In What Order Should You Choose Components to Build Your Computer?

When you begin to build your own computer, there is a logical order in which to pick out or purchase the individual components needed to make a computer. If you have followed my series of articles that detail how to build your own computer, you may be wondering where you should begin. You may think you should choose a processor first, or a motherboard first, or maybe something else. This article will put some order to the computer building process.

Understanding the order of component selection is critical in terms of compatibility of each component. If you follow a logical sequence when you choose components, you will not end up with pieces that don't work together. My series of articles on computer building walk you through the component selection process, but this article tell you in which order you should select each component. Follow along to find out the logical order of component selection, and then refer to my other articles for advice on each individual component.

If you have chosen to build your computer from a barebones kit, then this article doesn't entirely apply to you, however if you are choosing each component one at a time, this article is critical in helping you determine where to start.

Your first component chosen should be the computer case. The case helps determine which size or sizes of motherboards you can choose from.

The next component will be the motherboard. You must choose a motherboard to fit your case.

With the motherboard chosen, you can now choose a CPU or processor that is compatible with your motherboard. Dependent upon the motherboard you choose, you may be able to pick from several compatible processors.

Once you have chosen the processor, you can move on to choosing a heat sink and fan that will fit on both your processor and your motherboard, as well as one that fits within the confines of your case.

Now you can move on to selecting memory or RAM. The memory must be compatible with the motherboard, and work efficiently with the specs of the processor.