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This article shows the different kinds of desktops and laptops to choose from when buying a new computer. It gives plenty of information on each one so you can easily find what you're looking for!

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Finding your next computer doesn't have to be a chore.

If you're looking for something you can easily carry to and from work, or bring with you on vacation, then a lightweight laptop could be in order. These weigh just a couple of pounds, have batteries that can now last several workdays before needing to be charged, and have more than enough power to tackle common productivity tasks like browsing the web and editing office documents. Some models, known as convertibles, can be used as a tablet of sorts by bending the keyboard backward and behind the screen using a 360-degree hinge.

A desktop may be a smarter and more ergonomic pick, however, if you're setting up a home office and aren't worried as much about mobility. Staring into a monitor puts less strain on your neck than staring down into a laptop. You also generally get more power per dollar spent with a desktop than you do with a laptop.

Some models come with a built-in display, while others require you to supply your own. Luckily, you can find good computer monitors for reasonable prices. In fact, while all-in-one models with a screen tend to be aesthetically pleasing and take up less desk space, they can cost a lot more than buying a desktop computer and monitor separately.

Mac or PC? It's really up to you. You'll find models on both platforms that score well in our labs. They'll support the most popular software options, too, from Adobe Photoshop to Chrome, Slack to Zoom. But there are benefits to pairing a Mac with an iPhone or an Android phone with a PC. You may be able to answer a text message with your keyboard, for example, or share copy-paste data between a computer and a smartphone.

For more, check out the full computer ratings based on our latest tests results, available to Consumer Reports members.

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Finding your next computer doesn't have to be a chore. If you're looking for something you can easily carry to and from work, or bring with you on vacation, then a lightweight laptop could be in order.

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This article goes into detail about tablets, laptops, and desktops. You can easily navigate to find exactly what you're looking for in this article. You can find some great options no matter what your price range is.

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A long-time family friend recently sent me a text message:

Best cheap Windows 10 laptops for $350 or less in 2020: ASUS, Dell, Lenovo, and more

Best laptops with the longest battery life in 2020: Dell, Acer, Asus, HP, Lenovo, and more

Best Chromebook laptops in 2020: Google, Dell, Asus, Lenovo, and more

How remote working has forced us to look beyond the traditional PC, to Raspberry Pis, Linux laptops, Chromebooks and more

How to choose the right PC: Everything you need to know about picking the right computer for work

Best laptops of 2020 (CNET)

The best business laptops of the 2010s (TechRepublic)

Do you have a recommendation for a laptop for a not-too-tech-savvy person (me) who aspires to be? I am straight up overwhelmed... Any thoughts would be appreciated. I am looking to get something to get my lagging career search up and running so right now it's resume posting and such...

Do you, my tech-savvy ZDNet readers, often find yourself fielding this sort of question from less-experienced acquaintances? Well, it's way too broad a question to answer via a text. And it's not a question any of use relish answering over and over again. And that's one of the purposes of my How To Decide Guides: To give you a link to share with the folks who ask you the same questions we're asked.

Here, for my friend and for yours, is how to decide.
Disclosure: ZDNet may earn an affiliate commission from some of the products featured on this page. ZDNet and the author were not compensated for this independent review.
Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let's define our terms. What is a laptop? It used to be that a laptop was a Windows machine or Mac in notebook form, portable, with a keyboard attached and probably a trackpad. In today's world, computing tasks can be tackled through web-based software and services using a variety of devices. An iPad is a computer. So is a Chromebook. (There are also Android tablets, but they're not quite as appealing as a laptop-substitute option.)

I know that if I don't mention Linux, a bunch of you will cry. Here's the thing with Linux:. Not many laptops come with Linux installed. If you want Linux, it's a great idea to take an old laptop and update it, especially with a well-respected distro like Linux Mint. But if you're not a geek, you might find yourself in over your head. So for this guide, we're leaving Linux out of the picture.

That leaves you with a number of decisions. First, what platform? Do you want the iPad, Chromebook, Mac, or Windows? Then, how much do you want to spend? Only then can you begin to look at brands and specific models.

Actually, we need to touch on the matter of specific model recommendations before we go much further. Here's the thing: Laptop models (particularly for Windows machines) change constantly. What I might recommend today is likely to have a different price point, different configuration, or just not be available for purchase next week. That's why I'm taking the time to give you a guide that not only describes the choices but helps you think about how to decide, whether you buy a laptop today or in a year.

Many of these guidelines apply if you're buying a larger desktop-based computer, but keep in mind that all of the solutions described below can be used at a desk, with an external monitor, mouse, and keyboard.

