Choosing the parts

Before you jump onto the web and start spending lots of money on expensive computer parts,
there are two important questions you should answer which will guide your purchases:
1. What are you going to use your new computer for?
2. Will parts be available to use from your old computer--or do you want to reuse parts from
your old computer?

What Operating System am I going to use?

Before you buy components, be sure that they are supported by the operating system you plan
to use. Almost all current, commonly available devices have drivers available for current
versions of Windows (generally, anything 2000, XP or newer); if you want to run an alternative
operating system, you'll have to do some research -- many alternatives have extensive
'Hardware Compatibility Lists'.

CPU (Processor)

The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the heart of your computer as it performs nearlly all
functions that require extensive processing power. Therefore, it is very important that you
choose a suitable CPU for your function as the choice of CPU directly affects the speed and
stability of your system.
Before we can explain differences between CPUs, you must first be familiar with certain CPU
properties.

Motherboard

It cannot be stressed more that the motherboard is the MOST important part of your computer.It is worth investing in a decent motherboard rather than a CPU (although if financiallyacceptable, both) as your motherboard is what connects different parts of the computertogether. In addition, the difference between a cheap and a nice motherboard is typically around$100 US. A good motherboard allows a modest CPU and RAM to run at max efficiencywhereas a bad motherboard causes high-end products to run only modestly.There are 6 things one must consider in choosing a motherboard, CPU Interface, Chipset, IDEor SATA support, Expansion Slot Interfaces and Other Connectors.CPU Interface The CPU interface is the "plug" that your processor goes into. For yourprocessor to physically fit in the motherboard, the interface must be an exact match to yourprocessor.