CPU
Parts it determines: motherboard, CPU cooler.
Intel CPUs:
Intel uses a few motherboard-to-CPU sockets.
- LGA1155 for Ivy bridge (3rd gen) and Sandy bridge (2nd gen)
- LGA1150 for Haswell (4th gen)
- LGA2011 for Ivy bridge-E (4th gen) and Sandy bridge-E (3rd gen)
The number next to the LGA stands for the amount of gold contact pins the CPU and motherboard socket have. Check your motherboard and CPU to make sure the numbers match!
AMD CPUs:
- AM3, Only used by like, 1 CPU, the AMD Athlon II X2 270, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem at all.
- AM3+, Only used the the FX series CPUs, they're super powerful, and don't support mITX boards :(
- FM2, Used by the APU series and the Athlon series.
Motherboard
Parts it determines: everything. (case, RAM, GPU, CPU, PSU, other expansion cards)
Your motherboard should be the second part you look for (after your case). It's the most important thing in your computer for it to run, so make sure it will support your gaming/office grade needs.
Checklist for motherboard slots:
- RAM DIMMs
- CPU socket
- PCI slot(s) (GPU and other expansion cards)
- Fan power connectors (your PSU)
- SATA HDD ports
- USB headers (for your case)
- Size (ATX, mITX, microATX, EATX, ATX-XL) (also for your case)
Check ALL of these when you go looking for a motherboard. Write down what your preferred motherboard can support if you need to.
RAM
Parts it determines: CPU (for voltage), motherboard (for DIMM slots and maximum frequency speed)
If you haven't seen my section on RAM, check here.
RAM is pretty essential when making a good computer, and the standard for most computers these days is around 4GB of DDR3 at 1600Mhz. That will run your OS and a game on medium settings easy.
CPU cooler
Parts it determines: RAM (depending how big your cooler or RAM is.)
Your CPU cooler determines how much of a load you can put on your CPU without is overheating. The cooler that came with your CPU, be it AMD or Intel will not be enough for overclocking or top-tier gaming. You'll probably need a bigger better one. Corsair makes some baller closed-loop water cooling systems. They are completely sealed, so no need to worry about leaks or replacing the liquid. For the best in air cooling, which is debatable weather it's better than closed-loop water cooling systems, you'll want to go for Noctua coolers, those are pretty good, even if the fan colors are ugly.
GPU
Parts it determines: motherboard, PSU.
If you haven't seen my section on GPUs, check here first.
A GPU, if you decide to buy one, will probably be the most fun part to look for, since there are so many different ones, and looks count a little bit here.
Which ever card you choose, make sure it will perform the way you want. Google the card's number and check out some benchmarks on the screen resolution you're using. That will give you a pretty good idea on how it will run for you.
As for PSU compatibility, a semi-modular one will probably be the best choice. Most GPUs these days use either two 6-pin or one 6-pin and one 8-pin. Make sure that your PSU meets the GPU's power requirement. Most of the time, it's 500 watts or over.
Make sure your motherboard has a 16x PCI slot to accommodate your GPU. Try and go for PCI 3.0, those are the current fastest.
Be ABSOLUTELY sure that your GPU will fit in your case while is sitting in the motherboard. Get measurements of the card and compare it to the inside of your case, or look up reviews of either the card or case to see if anyone else has run into a problem with either. Also make sure that the back has an open expansion slot so you can screw in your GPU.
AMD CPUs:
- AM3, Only used by like, 1 CPU, the AMD Athlon II X2 270, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem at all.
- AM3+, Only used the the FX series CPUs, they're super powerful, and don't support mITX boards :(
- FM2, Used by the APU series and the Athlon series.
Motherboard
Parts it determines: everything. (case, RAM, GPU, CPU, PSU, other expansion cards)
Your motherboard should be the second part you look for (after your case). It's the most important thing in your computer for it to run, so make sure it will support your gaming/office grade needs.
Checklist for motherboard slots:
- RAM DIMMs
- CPU socket
- PCI slot(s) (GPU and other expansion cards)
- Fan power connectors (your PSU)
- SATA HDD ports
- USB headers (for your case)
- Size (ATX, mITX, microATX, EATX, ATX-XL) (also for your case)
Check ALL of these when you go looking for a motherboard. Write down what your preferred motherboard can support if you need to.
RAM
Parts it determines: CPU (for voltage), motherboard (for DIMM slots and maximum frequency speed)
If you haven't seen my section on RAM, check here.
RAM is pretty essential when making a good computer, and the standard for most computers these days is around 4GB of DDR3 at 1600Mhz. That will run your OS and a game on medium settings easy.
CPU cooler
Parts it determines: RAM (depending how big your cooler or RAM is.)
Your CPU cooler determines how much of a load you can put on your CPU without is overheating. The cooler that came with your CPU, be it AMD or Intel will not be enough for overclocking or top-tier gaming. You'll probably need a bigger better one. Corsair makes some baller closed-loop water cooling systems. They are completely sealed, so no need to worry about leaks or replacing the liquid. For the best in air cooling, which is debatable weather it's better than closed-loop water cooling systems, you'll want to go for Noctua coolers, those are pretty good, even if the fan colors are ugly.
GPU
Parts it determines: motherboard, PSU.
If you haven't seen my section on GPUs, check here first.
A GPU, if you decide to buy one, will probably be the most fun part to look for, since there are so many different ones, and looks count a little bit here.
Which ever card you choose, make sure it will perform the way you want. Google the card's number and check out some benchmarks on the screen resolution you're using. That will give you a pretty good idea on how it will run for you.
As for PSU compatibility, a semi-modular one will probably be the best choice. Most GPUs these days use either two 6-pin or one 6-pin and one 8-pin. Make sure that your PSU meets the GPU's power requirement. Most of the time, it's 500 watts or over.
Make sure your motherboard has a 16x PCI slot to accommodate your GPU. Try and go for PCI 3.0, those are the current fastest.
Be ABSOLUTELY sure that your GPU will fit in your case while is sitting in the motherboard. Get measurements of the card and compare it to the inside of your case, or look up reviews of either the card or case to see if anyone else has run into a problem with either. Also make sure that the back has an open expansion slot so you can screw in your GPU.