Let's talk use case

How you plan on using your laptop will take a major role in helping you decide what machine to buy. If you're planning on using a laptop to work on a resume, send an email, and pal around on Facebook, you can use almost any option. But if you're planning on editing 4K video or program using a series of containers or virtual machines, you'll need a machine of considerable capacity.

As you might imagine, there are a ton of use cases, but we'll focus on the five below to help you walk your way through the choices. The right choice for almost any other use can be extrapolated from how we decide on these use cases.

The basic internet user: My friend is a basic user, and wants to create some text documents, post them, browse the web, interact with job boards, and communicate with services like Facebook.

The student: Student use varies all across the map. If you're studying filmmaking or programming or scientific applications, you'll align more with the filmmaker or programmer use cases because you'll need more power. Many student-level applications are now Web based, but there are also excellent applications on iOS, and still some legacy apps that will only run on Windows. You should definitely scope out your school's expectations before choosing a machine.

The gamer: This is someone who wants to do most of the basic internet activities of a laptop, but who likes to play games. Gaming can require a machine of considerable capacity, depending on the type of games to be played.

The filmmaker: This is someone who has to sift through and edit lots of video, and it includes YouTube creators as well as traditional filmmakers. This requires a machine of considerable capacity. Photographers, while not necessarily requiring quite as much power, could also fall into this group.

The programmer: While hardy programmers can code using simply a command line, pizza, and a keyboard, many professional developers use IDEs (Interactive Development Environments), local server environments, and virtual machines or containers.

I want to mention two categories you'll often find in marketing, but are actually too limited for our purposes: family use and small business. While most family use would fit into the basic Internet user category, some family members could be students and need anything from a machine capable of running legacy Windows apps to powerful scientific processing. Other family members might be YouTubers. Still other family members might be professionals bringing work home. "Family" as a category is often good for software because it usually means multiple licenses. But for laptop purchases, it's better to get more detailed.

Likewise, small business use can fall into many categories. Sure, there's the Quickbooks user who checks email, but there are also small businesses running CNC machines who need CAD, small businesses developing code, and so on. Surprisingly enough, most of the folks who make elements of the movies we love are actually small business owners who come together to make a larger team. It's much better to think of computer use based on your application, than your category.

We'll look at how each of these users might choose a laptop in the next few minutes.

The money issue

Let's get this out of the way first: You could buy a used laptop, but unless you know the seller well or are very confident in your ability to repair or fix whatever you buy, a used laptop is a gamble. My general recommendation is that if you're at the point where you're not sure how to decide on what laptop to buy, you're definitely not ready to absorb the risk that comes from buying a used machine.

I'm going to talk in great generality about price points. This should give you an idea of what to expect for your budget.
Also: How to get rid of bloatware and clean your Windows 10 Start menu
Under $200: There are Windows laptops available for under $200. You could buy one. But I wouldn't recommend it. Here's what you get when you buy an under-$200 Windows laptop: You get one that likely has a lot of adware and bloatware. That's a problem because you're also going to get a machine running on a very slow hard drive without enough RAM to get any job done well.
Also: Meet the iPad, your work computer: These 10 apps make real productivity possible
You might be able to spend another $300 to upgrade that under-$200 laptop to something that won't make you cry, but by then, why not just get something at the higher price point? As you might imagine, I just don't recommend buying an overly inexpensive Windows laptop.

From $200 to $500: There are three classes of product in this price range. If a Chromebook works for you, you can get some relatively nice Chromebooks in this range. You can also get an iPad with a keyboard and some folks would be very happy with this combination. I still wouldn't recommend getting a Windows laptop in this range because it will still be cursed by either too little or too slow storage and too little RAM.

If you had to buy a Windows laptop and you had to stay in this range, I'd look at our list of the best cheap laptops guide. In particular, I'd take a look at the HP 15Z, which starts at $279. It comes with 8GB of RAM (which is the minimum I'd recommend for a Windows laptop), and a very tiny 128GB SSD for storage. It's not much storage, but it's fast enough to get some small jobs done.

From $500 to $1,000: This is a sweet spot for laptops. If you want a machine that will perform well (at least for general-purpose use), you can find one in this range. Our best laptops for college and students guide lists a number of great options, including the $589 Dell Inspiron and the $899 Asus ZenBook. What makes these two more appealing than some of the others is the inclusion of 8-16GB RAM, a moderate-sized SSD, and a good enough graphics card.

If you decide to go the Chromebook path, you can get some absolutely top-of-the-line Chromebooks for under $1,000. You can also configure up an extremely capable 11-inch iPad Pro with a keyboard for under $1,000.

$1,000 and up: Here's where things get expensive. You're not even touching a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro until you break the $1,000 mark, and it's unlikely you'll get out the door without spending $2,000 to $3,000 for a well-equipped machine. It's also at this price that we start looking at a category called "gaming laptops."

