Choosing a Discount Computer Part

First, you need to find discount computer parts

With so many discount stores, department stores and electronic stores around, there are many readily available discount computer parts

Before you actually buy your discount computer parts you may want to ask yourself the following questions

• Exactly what parts do I need for my computer?
• Where can I find the best quality part for the best possible price?
• Can I trust the store or website that is offering the discount part?

I am going to give you a list of possible discount computer parts that you will may want to purchase to build your computer or repair an existing part on your PC.

Computer Case

Just like us, computer cases come in many different shapes, sizes and colors. They also vary in price from $20 or $30 to $100's of dollars. Your purchase decision will depend on many factors such as space in your office for your computer, color preference, or where you want to put the finished computer. It can go on top of your desk, under your monitor on the desk, or under the desk.

Some computer cases come pre-equipped with several options. For example, some include a power supply, speakers, front usb inputs, extra usb inputs, or maybe a clear cover.

I would recommend purchasing a case with a pre-installed power supply and the power supply should be at least 450 watts. The power supply obviously supplies power to all the components inside the computer such as the hard drives, CD Roms, DVD players, etc. If you plan to have multiple hard drives and CD rom drives you will need sufficient power.

You also want to make sure that the discount computer case has enough drive bays to meet your needs now and for future upgrades. Since external drives have made huge improvements lately this isn't as important as it used to be, but internal hard drives and media drives are usually much cheaper and more reliable than external drives.

You want to ensure that your computer case is easily accessable. I have seen some very poorly designed computer cases in my career. Even a simple task such as adding a hard drive can be difficult if there isn't enough room inside the case to work.

The case may seem like a very cheap computer part but it is a very important part so put some effort into picking a good one. You may want to consider one that has space for a computer case fan. This will help cool your system better in the event you purchse a high speed discount CPU.

Motherboard

When it comes to choosing your discount computer parts the motherboard may be one of the most important parts of the system. Everything in the computer is in some way connected to the motherboard.

You want to make sure that the motherboard you choose will fit in the discount computer case that you purchase. Unfortunately when it comes to computers not much is universal. The motherboard should have in the description which form factors of cases it will fit into.

Some motherboards come with many integraded parts. Common parts included on the motherboard are video cards and sound cards. For the average computer user this is a good choice, but for someone who enjoys high quality sound, media and gaming you may want to purchase a seperate video and sound card. In this case you also want to make sure you the motherboard has the proper slots to install them.

Motherboards also include slots as mentioned above. These include AGP, PCI Express X16 for video and PCI slots for video cards, sound cards, modems, and network cards. You want to make sure it has enough slots to support all the devices you want to install in your computer.

The Processor

Another important discount computer part. The CPU is the like our brain. It basically controls all the actions of the computer. It is very important to pick the correct discount CPU for your computing needs. Processors have a large range of price and are usually divided into three categories.

• Lower end processors include the Intel Celeron, Intel Pentium4, AMD Athlon XP and AMD Sempron. This type of processor is used for word processing, email and basic internet applications. For most people this processor will meet your needs.
• Average processors include Intel D and Athlon 64 processors. These processors operate at speeds in excess of 1 GHz. These processors are just a step above the lower end processors and are usually used for light audio and video proceessin as well as basic gaming needs.
• High End processors include Dual Core chips such as Intel Core 2 Duo, Intel Core 2 Extreme, Intel Quad Core, AMD Athlon 64 X2 and AMD Athlon 64 FX. These processors operate at speeds in excess of 2.0 GHz. These processors should be used by high end users for comples graphics programs and high end gaming needs.

There will probably always be a debate over which brand of processor is the best. There seems to be an ongoing war between Intel and AMD. Intel processors tend to cost more than AMD but most people would agree that comparable levels of processors provide about the same output. I think it's just a personal preference.

CPU Heat Sink/Fan Assembly

Again the Heat Sink/Fan Assembly may seem like a non-essential part of a computer but without a good one your computer won't run. The Heat Sink/Fan Assembly keeps the processor cool and from over heating. There is a small amount of compound that should also be placed between the processor and fan to help pull the heat off the processor. I know from personal experience that if you don't have this the computer will overheat and shut down. Continued use of your computer without a fan will damage the CPU.

Memory

Discount computer memory seems to keep getting easier to purchase. You can usually find discount computer memory at your local department store. You will pay more for than online but it's very readily avaliable. It's a vital part of your computer and it will not start up without memory.

