Chapter 1 : Introduction
Introduction
Once you’ve installed your operating system you’ll also need to install
the device drivers, as without
drivers your operating system will
not work correctly and will not
detect any peripherals like printers
or cameras that you’ve installed.
Many device drivers are built into
the operating system, while newer
OSes like Windows 8 can now
automatically detect and install
drivers making driver installation far
easier than in the past.
Although software installation can
be complicated in some instances,
this guide has been produced to
specifically focus on the PC
hardware, and the skills needed to
construct a modern PC from the
ground up.
A wide range of external peripherals
can be attached to a computer,
although some aren’t optional
3
How to Build Your Own PC
K
ey PC Components
Here are the key components needed to
construct any modern PC system.
CPU
Known as the Central Processing
Unit or CPU, this component
can be described as the brain of the
PC and is responsible for the majority of
data computing and logical analysis. The CPU is
usually the first item to consider when planning what
parts to get for your new PC, as it often dictates the
rest of the components you need to get, since certain
types of processors only work with certain motherboards, graphics cards, memory, etc.
Fourth generation Intel® Core™ i7, Core i5 and Core i3
processors represent a broad spectrum of performance,
features and price points that the PC builder can
consider. All fourth generation Intel Core i7, i5 and i3
CPUs are based on the 22 nanometer ‘Haswell’
architecture. Current Haswell based processors use the
LGA1150 socket, and also integrate graphics and video
capabilities, which in the past was the responsibility of
either the chipset or graphics card.
Intel processors can be purchased at a broad range of
price points depending on clock speed, cached
memory and features e.g. Current Intel Core i7-4770K
and i5-4670K CPUS for example allow for dynamic
overclocking features which allows the end user to
increase the clock speed and thus performance.
Overclocking will be covered in more depth later in this
guide.