These are often heftier units that include very powerful video cards, but that runs up the price. This is also the price range where you start to get the sleek and powerful Windows laptops like the Surface Pro X and Surface Laptop 3.

Now that we've looked at what you can get at each price point, let's look at each computing platform in more depth.

The easy answer: Chromebooks

Chromebooks are very simple machines. They run Chrome. That's it. That's all they do. If you can live your entire laptop life inside a web browser, you might want to consider a Chromebook.

The primary benefit of a Chromebook is that setup pretty much consists of connecting to the internet and logging into your Google account. You can reset a Chromebook to factory settings, upgrade it to the most current version, and reinstall all your stuff by clicking a few links in Chrome settings.

Chromebooks come in a variety of models which essentially range from really inexpensive but slow to expensive, beautiful, and fast. Lower-end Chromebooks have less RAM, less local storage, lower-quality screens, and lower build quality. High-end Chromebooks have fast processors, a good amount of RAM, and gorgeous screens. Any Chromebook across the range will work, but the pricier ones will be nicer.

Chromebooks also seem to be reaching end-of-life sooner. If you buy a Chromebook, expect to have to replace it in five years, whether you want to or not. Google has a long practice of end-of-lifing its offerings and Chromebooks are no different.

For the basic internet user: Pretty much a perfect option as long as you never need a non-browser app

For the student: Seems like a great choice, but if your school requires you to load some old Windows programs or do anything super-powerful, you might find this limiting.

For the gamer: Browser games. That's it. Probably not a good choice.

For the filmmaker: Only as a second machine. You're not editing many videos on this.

For the programmer: If you can live only in the cloud, this is an option. Not a win otherwise.

As for our use cases, the basic internet user should be able to do fine with a Chromebook. You get the ability to run all the full Chrome extensions and the desktop Chrome browser. The only gotcha is you can't run any applications that aren't available online. The good news is that there are web equivalents of nearly all the applications most folks need, including full office apps, slide making software, and even photo editing and management.

If you're a gamer, the Chromebook will only be a win if you like browser games. Filmmakers will be hamstrung by the limitations of a Chromebook. As for programmers, if you're currently developing only in a browser, you'll be fine. But if you're like me and code with a local IDE and test environment, you won't be able to get the job done with just a Chromebook.

I have many Chromebooks I've picked up over the years. I don't use them for filmmaking or programming, but if I want to write at a local coffee house or take a laptop into a somewhat destructive environment, I'll bring my cheap Chromebook and leave my pricier MacBook Pro at home.

The unexpected answer: iPad

Apple offers several iPad models. Their most inexpensive is the base 10.2-inch $329 iPad with 32GB storage. For the price, this is a fabulous machine. Apple also offers the iPad Air (which, to be honest, I can't see why anyone would buy given the other options).

Must-see offer

Choose your iPad

Apple's entry-level iPad features a 10.2‑inch Retina display, support for the full-size Smart Keyboard, and iPadOS. Customize your new iPad at Apple.

Then there are Apple's 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models. These are more expensive, but they're incredibly powerful -- comparable in power to most well-equipped laptops. Finally, there's the tiny iPad mini. Honestly, I can't recommend that either because it's just too close to a large iPhone in size and not big enough for comfortable laptop use.

The first configuration I recommend is the $329 base 32GB iPad with the $159 Smart Keyboard. At $488, this gives you a quite nice machine. If you're an artist, you could also spring an extra $99 and add the Apple Pencil. You can go up in price from here, adding more storage to the iPad, or jumping up to a more powerful iPad Pro. No matter what your configuration, your basic usage will be the same, so let's talk about that now.

A big benefit of the iPad is that if you know how to manage your iPhone, you can manage your iPad. You don't have to worry about any other configuration, management, or backup systems other than what you're currently using with your iPhone and iCloud. Not only that, the iPhone and the iPad (mostly) seamlessly sync with each other. With the latest version of iPadOS, you can even use a mouse and an external monitor with your iPad. You're also not limited to Apple's admittedly nice (but expensive) keyboard. There is a huge selections of keyboards available for this tablet.

The iPad comes with some great media applications, including LumaFusion, which is a full NLE (non-linear editor) for video editing and production. There are versions of Photoshop and other media editing apps on the iPad as well. While you don't get traditional PC games on an iPad, you do have access to the insanely enormous game library for iOS. While not all games have been scaled up from the iPhone to the iPad, there's a lot to love.

For the basic internet user: Pretty much a perfect option as long as you don't need browser extensions. Great if you're already an iPhone user.

