What parts you’ll need

Once you've decided what kind of PC you want to build, you can begin to research and purchase the hardware.

    The essential components for your PC are:

        the motherboard

        a processor (CPU)

        storage (hard drive or SSD)

        memory (RAM)

 These are the "guts" of the computer and they have the most impact on your system's overall performance. In comparison, the other components — such as the case, operating system (OS), monitor, mouse, power supply, CPU cooler and keyboard — have less of an impact on performance.

How to build your PC

The build is where it really starts to get exciting! Before we get into the build process, we've pulled together our three top tips.

Top Tips for building a PC:

Once your system is assembled, it’s time for the big moment – hit the power button! Make sure your monitor and keyboard are connected to the PC, and if everything worked correctly, a screen will appear where you can enter the system BIOS. If you have a disc or flash drive with an OS, put it into the appropriate drive, boot up, and you can install the OS. At this point, the assembly is over – congratulations, you’ve now built your own PC! Way to go!

Prepare a large workspace to keep your build organized — nothing gets more frustrating than when you can’t find what you’re looking for.

Wear an electrostatic discharge (ESD) wrist strap or ground yourself by touching an unpainted metal surface to prevent static electricity, and work on solid floors rather than carpeting, if possible. Static energy is one of the few ways the hardware can be damaged.

Keep a can of compressed air handy to remove any dust or fine debris from the interface, especially while you install the processor, memory and SSD.

Step 1: Adding the hardware

It's a little difficult to provide clear written step-by-step instructions on installing the processor and power supply on the motherboard, and then putting the motherboard in the case. Installation and assembly of parts isn't complicated, but there is potential for errors to occur. We recommend you consult each component's manual for precise instructions.

Step 2: Installing the memory

RAM is the most straightforward hardware to install when building a PC. We’ve broken it down into four stages:

Locate the memory slots on the motherboard.

Hold your memory modules on the side to avoid touching the chips and gold pins.

Align the notches on the module with the ridge in the slot, then firmly press the module in place until it clicks.

As you're pressing, note that it takes about 30 pounds of pressure to install a module fully.

For more details on installing RAM, explore how to install memory on a laptop or on a desktop.

Step 3: Installing the HDD or SSD

Depending on the form factor of the SSD you've purchased (2.5-inch, mSATA, or M.2), installation requires attaching the drive to the storage interface, then fitting it into the drive bay (if it's a 2.5-inch SSD). If you're looking for the largest capacity possible and have an extremely tight budget, a hard drive may be an attractive option.

For instructions on installing your hard drive, consult its owner's manual. Find out more about SSD installation with our guides and videos.

Time to boot up your new computer!