers, and choosing the right ones for your soundcard 4. Audio formats (ogg vorbis, mp3, etc) Soundcard specs, what the hell do they mean?! Signal-to-noise-ratio To the layman, this is the strength of the audio signal, as compared to the strength of the noise signal (the static interference) A low SNR means you'll hear a slight buzzing sound in the background. Frequency response Sample rate Basically, the higher the better. The sampling rates can vary in the various audio formats, more on that later BitsWhat is 24-bit audio? Apologies, for i do not yet understand this. Will update in own words when that happens EAX EAX is a propietary Creative Technologies creation. It stands for Environmental Audio Extensions. In soundcards, the aim of EAX is to provide a 3d feel to your audio, be it songs recorded in surround sound, DVD movies, games and so on. In simple terms, this means that it'll sound more realistic and 'fuller', THXBack in the 1980s, George Lucas of Lucasfilm, the creator of Star Wars, realised that many theaters didn't have a good enough soundsystem to do his film justice. He then proceeded to develope the THX certification standard. Audio technicians from Lucasfilm would go listen to the various soundsystems, ranging from amplifiers to speakers to soundcards. Then if they think that that particular piece of equipment meets their standards, it gets THX certified. Basically, THX is just a guarantee of higher quality audio. Obviously not all speakers have the chance to get rated, so don't pass up a set of speakers solely because it isn't THX certified. The Creative Gigaworks and Megaworks speaker line, and the Audigy2ZS are examples of THX certified equipment. DTS decoding http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Theatre_System DTS encoding is present in certain DVDs. If your soundcard supports DTS decoding, you'll be able to enjoy higher quality audio from those DVDs. ChannelsThe number of channels a soundcard has refers to the number of speakers it has the capability to support. A 7.1 channel compatible sound card means it has the ability to control the stream going to 7 speakers and 1 subwoofer individually. I.e a seperate signal for each. Of course, certain speakers have the ability to 'upmix' say, 5.1 channels into 7.1, but this means that it isn't 'true' 7.1 surround sound, merely a 7.1 speaker setup playing 5.1 channels. Most music is recorded in stereo also, meaning that its recording to come out of 2 speakers. When you play most songs on a 5.1 speaker, for example, it just means that 2 channels of audio (for the left and the right front speaker) are being streamed to the two rear and one centre speaker also, being replicated. Connectors http://compreviews.about.com/cs/soun...AudioPt3_p.htm Mini-jack A mini-jack RCA RCA Plugs Digital Coaxial SPDIF or Digital Optical Digital Optical/SPDIF The port on the soundcard is usually sealed with a small plastic bit that you can remove What connectors should I use? Speakers and Headphones Next to the soundcard, speakers are another component that many buyers fail to weigh or balance adequately when building a rig. It isn't uncommon to see $50 dollar speakers being used with a $200 dollar soundcard, or $200 dollar speakers being used with cheap onboard sound, or onboard sound with cheap speakers. Here, I shall explain in detail how the speaker works, what the various speaker-related terms mean, and what you should look out for. What is a speaker? A speaker is a device meant that converts electrical signals coming from the soundcard or amplifier into sound. It does this by moving a cone-shaped part (usually), called the diaphragm, to send vibrations through the air. Within the range of 20Hz (hertz, times per second) and 20kHZ, these vibrations can be detected by our ears and converted into electrical impulses which are sent to the brain, producing the experience we call 'hearing'. Because there are so many ways to construct a speaker, sound quality can vary greatly between them. For example, just by changing the construction of its enclosure (usually plastic) into wood, can produce a more mellow sound. Drivers can make use of different kinds of magnets too, and the diaphragms can also be made out of many, many types of materials. How does it work? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudspeaker Cross section of cone speaker Top view cutaway of a cone speaker To summarise, the diaphragm is pushed or pulled by an electromagnet, who's magnetic abilities are dependant on the electrical signals coming from the soundcard. If the volume is raised, it becomes more magnetic, pushing and pulling the cone through greater distances, displacing a larger amount of air, and producing a louder sound. If the sound is high pitched, say 10khz, the electromagnet loses and gains its magnetic properties 10000 times per second, likewise pushing and pulling the cone through the air 10000 times per second. By altering the frequency (the number of times per second) and the amplitude (distance the cone moves), the speaker is able to produce different sounds. Important things to note about speakers Different types of speakers Woofer Mid-ranges Tweeters Full-ranges Subwoofers HIGHER WATTAGE DOESN'T MEAN BETTER