Computer Repair

Built in Minnesota

High-end quality computing, guaranteed.

At Magma PC, we help you select quality components that guarantee the performance and life span of your very own custom computer. The computers we help you build will be up to date and meet system requirements of future video games and software. We also help you choose cooling options and all of our models are upgradable. We also won't install those pesky programs that come with most other computers you buy.

Our terms:

• We have a minimum spending of $800 towards the computer
• We offer a 90 day warranty. If it breaks, give us a call and we will repair the issue, free.
• We like to sit down with you and find out exactly what you are looking for. Together, we can pick out parts that will fit your needs.

If you're looking to buy a new computer, look no further. Give us a call or e-mail at and let's build your first computer!

Buying a New Computer And Knowing The Different Components – Parts

Buying a new computer can be a difficult task if you don't know what you're walking into. If you get a bad sales rep who is just interested in making some commission, it could lead to over spending hundreds of dollars. In this article, I will try to educate consumers on how to select parts, what the parts are, and their functions. We will be learning about motherboards, processors, RAM, graphics cards, hard drives, operating systems, power supply units computer cases, and heat sinks and other cooling options.

Motherboard

Having the right motherboard in place will determine what type of hardware the computer will be able to run as well as upgrade to. Everything will be directly or indirectly plugged into this part of the computer, hence the term motherboard. It is crucial to put some good research into this component when building or selecting a custom computer. For retail computers it is even more important to check out the specs, because checking out the specifications of the motherboard will allow you to know whether or not you will be able to upgrade in the future or have to buy completely new.

CPU

The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is pretty much the brains behind the computer. The faster the CPU is the faster your computer will run. Determining CPU speed is done in Mhz/GHz (megahertz or Gigahertz) and the higher number of Hertz, the faster your computer will be able to operate. However, a lower amount of hertz with multiple cores can run faster than higher hertz and no cores. The best running CPU is generally considered the Intel i7 due to the residing LVL cache 2 memory.

RAM

Most motherboards these days will come equipped with DRAM (dynamic ram), which will most likely come in the form of DDR2 or DDR3. DDR3 is the latest model of RAM and are measured in MB/GB (megabytes or gigabytes). A good amount of RAM these days is considered to be 2GB or over. Windows 7, 32bit, runs upto 4GB of RAM, while the 64bit version runs upto 128GB (that's a lot!). RAM will also help determine how fast your computer runs. If you have been installing newer programs and applications and have noticed that your computer is slowing down, this might be due to the amount of RAM needed. Consider an update.

Graphics Card

Graphics cards play an instrumental role in the life of a gamer, photographer, video editor, and any other person who would need fast rendering speeds for graphics. Some of the newest model of graphics cards even help out the processor and entire computer system in running faster. Graphics cards also have memory equipped to them and it is important to look at the memory and what DDR or GDDR it is. The latest model and standard is GDDR5.

Power Supply Unit

Choosing a power supply unit will depend on the type of computer you would like to run. Do you plan on having a high performance machine or an internet surfing word processor? Generally, a 500-600 watt power supply will suffice most needs, but make sure you get a good brand. Low quality brands tend to crap out and leave you hanging. Antec and Cooler Master are two names that we trust and would build a computer with.

Hard Drive

With hard drives it is important to know what RPM they run at. 7,200 RPM's are what you'd generally like to see from a hard drive. Faster hard drives that run at 10,000 RPM's are hard to find, expensive, have short life spans, and are considered unstable. The latest technology in hard drives is what is called a solid state drive or SSD. These generally are smaller in size (GB) but run much, much faster, and are absolutely silent. They make no noise. The problem with these are that they are a new technology and expensive. A few months ago they were considered unstable but as time has gone by these hard drives have also developed and I would build a computer with one.

Case

The case of your computer will depend on the size of your motherboard and the amount of heat expected to be generated. If you have a small form factor and not a whole lot of perhiperals, you can expect to get away with a smaller case. However for best cooling options a larger case is preferred. A large case is essential if you plan on loading up your computer jam packed with all sorts of goodies like a high powered graphics card, lots of memory and multiple drives.

Heating and Cooling

Every CPU or processor should have a heat sink with thermal compound and a fan mounted on the heat sink. Luckily, when you buy a motherboard, it usually comes in a combo with CPU and heat sink plus fan included. So you might not need to worry so much about selecting these. Cooling the system might be an interest and adding a fan to the back of a computer case is ideal if you think you could over heat, or would just like the security in knowing you have a cooler computer. Usually a 128mm fan will mount on the back of a computer case against the ventilation and cool the system efficiently. You should measure your vents before you buy a fan so that you know it will fit.

Operating System

Once the computer is assembled it's time to select an operating system. Windows 7 is the latest operating system from Microsoft and is the fastest selling operating system in history. Although it only makes up for about 17% of all the operating systems in the world it is quickly gaining prevalence and is expected to soon beat out Windows XP which holds the majority of the market. A person could go with Linux (which is free) but has no support and can get complicated if you're not used to the commands. Another down side with Linux is that it's not very compatible with main stream programs and games.

That concludes our article on what to look for when buying a new computer or having one built for you. I have taught you just about everything I think is important to know about selecting a new computer and hope that I have made you a smarter consumer when selecting a new computer in the future. If you have specific demands from a computer and would like to have us build you a custom computer for your gaming needs or other needs, please give us a call or send us an e-mail, we would love to hear from you.

Magma PC
http://www.Magma-PC.com
(612)424-0854