Building your own computer is the best way to get the perfect PC for your needs. Want to take your custom build even further? Beef it up with these 10 projects.
1. Get Your Money's Worth
Most of this list assumes you've already built your PC, but if you haven't, make sure you get the best bang for your buck. The most important thing you can do is get the right parts for your needs: that means not going overboard with parts you won't use to their full potential. Check out our recommended builds for a good starting point, and know when brand does and doesn't make a difference. Lastly, put those deal-hunting skills to good use and shop at the right stores for a killer PC that costs less.
2. Turn It Into a Hackintosh (or Triple-Boot for the Best of All Worlds)
Whether you're a diehard Apple fan or you begrudgingly use their software for work, it's easy to get OS X without shelling out for an expensive Mac. As long as you have compatible hardware, you can turn your custom-built PC into a hackintosh that runs OS X, or even triple boot it with Windows and Linux for the best of all worlds. Be sure to check out our guide to updating your hackintosh in case you ever want to upgrade your hardware—it's a bit more work than it is on Windows PCs.
3. Clean It Regularly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=B_PPEeCamXQ
Over time, the insides of your PC gather up dust and debris from the air, which can cause overheating, noise, and other problems. To keep your PC running in tip-top shape, give it a thorough cleaning once in awhile. All it takes is a can of compressed air to blow out most of the dust. If you have any hard-to-reach spots, you can usually get to them with a cotton swap or some dryer sheets. If you want to avoid dust buildup in the future, invest in a few air filters for your intake fans, and read up on positive air pressure.
4. Upgrade Your Peripherals
You probably put a lot of thought into the guts of your computer, but what about the peripherals? If you're still using the same mouse and keyboard you used in 1995, it's time to check out what else is out there. We've done guides on choosing the best peripherals, but a good starting point would be our Hive Five series. See what people consider the best speakers, keyboards, mice, and , and you'll be well on your way to a better computing experience.
5. Fill Those Unused Drive Bays
When you first build your computer, chances are you didn't put a lot into those drive bays at the front—maybe a CD drive, and an SD card slot if you need it. But you can do a lot more with those slots, like control your fans or add a hot swap bay for extra hard drives. Of course, if you end up going overboard and don't have room for the CD drive, that's okay—you can easily get by without one.
6. Overclock It for More Power
If you really want to get the most bang for your buck, you can push your hardware past its sanctioned limits for a bit of an extra boost. This is called overclocking, and it's a great way to eke more power out of your CPU for those processor-intensive tasks, or boost your GPU's gaming performance. Our guides should help you get started, but every family of CPU and GPU is different, so you may need to look up a guide specific to your processor and video card elsewhere on the net for the nitty-gritty.
7. Keep Your Fans Quiet
Your computer needs to stay cool, but that often means lots of fan noise. With a bit of work, you can keep it quiet as a mouse and cool as a cucumber. That means having a quality heatsink and set of fans, setting them up for optimal airflow (as we mentioned in #7 above), and controlling your fan speeds to keep them quiet when you don't need them. Of course if it's just one fan being really loud, there are ways to troubleshoot that too.
8. Cool It With Water
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Dk3V64ZSsEI
Of course, if you want the ultimate balance between cool and quiet, water cooling is the way to go. You'll still want to reference the above—since water cooling still requires quality fans and airflow—but it'll take your cooling to a whole new level, and be quieter than you ever imagined. Check out our beginner's guide to water cooling, or if you want something a little lower-maintenance, check out an all-in-one unit like the Corsair Hydro series.
9. Repurpose Its Parts When You're Done
When it comes time to upgrade your computer (See #1 below), you're probably wondering what you can do with all those old parts. Obviously you could recycle them, but that's no fun, right? If you have enough parts for an entire PC you could build a low-powered home server, or repurpose individual parts for other PCs around your house. Of course, selling them might be ideal, but it isn't quite as easy as selling an old cellphone. You'll have to do a little work to fetch a good price.
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