For the student: iOS has a huge library of student-related apps, and some great tools for those studying programming. That said, if you're doing serious report or thesis writing, you should probably stick to a Windows 10 or Mac simply because many open windows will be your friend at crunch time and citation software still tends to be PC/Mac specific.

For the gamer: Lots of iOS games, and you can even play Fortnite.

For the filmmaker: Not a bad choice, but you'll probably prefer a bigger machine.

For the programmer: It depends entirely on your development environment. Swift Playgrounds is wonderful on the iPad.

Also: Best Windows and Mac laptops and desktops for 2020 CNET
As for programming, that depends on what you code with. There are some great native coding environments for the iPad, but not everything is a fit. Once again, you're not going to run local VMs or containers on the iPad.
Also: Buying a Windows laptop? Five must-have features for my next notebook
There are two key limitations beyond the slightly smaller screen. The first is that you'll be running a mobile browser rather than a desktop browser. For most activities, that's not an issue. But if you're a big user of browser extensions, you might not be happy.

The other thing is I'd wait until April before buying. Apple often does a big iPad event in March, so they may be announcing upgraded models in about a month.

For the basic internet user: Sure, but you might find the techie management stuff a pain.

For the student: Windows 10 machines are great cost-effective choices as long as you're careful what you load on it.

For the gamer: Oh, heck yeah! Best choice as long as you get the CPU/RAM/video card configuration right, and make sure there's good heat dissipation.

For the filmmaker: You can easily run Adobe Creative Cloud or DaVinci Resolve. Just make sure you get a good amount of SSD and RAM.

For the programmer: A solid choice.

The traditional answer: Windows 10

Nobody ever got fired for using . But a lot of folks did get headaches. Windows 10 is the most universal of general-purpose computing environments. You can find a machine with pretty much any configuration you can dream up at whatever price point you want. Windows supports touch, pencil, and 2-in-1 screens that separate into a tablet and a keyboard.

But Windows is Windows, which means there's a lot to know. Sure, you can usually use a laptop straight from the store, but it will likely have a ton of bloatware. Networking might or might not work out of the box. Drivers might or might not be compatible. Mandatory Windows updates could break your machine, necessitating a lot of cleanup and reinstall. Not all applications are compatible with each other, or even look similar. Windows machines are the main target of malware, so you need to be very careful what you download and run.

On the other hand, there's almost always someone you can find who knows and can fix a Windows install. There are applications for almost everything, including a wide range of applications that only run on Windows. Although there are some implementations that run on the ARM processor, most Windows machines are based on Intel Core processors. If you buy a Windows machine today, get Intel, not ARM.

As for which Windows machine to buy, you can't go terribly wrong if you stick with Microsoft Surface, Dell, HP, Asus, or Lenovo. Buy as much RAM as you can afford and as much storage -- but choose SSD (solid state drive) rather than hard drive-based storage, which is incredibly slow and so 2010s. You can choose from a wide range of screen sizes, but the bigger the screen, the more power is used and generally, the heavier the machine.

Make sure you subscribe to a backup service and perform regular backups and an external hard drive will do fine here. You will need to do some kind of Windows reinstall at some point in the lifecycle of your machine.

The other Apple answer: MacBook Pro

I saved the MacBook Pro to last because the entry-point purchase price is above $1,000 and if you're buying one, you'll probably spend $2,000 to $3,000 by the time you're done.

For the basic internet user: Sure, you'll love it, but there are less expensive viable choices.

For the student: Macs are a more expensive choice, but if you're in film school, you almost definitely should get a MacBook Pro. For other student uses, there are less expensive choices and lugging a $3,000 computer around on campus could have some theft risk. Definitely get AppleCare.

For the gamer: Uh, not so much. There are some games for the Mac, but if you're a gamer, you want Windows.

For the filmmaker: Oh, heck yeah. Macs are the machines of choice for filmmakers of all levels. Plus Final Cut Pro X works only on the Mac.

For the programmer: Many programmers, including me, prefer the Mac because of the solid software development applications available for MacOS.

Let's get the bad out of the way. MacBooks and MacBook Pros have been decidedly annoying and problematic for the past few years because of their unreasonably crappy keyboards. They are also port limited, with just four Thunderbolt 3 ports. If you want to connect anything else, including an SD card, you're traveling to Dongle City.

On the other hand, the new 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro is a powerhouse, with a redesigned keyboard. Sure, fully-equipped, you can spend upwards of $6,000 (not counting AppleCare+), but you can get 8TB of SSD storage and 64GB of RAM in a laptop. If you need power, this is where to look.

There are a number of reasons people choose Macs and MacOS. Some are intangible like they prefer the user interface or the ease of use. Most of the time, Mac management is less hassle than Windows, but on the relatively rare occasion something breaks, it's often harder to find and fix than on Windows because Apple tries to hide most of the works out of sight of users.