Today's operating systems and computer software require a lot of memory so purchasing enough memory is vital for peak performance of your computer. There a few different types of memory that can be installed on your motherboard so again make sure you purchase the correct type for your system. Most machines today require DDR or DDR2 SDRAM. This memory is dual-channel which means you must have two identical chips installed in order for the memory to function properly. This also allows for increased speed and performance.

Again, there are many different brands of computer memory and prices can vary greatly. You can find very deep discounts on off brand memory. In my opinion it's best to purchase the off brand memory instead of name brand memory.

Hard Drive

Discount hard drives is the largets capacity non-removable storage device in your computer. Through the years prices on hard drives have decreased greatly. Most pre-build computers come with very large capacity hard drives and can even be upgraded at resonable prices.

The hard drive is where your operating system, software applications and all your personal files are stored. I would personally not every buy a used hard drive. Storage is currently very cheap so it's well worth the extra money to find a good new discount hard drive.

There are currently two common types of hard drives in use, ATA and SATA. ATA is older technology and much slower than the new SATA drives. Hard drives also have two speeds 5400 and 7200. It's again worth the money to purchase a 7200 RPM hard drive as the seek time is much faster than the older 5400 models. There are a couple of other speeds of hard drives but they are much more expensive and probably not practicle for home use.

Floppy Drive

Most computers today don't come equipped with a floppy drive. Floppy drives are a type of removable storage. They fit into a 3.5 inch drive bay in your computer. They are very slow and can only store 1.44 MB of data. Floppy drives for the most part have been replaced by other types of removable storage such as USB jump drives.

CD and DVD Rom Drive

Another discount computer part is the CD Rom drive or DVD Rom Drive. Most newer computers are installed with DVD Rom drives. DVD Rom drives can play CD Roms and CD Rom drives can't play DVDs so the DVD Rom is the logical choice to install in your discount computer system.

These drives are not only used for common tasks such as playing CDs and DVDs, but these drives are used to install your operating system and software.

You can also purchase a CD-RW or a DVD-RW drive. These types of drives are very similar to regular CD and DVD rom drives. They can still play CDs, DVDs, install software and operating systmes, but also can be used for more complex tasks. These drives can be used for backup of CDs, DVDs, store personal files and media. They can also be used to create movies and slide shows that can be viewed on a home DVD player

Video Card

The video card displays all the graphics and images you see on your monitor or computer screen. You can find a discount video card very cheap or you can pay over $1,000 for some very high end video cards.

There are three common types of video cards in use today.

• PCI video card - PCI video cards are almost never used in todays computers. They are considered much slower than newer video cards and don't meet the needs of many of todays applications. However you can find these PCI cards at deep discounts and they still fit in the PCI slot in your computer.
• AGP video card - AGP video cards are probably still the most common type of video cards. Even though they aren't the most advanced technology they are resonably priced and meet the video needs for most people. AGP video cards fit into the AGP slot in your computer.
• PCI Express x16 - PCI Express x16 video cards are at the top of video technology. These cards are much faster than older AGP cards and come equipped with video memory which greatly improves your video experience.

Sound Card

The sound card is a component that is not absolutely mandatory. Your computer will function fine without a sound card but they are very nice to have. Without some type of sound card you won't be able to hear any sound from your computer. With the development of the interent a sound card should be greatly considered for your new discount computer. A discount sound card can be found easily online and again range greatly in price.

When you purchase your discount sound card please buy at least a sound card that supports 5.1. 5.1 technology provides a great sound and these cards won't cost much more than a normal sound card.

Keyboard and Mouse

A keyboard and mouse are both necessary in order to use a PC. These discount computer parts are considered input devices and allow you to communicate with your computer.

Technology has came a long way and now you can purchase a wireless keyboard and mouse. Wireless technology will keep the cluter down on your desk. The keyboard and mouse can be purchased for between $20 and $50 each.

IDE/EIDE Drive Cables

When buying your discount computer part ensure you have all the proper cables and connections to make your computer work properly. All the discount computer parts we have talked about including hard drive, CD rom and DVD rom drives, and floppy drives require cables to be connected to the motherboard. An audio cable should be included with your DVD rom or CD rom drive, but double check to make sure it's there or you won't have sound from the drive

Other Discount Computer Parts

There are several other discount computer parts you may need or should consider. One is a power surge protector. This discount computer part will protect your entire computer from unexpected sureges in power. Another discount computer part that is optional is a UPS. This will not only provide protection from surges but also give you time to shut down your computer in case of a power failure. They can be somewhat expensive however.