This is a project for Matt Haas' HPC II class in the Spring 2012 Semester.

I will be writing a well documented guide on how to construct and set up a gaming PC, though the guide can just as easily be applied to building any PC. Because I will be working with components that are suited for gaming, I will be detailing what to look for in components, and what makes a gaming PC different from a PC for the general user. This guide will be documented with pictures as well as thorough text explanations. If you use my guide when building a PC, and you have questions that you would like to be answered, feel free to email me (tgalpin2@lab46.corning-cc.edu, or renzo@bunchies.org).

First, here are all of the parts needed:

• Tower/Case
• CPU/Heatsink + Fan
• Motherboard
• RAM
• Power Supply Unit (PSU)
• Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)
• Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
• Optical disk drives (DVD+RW, Blu-Ray)

In order for the computer to actually work, and more importantly, for the parts to fit together, you must actually ensure that they are compatible. Be sure to read the specifications of parts before purchasing them. Below is a list of what must match among groups of parts:

• Form Factor (e.g. ATX, Micro ATX)– Tower/Case, Motherboard
• CPU Socket (e.g. LGA 1155, AM3+)– Motherboard, CPU
• RAM Interface Specification (e.g. DDR3, DDR2)– RAM, Motherboard
• PCI-E Interface(s) – GPU, Motherboard
• Power connectors – PSU, GPU, Motherboard, HDD, Optical drives