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There are many things you'll need to buy in order to assemble a computer yourself.

The minimum requirements are a motherboard, central processor unit (CPU), Hard Drive, keyboard, (mouse is generally a requirement with modern software, however if you're using an old or another Operating System than Windows you may suffice without one, but they're cheap get one anyway), and Monitor. Oh, and a Power unit (200 Watt minimum, 350+ is probably a good idea, and the mainstream unit these days).

The motherboard will usually have a mouse and keyboard output, as well as the IDE connector slot to connect the hard drive to the motherboard.

Modern motherboards will usually have a VGA monitor output. This is your standard computer monitor connection.

Oh, and some kind of drive to allow you to install your operating system. That can be floppy drives, or most likely a CD/DVD drive. This you will be able to connect to the motherboard with the same cable as your Hard drive.

No, you do not NEED a case to install everything in... my friend once laid out his parts on a desk and some shelves... but the case is recommended for protection! VERY recommended.

Plug your power supply into the motherboard, hard drive and disk drive. Set the jumpers on the hard drive, and disk drive so one is Master and one is slave, or both to CS or cable select. Plug the IDE cable into the disk drive and hard drive, then to the motherboard. Plug in your keyboard and mouse, and monitor too.

Check plugs, loose connections, if they pop loose while the system is turned on, could cause serious damage. Most plugs are either pretty tight or have clips to prevent this, so make sure it's tight or clipped.

I almost forgot! You also need RAM for your motherboard. You need to make sure it's compatible with your motherboard (DDR, DDR2, DDR3 are common, check your specs!).

Plug in your power cable to the power supply, and your wall, flip the switch and see if it comes to life.

These are VERY general instructions. Depending on where you get your parts, what condition they are in, and how old they are, you will probably have difficulties. DO NOT EXPECT YOUR COMPUTER TO BOOT SUCCESSFULLY ON THE FIRST TRY! It may not even power on!

Do some research before you turn on the power. I've built 4 computers now, and only my last one boot successfully on my first try. Sometimes I'm missing a part, or it's not plugged in properly in some way. Even worse is when I discovered my used parts were fried before I got them!

Again... minimal parts include, motherboard, CPU ram, hard drive, disk drive, keyboard mouse and monitor.

You can build a basic PC from computers people put out for trash (believe it or not that's how I got started). If you want to build a good PC for today's technology, start with that basic computer and invest some money to upgrade your worst parts such as RAM, disk drive and hard drive. Your most costly upgrade would be the processor (Intel or AMD) as you'll most likely have to replace your motherboard and RAM at the same time due to compatibility issues. This can run you anywhere form $100 and up.

Most important, do more research! You obviously have the WWW so type in "computer specs" or "what kind of ram do I need". Make sure your parts are compatible

Good luck to you!

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15y ago

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