Build,Your,Own,Computer,amp,#5 computer Build Your Own Computer : What to Look for in a Case

----------------------------------------------------------Permission is granted for the below article to forward,reprint, distribute, use for ezine, newsletter, website,offer as free bonus or part of a product for sale as longas no changes a Gone are those times when the companies and the organisations didn't need a hi-tech system to handle them. Owing to the considerable increase in the business sector and thus, an enormous increase in the complexity of the organisational struc

Build Your Own Computer : What to Look for in a CaseBy Stephen BucaroWhy would you want to build your own computer? Not to savemoney. With a decent manufactured computer costing lessthan $400.00, it will cost you more to buy the parts tobuild your own. There are five advantages to buildingrather than buying.1. Most manufactured computers are build using proprietarycomponents. When (not if) your computer breaks down, youcan’t use off-the-shelf replacement parts. You have to paya lot more for the manufacturer's proprietary replacementparts.2. Low cost manufactured computers use the cheapestcomponents. These components are marginal or belowspecifications. When you build your own computer, youselect the quality of each component.3. When you have built your own computer, you are moreknowledgeable and capable of performing your owntroubleshooting. You don’t have to pay $75.00 per hour fora service technician.4. When your computer becomes outdated, you can easilyupgrade it yourself. You will be a better judge of whenits more logical to build a new computer from scratch, orto update the old one.5. You will feel the pride and confidence of having builtyour own computer. And, you will have proof that youreally are smarter than your friends!Yes, you can build your own computer. Today’splug-and-play mother boards with on-board video, sound,and network circuitry make it easy. You can build your owncomputer in 90 minutes. 30 minutes to build the computerplus an hour of waiting while installing the operatingsystem.When I build a computer, the first component that Iconsider is the case. Here is what to look for in a case:* The form factorMake sure your case style matches the form factor ofavailable motherboards. Most motherboards today are theATX form factor. You should buy an ATX style case. Do notbuy an AT style case. The AT style case has been obsoletefor years. Some computer component providers are trying tounload their obsolete AT style cases to inexperiencedcomputer hobbyists.* The power supplyDon’t buy a case with only a 200 or 250 watt power supply.A 300 watt power supply should be sufficient, but if youplan to install a lot of expansion cards like 3D graphicsaccelerators, multiple hard drives, CD burners, etc. thenyou need to consider a case with a more powerful powersupply.A Pentium 4 motherboard uses an extra four pin connectorto provide extra 12 volt power required for the CPU. Ifyou plan to build a Pentuim 4 based computer, make surethe case has a "pentuim 4 ready" power supply.* Drive baysThe minimum drive bay requirement is; one 5.25 inchexternal bay, one 3.5 inch external bay; and one 3.5 inchinternal bay. This allows you install a CD-ROM drive,a floppy drive, and a hard disk drive.However, I would recommend purchasing a case with; two5.25 inch external bays, one 3.5 inch external bay; andtwo 3.5 inch internal bays. This gives you a little extraexpansion capacity.* Side PanelGet a case with a removable side panel. This gives youeasy access to the inside of the case. Some cases comewith a one piece inverted U shaped cover. It’s a real painto wrestle this type of cover into place.* Floppy disk slotI prefer to avoid cases with a built-in floppy disk slot.With RW-CD’s becoming more common, the floppy disks dayscould be numbered. When they become obsolete you will bestuck with a funny slot on the front of your computer.* Beige caseAvoid cases that are not the standard beige color. Off theshelf floppy drives and CD Drives only come in beige, andit looks nicer if they match the case.* Desk-top or tower caseI don’t think you can find a desk-top style case today. Ifyou do find one, consider the amount of desk area the casewill cover. You will most likely have to place yourmonitor on top of the case. If you have a heavy 19 inchCRT monitor, make sure the case is constructed solidlyenough to support the monitor. Although you can’t save money, there are many otheradvantages to building your own computer. This articlepoints out some important things to look for whenselecting a case for your computer.----------------------------------------------------------Permission is granted for the above article to forward,reprint, distribute, use for ezine, newsletter, website,offer as free bonus or part of a product for sale as longas no changes are made and the byline, copyright, and theresource box below is included. ----------------------------------------------------------Resource Box:Copyright(C)2002 Bucaro TecHelp. To learn how to maintainyour computer and use it more effectively to design a Website and make money on the Web visithttp://bucarotechelp.comTo subscribe to Bucaro TecHelp Newsletter Send a blankemail to bucarotechelp-subscribe@topica.com----------------------------------------------------------