Save Yourself Money by Building Your Own Computer: What Dell Doesn't Want You to Know

I don't know why the popular computer company, Dell, sends me their catalog every month. I have never purchased a Dell product, and seeing the blatantly overpriced products for sale certainly isn't going to persuade me to.

Anyone who has a working knowledge of computers and how they're built can attest to the fact that buying from Dell and other computer manufacturers is a waste of money. Buying individual components and building your own computer is not as difficult as it sounds, and taking matters into your own hands almost always ensures that you will get a much bigger bang for your buck. Building a custom computer is definitely more of a hassle than ordering a pre-made system from Best Buy. Before you make the decision to invest your time and money in this project, be sure you're willing to sacrifice some convenience for the sake of saving lots of money. You will need to understand the importance of each computer part and the options available, and you will need to pay attention to compatibility between your parts (which is usually as easy as matching up names and numbers).

Once you've decided that you want to try your hand at assembling your own, personal dream machine, there is one website that you should become familiar with. This is http://www.newegg.com. NewEgg is a computer and electronics merchant with a near-comprehensive collection of affordable and extravagant products alike (note: even if you opt for extravagant, expect to be building a machine for heaps less than buying the same machine pre-made). Searching for products on NewEgg is as easy as navigating the options in the menu on the left-hand side of the screen. Each time you select an option, you are presented with all of the products that fit your current criteria as well as more options to further narrow your search. It's a very intuitive, easy to learn process, even if you're not that familiar with computers.

Now that you've made friends with NewEgg, it's time to go over what each component in a computer is, and why it is important.