I've opted to use Macs as my main machines (I also use PC and Linux boxes, but I get around). My primary reason for choosing Macs are twofold: I find the Mac-exclusive Final Cut Pro X editing environment considerably more time-efficient than Adobe Premiere Pro. Also, with virtualization, I can run Mac, Linux, and Windows apps on my Macs. On my Windows machines, I can't run Mac apps. Since there are quite a few Mac apps I prefer over Windows, that's a compelling reason to use Macs.

Macs also tend to last. Of the Macs my wife and I have in our home office, one is from 2011, three are from 2012, one is from 2013, one from 2015. Only the most recent purchase, my new Mac mini, is from 2018. I'm writing this on a seven-year-old machine that's been updated at no cost to the very latest version of MacOS and it's been rock solid for years.

If you're interested in choosing a Mac, I wrote a similar how-to-decide article just on Macs.

What laptop to buy decision tree

So there you are. I've given you a lot of background. Let's summarize it with a simple decision tree.

If you must spend less than $200: Save up another one to two hundred dollars. You're only going to buy pain if you buy a laptop that's under $200.

If you need to keep it under $300: Your best bet is a Chromebook.

If you've got $500 and you like the iPhone: Consider using the iPad with a keyboard as your laptop. It's a compelling offering.

If you've got $500 and you are deeply entrenched in Chrome: A Chromebook might be the way to go as long as you don't need real applications.

If you don't want to spend more than $1,000 and you need to produce video: Consider an iPad Pro. It's the best power-for-the-buck for video production under a grand.

If you don't want to spend more than $1,000 and you're just doing internet or basic computing: You have lots of options, from nicely powered Chromebooks to Windows machines to iPads. MacBook Pros are still out of your range.

If you don't want to spend more than $1,000 and you're not prepared to maintain or configure a computer: Go with a Chromebook or an iPad.

If you need long battery life: MacBook Pros and iPads often have excellent battery life for their size. Chromebooks and Windows laptops can as well, but it depends on the model. Definitely read reviews. Machines with a replaceable battery (pretty much only available for Windows machines) are nice, too.

If you want Windows: You have a broad range of choices. Mix and match the price with performance, but keep above 8GB RAM, above 256GB storage and choose SSD rather than hard drives.

If you like Macs: Get a 16-inch MacBook Pro or wait until Apple upgrades its 13-inch models with the new keyboard. Apple smartly insists this machine has at least 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD storage. That's a good build.

So what do you think? What were your choices? What did you decide? Let us know in the comments below.

You can follow my day-to-day project updates on social media. Be sure to follow me on Twitter at @DavidGewirtz, on Facebook at Facebook.com/DavidGewirtz, on Instagram at Instagram.com/DavidGewirtz, and on YouTube at YouTube.com/DavidGewirtzTV.

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Which computer should I buy? How to find the iPad, Chromebook, Mac or Windows PC that's right for you | ZDNet

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A long-time family friend recently sent me a text message: Best cheap Windows 10 laptops for $350 or less in 2020: ASUS, Dell, Lenovo, and more Best laptops with the longest battery life in 2020: Dell, Acer, Asus, HP, Lenovo, and more Best Chromebook laptops in 2020: Google, Dell, Asus,

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This is a great quiz to take to find what you're looking for. Whether you're looking for a gaming computer or something just for academic purposes.

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Questions

If you are thinking of buying a computer, these easy quiz questions can help guide your decision based on what you want the computer for and your budget.

Fun

This test is not based on any scientific study whatsoever. It is intended for fun only so do not treat the result too seriously :)

Answers

Do not think about the answers too long. If you think you answered incorrectly, you can always go back to any question and change your answer.

Enjoy and share

At the end of the quiz we will give you the result. You can share it with your friends :)

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Questions If you are thinking of buying a computer, these easy quiz questions can help guide your decision based on what you want the computer for and your budget. Fun This test is not based on any scientific study whatsoever.

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Building a computer may seem a lot more difficult than what it actually is. This article really shows how easy it is to build your own PC and all the parts you need for it.

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It might be hard sourcing PC components right now, but learning how to build a PC is still a fulfilling task, regardless of what the best graphics cards are going for right now. The process actually remains the same - you need to research and choose the components that will make up the you're trying to put together. After all, you want a PC that you can show off with pride.

If you've never built a PC before, it can be a scary undertaking, especially considering that it is a good amount of work. Though a lot of people act like it's an easy task building a , you might find it a discouraging process your first time around. And, that's okay.

