Cables for building a computer

I'm looking at building a computer and I have already done a whole bunch of research the topic and I think I know what I'm doing.

My question is where do all the cables required for connecting everything come from? I'm pretty sure that the cables required come from their respective components (power connectors from the power supply, assorted cables from the motherboard, ect). However nowhere have I seen it explicitly stated that the cables come with the component I am buying.

Just to confirm, if I buy all the components needed for a basic computer (CPU, motherboard, power supply, case, ram, video card, hard drive, optical drive) from a website, say newegg, will I have all the screws, cables,connectors, and components to put together a working computer or will I need to buy some cables somewhere?

Answer

Retail motherboard box will typically come with an IDE cable, Floppy cable, 2 Sata cables, and possibly 1-2 molex to sata power adapters. They also may provide a serial port cable/bracket, as well as possibly a USB cable/bracket.

The computer case will come with the needed cables to activate its features, such as audio, speaker, front usb, etc. The case will also come with screws you will need for mounting, as well as extra screws. Typically there are enough extra to handle hard drive/dvd mounting, but not always.

OEM versions of hard drives and dvd drives will NOT come with screws. Depending on how many came with the case, and the type of case, you may need more screws here. Retail versions of these may come with the needed mounting screws, but not guaranteed.

A basic power supply will have enough connectors for a basic setup. 1 DVD drive, 1 HDD, one Floppy. Case fans usually have splitters so this tends to not be an issue. Make sure you get a power supply to match your components, vid cards in particular have special power requirements, and will need a supply that has the necessary connections.

In general I have never had to purchase extra adapters/screws with the systems I have built. I have kept the screws/adapters left over from previous basic builds to handle more involved ones. If you are piecing together a basic system, you should probably be ok without worrying about anything extra. Stick to retail on the drives if you aren't 100% sure.