gDose: How to Build a Computer Part IV

Kashm!r's Corner

Hello everyone. This is the fourth installment of our "How to Build a Computer" Series. Today we're going to cover one of the fun aspects of building a computer--the case. Oh, and CD/DVD players but we won't talk too much about those, because there's not too much to say.

(An example of a flamboyant "Look I spent lots of money on my case" case, though it is very nice)

The computer case is what creates the flavor of your new computer. Maybe you want the vengeful look, the bright whirring creation of yours that multi-tasks like Travis Barker during midnight gaming sessions. Perhaps you like the sophisticated look; sleek and subdued but amazingly powerful. Maybe you like the crazy case, which is just out of the ordinary and eye catching. Or, perhaps you really don't care. But no matter how you think, the case will hold your computer and you should pick well, because it DOES matter.

The case is meant to hold the motherboard in place. That is its function in life. If for no other reason you get a case, that should be its purpose. But, for most computer builders, the case is that final (actually it's the first piece!) touch that says HAH! I did it, and look how beautiful it is! I personally have a NZXT Apollo case, which I like very much. It has these silver "Alienware" style grills on the sides, lit by blue lights then in the center. The case is straight black, with a blue lit interior. It came with 2 fans and I added a third one in the front. It has an i394 port (aka Firewire), 2 USB ports, a headphone and mic jack all on the front side. The side is clear with a blue fan, and the back allows for all the peripherals to be inserted! My case is semi-stylish. It's not over the top or flamboyant, nor is it subdued. I like it.

The NZXT Apollo case. Excellent case, highly recommend! Cheap on TigerDirect.

For me, the case was one of the first pieces I picked out, because I needed one that would fit my motherboard. My motherboard is a EVGA nVidia 750i SLI, which I know will fit in most mid-tower cases. I have a mid-tower case (a large one at that) but it would fit fine in a smaller one as well, though perhaps a little more cramped. This is what you should definitely know when you purchase a case. If the case is too small, your motherboard will not fit. Don't EVER try to cram it...it will short circuit the board and will void your warranty. That is a stupid idea, so don't think you can do it, because some wannabe Einstein somewhere already attempted it and failed. If you get a case that's too large (like a full tower), then you're fine. I am not sure what you are going to do with the massive amount of space...perhaps you could put some cool decals on the interior? Full tower cases are enormous and unless you are getting a positively off the charts motherboard (which I highly doubt anyone reading this will, because this is aimed at first timers!) you will NOT need a full tower. Mid Tower cases work fine.

Your midtower should fit your preferences. You should always have 2+ extra USB ports, and a headphone and mic jack. I don't care who you are, you will find them useful. If you can get any bonus attachments, get them. 12 in 1 card readers are pretty cool, because they eliminate the need for cords or usb card readers. If your case comes with one of those, good for you. It should have room for plenty of disc drives, and at least two hard drives. Mine personally has room for 5 disc drives and 2 hard drives. That's more than I'll need, but it's there if I do. For avid PC rebuilders it would be very useful to have this extra space!

(If you think anything like me, this case is repulsive! Buy a case YOU like, not just because it is cheap.)

Also, don't get a cheap case. Just because you see the case for 20 bucks, don't get it. Get a quality metal case every time. It can have some plastic but make sure that it is full metal where it counts. However, don't splurge on a fantastic case that's $400 bucks either. Unless you have liquid nitrogen cooling systems in it, you probably aren't going to be spending that sort of money on a case. Some cases have digital readouts of interior temperatures and all that, but seriously, it's money wasted. There are programs on the computer that do the same and guess what--they're free!

Finally, make sure the case is attractive. Look at the pictures online and read the reviews. Clearly, if the case has 2 out of 5 stars, don't get it. If the case has 4 out of 5 stars, read all the opinions and why anyone would have given it a low score. Generally 4 1/2 star - 5 star cases are all fine, but still read up to see exactly what you're getting. Your case should fit your needs and your likes. If you want it to look a certain way, try to find one that does. There are lots of cases in the world and it is more than likely that someone likes the same style case as you do! So search wide.