SOUND!! It isn't uncommon for people to be fooled into thinking that a speaker is better purely because it has a higher RMS (root mean square) wattage rating. Sound quality is dependant on MANY things, and RMS is not one of them. HOWEVER, it IS important to have sufficient power, lest it be too soft to hear anything, be it music or games. Heres what PC Magazine has to say about the power ratings: 3-D positional audio: This is a technique (used primarily in 3-D games) that makes sounds appear as though placed in space around the listener. The sound effect of a bee buzzing around your head would be one example. In a two-channel system, the effect must be faked using digital signal processing (DSP). It doesn't sound bad, but tends to sound better with headphones than speakers, especially since "sweet-spotting" becomes an issue with only two speakers—you have to keep your head at stereo-center and on-axis (facing forward) to get the optimal effect. AC-3: See Dolby Digital Balance: Balance is a speaker control that determines how much sound appears to come from the left versus the right channels. The control reduces power to one side (left or right) making the apparent volume of the other louder. Crossover: This circuit splits the audio signal into frequency bands, routing the lower band to the bass speaker/subwoofer. Ideally, the crossover frequency, below which signals get routed to the bass speaker/subwoofer, should be 100 Hz, since humans can begin to localize (determine the position and direction of) sounds above that. dB SPL (decibel sound pressure level): A measurement of how loud a sound is. Sound pressure is the value over time of the rapid variation, caused by acoustic waves, in air pressure at a fixed point. Sound pressure level, which is given in dB SPL, is a logarithmic ratio of the sound pressure of the measured sound to the sound pressure at the threshold of hearing. The range of human hearing is generally said to be around 120dB, with 0dB representing absolute silence and 120dB to 130db representing the threshold of pain (depending on the reference you consult), at which severe hearing damage can occur. Decoder: A device that can take an incoming digital audio stream, decompress it, and convert it into discrete channels that are, in turn, converted to analog signals the speaker system sends to the appropriate speakers. DirectSound and DirectSound3D: Microsoft sound APIs (application programming interfaces) that are part of the DirectX family of gaming APIs. Access to sound devices in a Windows-compatible manner is one of the capabilities the APIs give developers. DirectSound3D extends the abilities of programmers, letting them do 3-D positional audio, giving listeners the impression that sounds are coming from particular points in space. Dolby Digital: Dolby Digital, also called AC-3, is the standard 5.1 audio format for DVD movie discs. Dolby Digital can also be down-mixed to a two-channel format when a DVD movie is played on a two-channel speaker system. A recent addition to Dolby Digital called Dolby Digital EX is a 6.1-channel format that provides specific information for the center-rear speaker channel. (See also, DTS ES.) Drivers: The parts of a speaker that actually produce sound; also called transducers. Drivers come in several forms, with the most common being tweeters for high-frequency sounds, midrange drivers for the middle band of audio frequencies (from roughly 150 Hz to about 2,000 Hz), and cone drivers, sometimes referred to as woofers, to handle bass frequencies. DTS: This is another 5.1 audio format that some DVD movies use as an alternative to Dolby Digital. DTS is favored by home theatre aficionados because it uses less compression than Dolby Digital, and some believe it sounds better. The differences are often subtle, though, and opinions vary as to which format delivers superior sound quality. A new arrival, DTS ES, is a 6.1 version of DTS that provides specific information for the center-rear channel. (See also, Dolby Digital EX.) DVD audio: A fairly new multichannel audio CD format that delivers 5.1, 24-bit audio sampled at 96 KHz, or a two-channel down-mix at 192 KHz. This format delivers better audio quality than current CD audio, which has a 44 KHz, 16-bit resolution. Efficiency: Also referred to as sensitivity, this speaker measurement gauges how much sound a speaker can produce when being driven by a specific amount of power, usually one watt. Greater efficiency is desirable because an amplifier won't have to work as hard to drive the speaker, and as a rule, the less an amplifier has to strain to drive a set of speakers, the better the audio will sound. Fader: A control that changes the level of sound between front and rear speakers by attenuating the power going to one set, making the other seem louder. Frequency: This is the number of cycles per second (See Hertz) a periodic signal, such as a sine wave, makes. For example, a 1 KHz sine wave test tone completes 1,000 cycles each second. If you were to graph a sine wave, one complete cycle would look like a dollar sign ($) turned sideways. Hash: Also called hiss, this is the undesirable sound an amplifier/speaker system emits when sitting idle. The source may be the speaker