And, before you get too down about any issues you're facing, we're here to help. We've built quite a few PCs and have used our expertise to put together this step-by-step guide so you can build your PC in no time. We'll make it as painless as possible and take you from beginning to end.

(Image credit: DisobeyArt / Shutterstock)

What kind of PC do you need?

These days, basically everyone needs a decent PC to get through life, but they come in so many shapes and sizes that it's important to know what you're trying to build before you even get started.

For instance, if you're just going to be using your PC to do daily office work - like web browsing or writing up documents - you don't need to drop thousands of dollars on a fancy gaming rig. Building a PC with something like the AMD Ryzen 5 5600G will get you a quick and responsive PC that will last you years, with enough graphics horsepower to get you through all tasks that most people experience on a day-to-day basis.

However, there are plenty of people that need something with a bit more oomph. Computers are legitimately more powerful now than they've ever been, and there's never been more options to build something that will tear through the best PC games like they were so much paper. But, powerful hardware like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 and the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X come at a high price.

Luckily, if you're on more of a budget, you can get something like an Intel Core i5-11600K and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 (if you can find one in stock at a decent price, that is), and have an incredible 1080p gaming machine. And, that will be able to get some video editing done on the side too.

Tools of the trade

Although a single phillips screwdriver is all you need to construct a PC, you may want a few more things on hand just in case. For example, needle nose pliers or a simple pair of tweezers may come in handy to place screws into tight places or retrieve them.

Zip ties are useful for tidying up all your PC cables and luckily, you most likely won't have to buy them as they often come included with several different types of computer parts. You'll also need a pair of side cutters (or just scissors) to cut those said zip ties.

You can't go wrong with an anti-static wrist strap, either - though you can get away with not having one. Unless you've been running around on carpet all day, or have cats, you likely aren't holding enough static charge to damage the electronics. Just do yourself a favor and discharge any latent electricity by placing your hand on metal, like your PC case or power supply.

As for your workspace, you're going to want to clear off a good bit of table space, as you'll likely be flipping your PC on its side, feet, back and any which way to install everything.

And, before we forget, it's a good idea to get a monitor, keyboard and mouse set up before you start building, so you have something to plug it into when the building is done. You should also have a power socket and internet connection available.

It's hard to find a modern build with an optical drive these days, so put the Windows 10 installer onto a USB stick ( we'll show you how). If you can't find a handy thumb drive and a laptop, we would cannibalize an older rig for a CD drive, or even just buy one - you can find them online for less than 10 bucks these days.

It's time, to build. Finally.

After spending weeks coming up with a list of PC components, waiting anxiously for them to go on sale, and getting them delivered to your door, it's time. You've got a phillips head screwdriver in hand, and you're ready to go.

Now for the purposes of our PC building guide, we've used these following parts as an example of how to build a complete computer. These components are also exactly what you need to construct an modest - if a little last generation - gaming PC.

Here are some PC component deals to get your PC build started

Step by step
1. Strip down
First thing you'll want to do is strip the case down as far as you can go. Remove every panel that you can, and store them in a safe place (inside the case box is the best bet). We recommend using a bowl (or a magnetic parts tray if you want to be fancy) to hold your screws throughout your PC building process.
2. Fan-tastic
If you've purchased some replacement or extra cooling fans, now is the time to install them where you need them. Try to keep your cooling setup balanced, so there's as much air being drawn in, as is being blown out. In case you're not sure which way the wind will go, the plastic fan guards usually denotes where the air will come through.

Typically you want two fans in the front drawing air in and at least one in the rear blowing air out. You could also screw one or two more optional fans into the roof of the PC case for additional exhaust, if your PC case has mounting points for them.
3. Mobo Installation
Before we get to install the motherboard, you'll want to check on a few things about your PC case. Check for pre-installed motherboard standoffs, ensure the number and arrangement of them conforms to the holes found on your motherboard.

Secondly, see if your PC case has a large CPU cutout or window cut into the back of the motherboard frame. If it doesn't you may want to install any CPU cooler backplates and M.2 solid-state drives at this juncture.

Now that's done, first find your motherboard's rear I/O shield, and push it into the rectangular slot in the back of your PC case. Make sure it's right side up by matching the pattern of cutouts to the arrangement of ports on the back of your motherboard.

Next, lay your motherboard down inside the chassis - carefully lining up its rear ports with the corresponding holes in the I/O shield you just installed - on top of the standoffs installed in your chassis.

Then it's a simply case of securing the motherboard down with the screws that came with your chassis. Make sure you use the right ones here, as you don't want to thread the standoffs, in case you need to remove it at a later date.
4. CPU Installation
Next up, socket your CPU into the motherboard. Here's where things are a little different depending on which family and/or brand you decided to go with.

