Cheap Computers and Parts

How to Establish a Budget

In our guide, we are going to go through the process of piecing together a Home Office computer online before we buy. We will go through and explain every step in detail so you know exactly what to do and what to look for to make sure each part is compatible. We will also give you tips on saving money!

Before we jump into finding computer hardware, we first need to establish a budget. You may already know what your budget is but if you don't, this lesson will help you out. You need to ask yourself an important question:

"What will I mainly use this computer for?"

If you're going to use it for accessing email, writing documents, watching online videos, playing music.. then you probably just want a basic home office computer.

If you want to play the latest games, use 3D Modeling or any kind of graphic design software, then you probably want something with a little more kick. Unfortunately this costs a little more but you can still build a good budget computer that gets the job done for around $800.

For the purpose of this guide, we are going to build a computer for our home office. We want this system to be up to date and last at least 3-4 years without spending a lot of money.

Let's set our budget around $500. This will include a fully working computer, keyboard, mouse, monitor and speakers. The end price after shipping and handling might be slightly higher or it might be slightly lower.

Next Lesson:

Once you have established your budget, it's time to move onto Lesson 3: Components Needed