(This case is very well lit and pretty cool! Lighting is a cool addition to a computer case. If you don't like lighting, that's fine too.)

As for CD/DVD drives...they are important for reading discs and burning discs. That is about the extent of them. Get a fast one...52x burners are great. They burn CDs in record low times, most of them can burn an 18 song maximum quality disc in under 3 minutes. If you want to get slower and save money, that's your choice. But if you're burning a lot, make sure the writer is fast. Make sure you have a DVD burner too...it would be very unfortunate to find out that your CD/DVD player only burns CDs and not DVDs. Nowadays there are BluRay disc readers and writers. They will run you up quite a bit of money but if you want to make some HD+ quality DVDs, there are some for $200 you can find around that work perfect.

Make sure that the CD/DVD player you get is e-Sata, and not IDE. IDE by the way is a type of cable which is like a giant ribbon, and takes up an annoyingly large amount of space within the case. Avoid getting them if at all possible. e-Sata is also faster and modern!

(This will fit the needs of just about any enthusiast! Note the blu-ray logo also...it's a bit expensive...)

My recommendations for brands...I bought Sony. I like Sony. Other people like other brands, it's no biggie. Check the reviews, see what works.

Oh, and while we're on the topic, I might as well cover hard drives! We're still in the case so I figure I will go over their importance really quickly.

Going with the human body analogy, Hard drives would be the equivalent of your long term memory process. They store ALL information on the computer that must be kept there for longer than split seconds. Where RAM is the short term, Hard drives are the long term.

Your hard drive should be large and have plenty of space. Don't get a small hard drive unless you are only going to work on MS office. If you do photos, vidoes, movies, photoshop, music, games, or anything that requires large amounts of space you will wish you had a large hard drive.

As my computer is running right now, I'll go over exactly what I have on it in terms of size, to help convince you of why you should get a large hard drive. If you do ANYTHING that I do, you will see the need.

Downloads: 105 gb
Music: 28.6 gb
Photos: 3.4 gb
Videos: 5.4 gb
Programs: > 9.9gb
Windows: > 1.5gb

So without even touching games or anything not listed in common folders, I have already gotten over 150gb of storage taken up. I currently have 144gb of my 500gb hard drive open. I'm a pretty active computer user that puts a lot of stuff on here, but I can tell you that if you are fairly active at all you will use up 250gb of a new hard drive very quickly.

(A typical internal hard drive. You can get external ones too, but your first one should always be internal.)

Buy at least a 500 gb. I suggest getting a 750gb or Terabyte hard drive. They aren't that expensive! Mine was about 60 bucks 9 months ago. More than likely that price has fallen significantly, and I know there are some terabyte ones going for less than $100 out there. Buy big and you won't have to worry again! Make sure they are e-Sata as well. IDE is outdated and fits poorly in the case, so avoid it.

In this day in age, it is probably beneficial to have a back up hard drive. With identity theft and crashes entirely possible at any given moment, you want to have backups in case you lose all your work. As a student I can recall many a time where I wished that I had a backup because something malfunctioned and caused a freeze up (my old computer was garbage at times). Don't be like me; get a back up if you have critical information you want kept safe in case of a problem.

Other than that, there's really not that much else you need to know. Read reviews, purchase within your means, pick stuff that will work for you (especially your case) and don't scrounge on the case or the hard drive just to save money, because they are important. These three items are the cheapest to purchase out of the lot (my case was $79.99, my CD/DVD drive was $40, and my hard drive was $60: compare to the motherboard + graphics card and processor...you see my point), but you will need all of them for a fully functional computer. Pick wisely and have some fun!

And that's your dose of computer building info,

by

Kashm!r
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Questions? Comments? Please comment us here or email us at gamedose@gmail.com. We would love to answer your questions or help you with your computer building issues. My personal email is unfoundglory7192@gmail.com. I check my box twice daily and I can get back to you quick about anything having to do with the build. So please contact us!