For Intel mainstream CPUs, slide the spring loaded retention arm out and up, then lift the bracket up leaving the plastic cover in place. Then, gently place your CPU inside the socket, matching the golden triangle located on the bottom left corner of the processor, with the triangle on the socket bracket.

For the next step, you should slide the securing bracket back into its original position so it locks in place underneath the screw, and secure the retention arm back down. During this process the protective plastic cover should pop off, so don't freak out if it comes flying at you. Be sure to stow the cover away in a safe place as it'll protect the motherboard's sensitive pins if you decide to remove the processor from the motherboard.

If you're installing an AMD CPU, fortunately installation is much less daunting. There's no bracket here, simply lift the retention arm in its raised position.

You should then take your processor and match the golden triangle on the corner of the Ryzen processor with the triangle on the socket. Once the pins on the bottom of the processor lineup with the holes on the socket, drop it into place. Give it a little nudge to make sure it's secure, then lower the retention arm back down and lock it into place.

Processor installation done, whew.
5. Memory Matters
Next on the agenda is installing computer memory. Push down the latches at either ends of the DDR4 slots on your motherboard. Then line up the notch on the bottom of the memory with the notch in the slot. After that, you can install the memory by carefully pushing down both sides of the memory into the slot. You should hear a clicking sound as the memory secures into place and the latches click back up.

Make sure you use the farthest and second closest slot from the CPU if you're only using two memory sticks. Complete that and you'll be good to go.
6. Cooler mounting
Here's the last complicate piece in the PC building process, CPU coolers.

Most third-party coolers require installing a backplate, which you may or may not have already done from step three of our PC building guide. Each individual cooler will have its own set of instructions your should follow, but the gist of most installations requires affixing a backplate and threading four pins though back of your motherboard.

From there you'll want to thermal paste if your CPU cooler didn't come with any pre-applied already. Users will want to squeeze out a small blob, around the size of half a pea, onto the middle of the CPU. This will spread out once your cooler is mounted, and provide a sufficient amount of thermal interface material to successfully transfer heat from the processor die to the cooler of your choosing.

For air coolers, you'll want to install most models with the fans unattached. Carefully orient the heatsink onto the pins or threads of the mounting plate and secure in place with any provided thumb screws or regular screws. After that it's simply a case of reattaching the fan to the tower, and plugging the 4-pin PWM fan header into the CPU Fan slot on the motherboard.

Liquid-coolers follow basically the same process, but require more upfront work. You'll probably have to attach fans onto the radiator and installing it into your PC case in advance. Depending on which liquid-cooler you're using, you may also need to plug in a second four-pin cable into a dedicated AIO cooler or optional cooler header on your motherboard.

This is also a good opportunity to plug in the rest of your system fans into any available slots on the board. Or alternatively, if your PC case has an integrated fan controller at the back of the chassis to route all your fans into, then directly onto the motherboard. It'll also need to connect to the motherboard via USB header.
7. Storage installation
Once memory is in, it's time to focus on some non-volatile memory storage, hard drives and solid-state drives. Our NZXT H400i happens to have a small SSD bracket on the front. Installing 2.5-inch drives into these caddies is a cinch, as you can simply slide it into place with the option of fully securing it with four screws.

Most modern PC cases comes with SSD bays of some sort. But if you're case doesn't, the 3.5-inch drive caddies typically reserved for hard drives should have compatible mounting points. No matter what type of storage drive you're installing, ensure the connection ports are facing towards a cable cut-out inside your chassis as it will make routing cables easier.
8. PSU positioning
Now you've got your motherboard, CPU and memory installed you're going to want to install your power supply next. If you've got a modular PSU, figure out what cables you need ahead of time, and plug them into your power supply first.

If your PC case comes with a PSU bracket, remove it ahead of time and attach it to the back of the unit. Next up thread the cables through the PSU slot in the back of the case first, and then slide the PSU into place, securing the bracket back onto the chassis.

Otherwise, on older cases you'll have to slip in the power supply in through the inside of the chassis and push it firmly against the inside wall as you attach it with four screws.

Depending on the design of your case, you'll want to orient the fan towards ventilation areas built into it. For most cases we suggest facing the fan downwards or to the side away from the interior of your PC. This way, your PSU can draw in fresh air and exhaust heat through the back.
9. All the buttons
To get your front I/O power buttons working properly, you need to plug in the correct cables. Fortunately, on our NZXT H400i, this is a single block that plugs directly onto the front I/O headers on the motherboard, make sure you orient it the correct way, then push it into place on the pins.

For everyone else, take the individual pins, and, using the motherboard installation handbook, identify which pins and cables need connecting. Try to do this part gently do, so as to not to bend the pins. It's important to note that any LED lights (HDD and Power), need to be oriented correctly, with the + and - cables installed into the + and - pins on the board.

