Can anyone give me advice on building my own computer?

I want to teach my son how to build a computer. I have heard its not that hard. Any tips or advice for a beiginner?Can anyone give me advice on building my own computer?
It's not that hard these days - many parts are designed so that you can't insert them or hook them up wrong. I'd recommend looking for hardware info at http://www.tomshardware.com/ The one drawback is that it can actually cost more than buying a computer, but you may be able to get some good deals or rebates that will pay off. Tigerdirect.com and newegg.com are both good places for parts. Building a computer also gives you better control over the quality of the parts. A few years ago I built a computer at the same time my husband bought an equivalent Dell. While they had the same CPUs and the same amount of RAM, my computer was visibly faster because I had picked out better parts. It can be fun as well.





You can also get basic info on building a computer at the following pages:





http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/


http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_To_Buil鈥?/a>


http://www.buildyourowncomputer.net/lear鈥?/a>


http://computer.howstuffworks.com/build-鈥?/a>





Good luck!Can anyone give me advice on building my own computer?
Go to Sharkeyextreme.com and read what they have under guides. I would recommend buying the products they have listed that match what your looking to spend. They also have awesome articles on building your first PC.





GL
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Safety first. Those parts are extremely easy to fry. It isn't hard, but the heatsink, paste, and motherboard are a pain to install.





With the paste, if you get too much your comp will overheat, the motherboard is incredibly easy to fry, and the heatsink has the weirdest installion, so watch out for them.
Go to your local book store or public library. There are books which provides information on PC hardware and for building your own computer.
kelli D, check out Howcomputerswork.com, Howstuffworks.com,(computers),Hardwarese鈥?Sysopt.com,Hopecomputer.com, to get you started.
Choose in order:





CPU





Motherboard





RAM





Hard Drive, IDE or SATA





Everything else as needed.





Have fun, it is pretty easy.
no it's not hard. the component are usally the hardest for a beginner to choose because you can rack up a hefty bill when you could have bought a very fast emachine for cheaper. your decisions will be based on what you want to use it for. a gamer system will cost you because the best parts are needed for that stress put on the machine when in use. if you can trust certain ebayers, find a motherboard with the processor together such as an A-Bit board with an XP processor size of 2600-2800 or higher. doing this if you just want to build a machine is the cheapest way to go until you really get familiar with these things. there is alot out there to choose from. only thing is watch what you spend. the money adds up fast and when you see what you have for the money, you might not have much. if you get a HDD, don't buy a used one. get new. certain things you can buy used but other thing buy new.
No its not hard at all. I am a computer builder if you need any tips of advice just email me at mhurst002@roadrunner.com. I am also on aim at bud102282 and yahoo at mhurst4830
How can you teach if you don't know?


Anyway there are many excellent web tutorials on this but the key thing if to make sure all the parts are compatible. (I think that the is a book on this in the ';for dummies'; series.)


Good luck!
Building a PC is easy, when you know how! The best thing to do is to find a friend or neighbour who has done it before and can help you. All the previous answers are correct, there are lots of websites that can TELL you how, but the best way is to SEE it done.





If you're determined to go it alone, start small: Upgrade an existing computer. Once you've opened the PC up and seen how it looks inside, changed a couple of cards or the processor, you'll have seen the issues involved and building a new PC won't seem like such a challenge.





Buying compatible parts is the most important thing; here some experience really helps. I would strongly reccomend that you buy all your parts from one supplier, and you should ask them to check if they are intercompatible.