Question : Problem: Please tell me what I need to build a comp....

HI, everybody, I have just used computer for 1 year ,so I am a newb and now I intend to build a new one.
   
  I already got a monitor, speakers, keyboard, mouse.
  SO, I am gonna buy a mainboard, memory, video card, sound card, CD_RW, DVD, Floppy disk, is it enough?
  IF not, please tell me what I need to buy more,  I mean I intend to build a basic computer that can play video, music, play game, internet because I am just a newb so I don't need any advance, I just want to know how to build and make it work.
 
  Thanks for answering my question.
 

Answer : Problem: Please tell me what I need to build a comp....

I understand that I might have not gone to such depths as you may think I needed to.  I'm sorry about that.  I also agree this is getting to be an in-depth hardware discussion.  Sorry.  So, let's not discuss hardware as much.  I'll get right down to the point now, since I've thought this through.  If I miss anything, please feel free to add it on.

When I assembled my PC, I first put in the motherboard as I had described above.  Then, I added in the CPU, thermal paste and heatsink.  You may first put on your CPU, thermal paste, and heatsink, then insert your motherboard.  What I did felt right, since the heatsink didn't weigh down the motherboard as I put it in.  If you get a smaller case, you might not have enough room to work.  There is a metal plate on the back of every computer case that has holes in it.  The holes fit your motherboard's sockets for your keyboard, mouse, printer, and such.  If my memory is still as great as when I was 92, then I believe this is called an I/O plate.  This should mean input/output.  So, if your motherboard's ports don't fit in with the I/O plate, then there should be one other plate in the box.  Any covered I/O plate holes can have their coverings gently pried out with a scredriver and the right mind not to bend anything important.  You can squeeze the metal parts that hang out on the outside, presumably.  They hold in the I/O plate and, when squeezed, will not hold the I/O plate.  You should take out the I/O plate in the same fashion by which you put it in.  Now that we've worked that out, or so I think, I'll move on to what you need to do to get a good PC.  Most websites give you the option of getting a package for cooling your CPU.  Just get the one that has the following:

thermal paste - I highly recommend Arctic Silver.  It's amazing.  Put just a little dot on the CPU core (metal part) and spread it around with your finger.  You don't want to put on too much, since thermal paste is designed to be a bridge between your CPU and heatsink.  Don't put on too little, since that could defeat the purpose.  If anyone would like to recommend a way to do this, please go ahead.  It takes about 100 hours of heat for the paste to spread to where it needs to be.

Don't get a shim (copper shim, or some other metal).  Different places have different opinions.  If you get a good deal and get a shim, just don't use it.  It's a thin metal plate that sits between your CPU and your heatsink.  It could make your thermal paste not work.

heatsink - If you get a Thermaltake or some other brand name others could recommend, you'll be fine.  A heatsink takes up heat from your CPU and lets it flow through it to the top.  There, it is dispersed.  Therefore, your CPU is cooled.

heatsink fan - This disperses heat on the heatsink by blowing on it, to it, or however you like to think of it.  It should come in a retail heatsink box.

Please remember to plug in the fan.  Your motherboard manual will note the places where you plug in fans and such.

So, when you're putting in your CPU, make sure that the lever on the CPU socket is lifted all the way up.  It might need to be pushed to the side a bit because of a safety notch.  Just drop in the CPU.  Make sure the needles on it match with the needle holes on the socket.  Your CPU should fall right in if you have done everything properly.  That's probably the easiest part of building a computer.  Push down the lever to the position in which it was when you got the motherboard.  More precisely, push it down so that it moves the CPU about 1mm or so.  It should lock down.

Your heatsink should have a metal rod that goes through it.  Note which side is longer.  Apply thermal paste as described above.  Then, squish on the heatsink (gently) so that the metal rod is aligned with the notches on the sides of the CPU socket.  Latch on the heatsink's metal rods so that it is in place.  Of course, you have to make sure it has a fan.  Please put on the fan if it's not already on before applying the heatsink.