set's power amp, the sound card output, or both. Often, hash becomes audible when a speaker is sitting idle with the volume set to a loud level. If hash is readily audible when a speaker set is idle at a moderate or low volume, shy away from that model. Hertz: A unit of measurement for the frequency of a periodic phenomenon, such as a sound wave. One hertz, abbreviated Hz, is one cycle per second. The range of human hearing is generally stated to be 20 Hz to 20 KHz (kilohertz). The note orchestras tune to is called A440 because it is the note A and has a frequency of 440 Hz. You'll often hear a 1 KHz test tone when TV stations have signed off for the night. A set of speakers should faithfully reproduce the majority of the audible spectrum, although most speaker sets won't go all the way down to 20 Hz; the majority roll off (attenuate the signal) around 50 Hz. LFE (Low Frequency Effects) channel: This is the .1 in a 5.1 speaker system. The term LFE is specific to Dolby Digital, since this is the channel over which the audio format sends rumble and other low-frequency effects to enhance DVD movie audio. Localize: The process of determining the location and direction of a sound-emitting object. The area of study concerning human localization of sound is called psychoacoustics. People are very good at localizing sounds in all directions. We can actually "see" much more with our ears than with our eyes, since we can determine the location of sounds 720 degrees around us (360-degrees horizontally and 360-degrees vertically). Rub-and-Buzz: The most common type of speaker distortion that occurs when a speaker driver exceeds its excursion limit in its housing and physically bangs into the speaker driver's magnet. Satellite: Any speaker that isn't the subwoofer. In X.1 speaker systems, X is the number of satellite speakers. Subwoofer: A speaker that handles low-frequency information down to 10 Hz. Most "subwoofers" in PC speaker sets are not actually subwoofers but dedicated bass units. THX: A set of specifications created by an offshoot company of LucasFilm. THX assures audio and visual quality in movie theatres, as well as with home theater equipment. There is also a THX certification for PC speakers. Tweeter: A speaker driver that handles high-frequency information. A tweeter is typically the smallest driver in a satellite speaker. Not all satellite speakers have tweeters, however. Many PC speakers use what are called full-range drivers that pull double duty, handling both midrange and high-frequency information. Watts rms: This is sustained power output over time. This power rating is a better indicator of an amplifier's actual power than "peak power" or "peak system power." Any audio system with an amplifier should disclose its power rating in watts rms. (All Credits to Hardware Dept. SF)
It is much cheaper to buy a PC (like a Dell) then build one yourself. Retail PC parts and software are very expensive.
um, not really, maybe if you are talking about the low end PCs, for High End PCs, custom ones are cheaper. you have to pay dell $200 to upgrade 1 GB to 2GB, in reality, that would be around $100
I am new here and i learn quite a lot of things here regarding this matter..Thanx alot for the deep information..
On the latest Dell Offer. One can buy a Pentium D 3.4GHz, XP Media Centre, 1024MB DDR2 Ram, 160GB disk, 17" flat screen, 256MB GeForce TurboCache graphic card, 16X DVD +/- Rw drive, TV Turner and Remote, keyboard, mouse and speakers and other software for £529. To build the above system it will cost a lot more than £650 without software. Of course one get the pressure of building the system if one enjoy doing it(assumimg there is technical problem). What I am suggesting is to buy a system like the above then do the upgrade later when required.
so much readingg. i know its much better if u build you own. but i am so dam lazyyy. corner chinese pc store here i come =D.
the only thing worth getting from dell is their lcd screens. u can easily get a system like that MUCH cheaper outside. plus when you buy yourself, you get to choose which brand and which model for each part. You don't get that choice with dell. The only reason you'd get a pre-built system is if you don't know how to build it, or you dont' have the time/effort needed to put it together. Those who do will always build it themselves =)
ahaha TVBfreak you should make a website or somthing with this on it making links... chaptersss, it hurts my EYES! makes me wana go buy that dell.... when u say buying seperately, do u guys buy form the small retail stores.. i dont trust them..WOuld i still be able to get a cheaper computer by buyin parts from bigger well known stores, like with waranty etc.. i was finking about buying a dell or something without the mon, and then buy a better graphic card sepratly, what do u fink?
I've never build a pc before. I was thinking to build one later on. I'm waiting for Windows Vista, plus my current pc isn't too obsolete yet lol. I just need to get Gig of ram for now, but those DDR2 cost so much..
It is very easy to build a PC. If you are using DDR2 then your PC is not old. Why not do some upgrade on your existing PC. By the time you needed a new PC you should know what to do then.