It's also a good time to plug in your USB 3.0 header, USB 2.0 header, and audio passthrough. Audio is located on the bottom left of most motherboards. It will be labelled, and the pin outs will be different to the USB 2.0 headers. Install your USB 3.0 cables (denoted with a blue-colored end) into any available slots on the board, making sure to lineup the pins with the holes in the USB 3.0 cables.
10. Cable conundruming
Now you can plug in the rest of your power cables.

Identify your 8-pin EPS cable, and slide it up the back of the chassis, through the cable grommet and plug it into the 8 pin power slot at the top of the motherboard. Then, find the bulkier 24-pin cable, slide that through any cable routing recesses on the chassis and plug it into the corresponding 24-pin ATX power port on the motherboard.

Next up, take your SATA power and connect it to any storage drives. If you happen to have a something mounted onto the front of the case, run this SATA power cable through the PSU shroud, appropriate grommets or holes, and into your front mounted 2.5-inch drive. This is a good opportunity to plug in the SATA Data cables between any storage drives and the motherboard as well.

Lastly, you'll want to thread your PCIe power cable through the cutout in the PSU cover or any side grommets/holes, so that it's ready for when you install your GPU.
11. Graphically sound
Finally we have the last piece of the puzzle to slot into place.

First take a look at your motherboard and locate the PCIe slot closest to your processor. From there locate the two PCIe slots next to where you'll want to install your GPU and remove them. In most PC cases, that'll involve undoing two screws on the PCIe slot covers and removing them.

Take your graphics card out of the anti-static bag and line it up with the slots we just opened up. The rear I/O on the GPU should be facing out the back of the chassis. Once the gold contacts on your GPU make are touching the PCIe slot, gently push it into place until you hear a click. Then use the same screws we removed from the PCIe slot cover to secure the GPU into place.

Then it's simply a case of plugging your PCIe power that you routed in with our last step - and we have a fully built PC (mostly).
12. Into BIOS
Now the system's built, don't reattach all your panels just yet. First you'll want to make sure it actually turns on and runs properly.

Take your temporarily built tower over to your pre-setup computer space and plug it into power, a screen, keyboard and mouse too. Power it on, and mash the delete key to get into the BIOS screen. Check your CPU temp, make sure that's operating somewhere around 30-40 degrees C, and ensure that your boot drive is registering correctly.

If everything is showing up, now is also a good time to enable the XMP for Intel or DOCP for AMD to make sure your memory is operating at the correct frequency. Then hit F10, save and exit. Then power off.
13. Tidying up
Now that we're sure the machine is working, disconnect it again and bring it back to your workspace. It's worth doing this because you'll want to reattach all those PC case panels and tidy up any loose cables.

That means using cable ties to bunch together cables as much as you can. Most PC cases come to cable cut-outs to use as tie down points. Where they're aren't any, we usually use thicker cables to help push smaller ones flush against the inside of our computer chassis.
14. Installing Windows
Bring the system back to your computer space, where it'll sit forever - or at least until your next upgrade - as we'll want to install the operating system next.

Most modern rigs lack an optical drive to install your OS, so you'll need to create a USB install on another PC. To do this, download the Windows 10 Media Creation Kit and then install Windows 10 onto an USB stick with at least 8GB of space.

Then, once it's finished, simply plug it into your new system. Go back into your BIOS to tell your system to boot from the USB stick first. From there you can go through the prompts to install the operating system onto your new rig. Don't worry about not having a software key during installation, you can activate Windows 10 once you reach desktop.
15. Desktop maintenance
Once you're finally logged on, head on over to the manufacturer's website, find your motherboard, head to service, and download the correct chipset drivers for your system.

is a nifty tool to get all the programs you want fast without having to worry about installing each one individually is. On the Ninite site, you can select which programs you want, download the installer and let it run its magic. After that, go download and install the correct graphics driver for your card and you'll be all set to sit back and enjoy.

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How to build a PC: a step-by-step guide to building the best PC

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It might be hard sourcing PC components right now, but learning how to build a PC is still a fulfilling task, regardless of what the best graphics cards are going for right now. The process actually remains the same - you need to research and choose the components that will make up the you're trying to put together.

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Another great computer part vendor. They are known for their great deals on CPU's. Their stores are just as good as their online store and they allow you to test the product before purchasing.

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My Recommendations When Buying a New Computer

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My personal favorite place to buy computer parts is Newegg. You can find just about any computer component you're looking for on this site.

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This is a Canadian based computer vendor. They are known as the Canada version of Newegg. They also have a US store with highly competitive prices. They will match with their competitors if they don't have the best price already!

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