A great thing to put on your motherboard is your ram.  It's almost as easy as putting on your CPU.  Note the notch placement on your ram slots, and align your ram likewise.  No matter which type of ram you put in, the procedurel be the same no matter what.  It's just different notch placement.  Just get the little ram holders on the far ends to their outward positions.  This would be the positions in which they should be so that they can't hold in ram.  If you don't understand, the next sentence will probably help out.  When you start putting in your ram, the latches that hold in the ram should move inward and towards it so as to grab it.

Now that you have your motherboard installed with the CPU, paste, heasink and fan, along with your ram, you can relax and celebrate about your great accomplishment.  Everything from here on in is child's play, although children should not mess with internal PC components.  You'll notice on your motherboard's manual that there are two IDE channels.  They should be pointed out.  If not, put on the name of your motherboard here and we'll all try our best to see what's what.  You should start off with a new hard drive.  I saw a great Seagate 7200rpm 80GB hard drive go for $72.  Here's the link.  http://3btech.net/sa8072rpmhad.html
I think that's a great price.  I got my 120GB hard drive for $100 after several rebates.  Seriously, my hard drive is the most expensive thing in my computer.  Nothing else cost me more.  I don't know if you'd like to go cheap or give a bit more to have great parts, but I hope that link helps.  Your IDE cable that goes from your hard drive to your motherboard is pretty easy to hook up.  The plug that is further away from the middle plug goes into the motherboard.  It could be colored to help you out.  The middle plug goes into your hard drive, which should be set to MASTER or CABLE SELECT.  On your hard drive, in your manual, or both places could be marked which jumper setting is which.  This is where we get into the jumpers again.  There's a little set of pins on the back of your hard drive.  It's next to your IDE cable socket.  Some may not think of it as a socket.  Fine.  Well, it's where the IDE cable goes.  It's easiest and most intelligent to set your hard drive and CD-ROM jumpers before they touch the case.  Remember that you're grounded from electrostatic filth all this time.  So, plug in your hard drive to your IDE CHANNEL 1.  You're done.  After you're done with everything, you may opt to plug in your older hard drive as a slave drive.  It should be attached to the topmost plug on your IDE CHANNEL 1 cable, with the jumper setting as slave.

You must have a CD-ROM drive for XP.  Please have one.  It plugs in to your IDE CHANNEL 2 socket (give me a different name) in the same way as a hard drive.  My case was too big for the standard cable that came with my CD-RW drive, so I ordered one from newegg.com.  It's a great site, and the thing arrived in 3 days with standard shipping!  Get a 36 in. cable if necessary.  I guess you can get a 24 in. cable, but the price difference is minimal, and you can fold the 36 more so that it's away from your fan.  More on that later.  If you want, you may put the hard drive and CD-ROM on the same channel.  This is kind of strange for me, since copying from your CD to your hard drive takes more time, or so I was told by a MAKE-YOUR-OWN-PC website.  I'd suggest that you keep them on different channels, whatever the case may be.

The AGP slot is usually brown.  If not, then it's the only one set further back than the majority of the other expansion slots, yet it's about their size.  Basically, your AGP card won't fit into your PCI slots.  Your video card is the only card you should have in your expansion bay when you turn on your computer.  If you have a board with built-in video, then check that everything's fine and set up your PC with that, so that the operating system is not confused when it's being installed.  Just keep in mind that you only need your board with the stuff on it, your hard drive, CD-ROM drive, video, and sound.  Don't add anything else at first.  You can install that later.  To install extra peripherals, install the software, then shut off your PC.  Install the PCI card, then reboot your PC and follow the instructions.  That should do.

Also, your power connectors fit only one way.  The power connector for the motherboard can only be put in in one way  That's all.  if put in otherwise, you could do some great damage.  Sorry to have typed so much AGAIN.  I don't know why I happen to be so wordy.  Tell us if you have any other questions, or don't understand something.  Type in the names of your hardware so that we can see if anything needs to have extra special care, or whatever.  Also, I'd love to be criticized for what I typed.  That would truly help me improve on my knowledge of PCs.  Thanks a lot for reading all of this, if you could.  Imagine the time I spend typing this!  What's a bit of reading going to do?  Ha!  Kidding.  It's painful, I know.  This is like a textbook.