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Choosing the right case is very important when building a pc or if you are upgrading to a nicer case. Cases come in a variety of sizes and forms and certain components may fit and certain components may not. Some cases are made with high end gaming in mind, others with ease of accessibility and others for people who like to take their computers to LAN parties. Understanding how to make sure your components will fit before you purchase a case will save a lot of trouble and time.
Cases come in a variety of sizes ranging from mini-towers to full towers. The first thing to make note of however, is the type of motherboards that it is compatible with. Motherboards are generally either m-ATX (Micro ATX), ATX, or e-ATX (Extended ATX). However, there are some variations in naming. Some larger e-ATX motherboards are called XL ATX. Each case will be compatible with certain types of motherboards. Larger cases will be compatible with ATX or e-ATX and smaller may just be compatible with m-ATX or both m-ATX and ATX.
Space inside is also important. Non-integrated graphics cards are getting larger and cases made for high-end gaming are increasing their size too. It is always important to check the size of the graphics card and making sure that it will fit in your case. Also, the amount of 5.25″ external slots and 3.5″internal slots are important. If you plan on using a lot of storage and want more 3.5″ internal slots for your HDDs then you will probably want a bigger case. The 5.25″ external slots are used for things like optical drives. Again, the amount you need will depend more on what you need now and the plans you have for your computer.
Fans are also a big part of cases. If you plan on using your high-end components to the max, more fans are key. If you plan on having a basic or budget computers, fans will still be necessary, just not as many. The cooler the components the smoother they run. Good airflow and a good fan is important in a case, and the option to upgrade to more fans is something that should be kept in mind.
Building your own pc is relatively simple. Find the right components that work together, purchase them, and then put them together in the right order. There a great deal of benefits gained from this over that of buying one pre-assembled.
First, it allows for specialization and customization. You may need a computer for simple tasks, or you may need it for high end gaming, or some level in between. By picking out the parts yourself, you can make a pc that suits your specific needs without all the other components cluttering up your system or costing you money.
Second, building your own pc allows you to design one that will let you upgrade it relatively easily down the road. You can choose the components that will work well in newer models. Say you only need a dual core processor today with 4 GB of memory, but you want the ability to install a hexa core processor and maybe up to 16GB of memory. By building your own pc, you can plan for that, rather than have to buy a completely new computer when your needs increase.
Third, performance. By building your own pc you can create a performance machine. By customizing and upgrading your system you can tweak certain areas to find out what part may be holding your system back and then upgrade it, giving you greater performance.
In conclusion, it is a good investment to build your own pc. As you upgrade parts you can retain the old parts and use them in older machines. There is also a broad range of other people who have built their own computers and can provide tech support should you need it. It is a lot simpler getting help from someone who has built their own computer rather than waiting on the phone for some IT guy. Thus, with the specialization, customization, and performance increase you can create a truly versatile machine that will last far longer than a typical store bought computer.
External Hard Disk Drives come in a variety of shapes and sizes and allow a user to keep large amounts of data with them wherever they go or when transferring old data onto a new computer. An external hard drive is a versatile tool and, among other things, can be used to store pictures to take to family and friends or movies to watch when you are traveling.
The newer models typically connect via a USB 2.0 connection which allows the computer to power the drive without the need for a separate power cable. This increases their portability because they do not need to be tethered to a power outlet and can be more easily used while traveling. The USB 2.0 also facilitates the transfer of data between the computer and the drive. However, the older external drives that do require a power supply are usually priced cheaper, which will allow someone who does not need the extra portability to purchase more storage space at a lower price than a drive that does not need to plug into an outlet.
Another option can be to purchase an internal hard drive case or connector. These allow you to use internal hard drives, maybe from an older desktop or laptop, and connect them via a USB or SATA interface. If an old computer dies and the hard drive is still functional, then it can be removed and used like an external hard drive. This allows you to keep all of your old data and transfer it to a new pc. It also gives you the option of purchasing a new internal drive and your own case to create your own external hdd. A drawback is that they do not come with automatic security features.
External HDDs are good investments. They allow you to carry your data in a portable form and give you extra space on your computer by allowing you to store videos, music, and the like on the external drive which frees up the internal drive for programs and games.
The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the main processor for your computer and the device that carries out commands of the computer programs. Cores are used to process information and can come in single, dual, quad, or hexa-core configurations. Generally speaking, the more cores the better the processing power and the better the computer will be at multi-tasking. Single core processors are almost completely gone from desktop computers and are now primarily used for netbooks and laptops. CPUs are made by two different companies, AMD and Intel, and each brand uses their own specific formats and each has its own pros and cons.
If you are looking to build your own computer or upgrade an existing one the first thing that should be checked is what brand of CPU are you going to use. Each brand uses separate socket types and socket types must match up with the motherboard. Each motherboard will have a list of supported socket types. AMD currently predominantly uses only the AM3 socket type, while Intel has a couple of different socket types for their new processors.
Wattage requirements should also be a factor. Each CPU will use a certain amount of wattage and the motherboard must be able to handle it. Again, each motherboard will typically list the types of processors and wattage that it will support.
If you are building your own computer it is also important to understand the distinct differences between AMD and Intel. Intel is more expensive, while their cores perform at higher levels. However, AMD is less expensive and offers more cores for less money and are more easily upgraded since they all use the same socket type.
Thus, when building or upgrading your system, it is important to understand what performance requirements you have for determining how many cores you need and what types of parts will work with the motherboard.
A Solid State Drive (SSD) has no moving parts, utilizing flash memory to store and access data. This is similar to a data stick. This gives the SSD some advantages over a mechanical Hard Disk Drive (HDD).
The primary advantage is speed. Without moving parts, the drive is able to access the date faster. This allows for faster boot times, which is one of the main reasons that SSDs are becoming favorites as Operating System Drives. Depending upon the model and the computer system running the drive, upwards of ten seconds can be saved from boot up time. The Windows 7 promise of an eleven second boot up (not including the bios startup time) was demonstrated using a SSD. Applications themselves, such as Word will load almost instantaneously.
Another advantage appreciated by computer enthusiasts is the low emission of heat. Without moving parts, namely a spinning disk, the heat generated by the drive is minimal. This allows for a cooler computer, which is very important in higher end gaming machines or for computer users who like to overclock their CPU.
The lack of moving parts also means that the drive is almost completely silent, which is something that can be appreciated by everyone. An HDD using spinning disks can get very loud, especially the higher RPM drives used in performance machines. An SSD is thus able to outperform even the higher RPM drives without any noise.
The high performance of SSDs and the added benefits of no noise and very low heat combine to make a versatile means of mass storage. As time progresses, it is beginning to see more and more use in mainstream consumer devices. It is only limited by the relatively small size and the price to size ratio. However, SSDs continue to be very useful for laptops and netbooks and as Operating System Drives on Desktops, and the consensus is that once storage capacity is upgraded on SSDs they will replace HDDs.
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