How did we end up with this one?

This is the inside of the Smilodon case. Notice the HUGE amount of cooling fans. Fans should be setup to create a nice tunnelling effect. Try to get fans in one area blowing in and on the other side of the case blowing out. Do NOT put them in arbitrarily blowing in and out. All you'll get then is air swirling around and not exhausting the hot air!

Lizardwebs walked into this one unwittingly.A client called up and simply asked if LW could setup a computer for him. “Sure! No problem.” When someone asks about setting up a computer, immediately it’s assumed that they have either just moved or bought a new computer – and what they want is to plug all the cables in, get drivers installed and maybe get rid of the riff-raff programs that are usually preloaded on store-bought computer. Maybe answer a few questions. Usually about an hour is all that’s required. I quoted an hour’s worth of work – $75. Arrangements were made to meet the new client, Gary, on the following Tuesday.

As I drove up, I noticed a real estate sign leaned up next to a fence near the door. “Yup. New move in – exactly as expected!” Gary greeted me at the door and I gave him a business card and walked into the house.

Imagine my surprise when I laid eyes on a massive gaming computer case with wires poking out everywhere. The case was opened on both sides. Neat case too – but took up a FULL dining room table due to the way the sides hinged down. My eyes were immediately drawn to a motherboard box and assorted OTHER component boxes laying around the case. This was NOT what I was expecting.

Building your own computer

How it usually progresses

For those of you whom have never experienced the whole “custom build a PC” thing, let me tell you what normally happens. First time builders frequently will do a simple scan of all the best rated hardware. A great place to learn about the top rated hardware is Tom’s Hardware. A shopping trip then ensues. If you try to buy computer hardware components locally, many times you’ll be disappointed as some necessary computer hardware component will be unavailable. This requires an on-the-fly call as to what you’re going to replace it with. It’s nice to have a Blackberry or iPhone with you so you can then do a bit more hunting and spec checking on the spot.

This cooler is properly mounted. Notice the large amount of cooling fin area - helps the heat from the processor dissipate rapidly. Remember it can take ONLY a few seconds to ruin a processor without a cooler unit on! Kiss your $200 investment goodbye!

A better way to do it is to order the parts computer hardware online. You usually have a better selection from which to choose and know when you order if a part is unavailable.  As well, you are pretty much assured that you are going to get the absolute best prices on your computer hardware. Just make sure you factor in the shipping. For new parts, I usually go to one of two places: Tiger Direct (the local store is actually CompUSA), OR NewEgg Computers. I have to give the nod to NewEgg – the prices are frequently better, the shipping is usually free, and there is no tax charged (as of 11/1/2009). That usually adds up to a better price for NewEgg.

The one downside to ordering online is that you can’t just run the part back and exchange it if there is a problem! If you have to exchange a part either due to failure, or it’s just not the right thing, you’ll end up calling in and getting a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) and have to ship/reship parts in and back. This can add another several days to a project. As another downside, if you are anything like me, the urge (or need) to build comes on the spur of the moment – which ends up driving me to the local parts store in a building frenzy! The mood only lasts so long, so if I’m going to build, I need to strike while the iron is hot, or I just won’t do it…

Another caveat

Not all parts go together smoothly! While it would seem like that if a certain part fits in a certain socket, it will work, it doesn’t always. There are millions of combinations of components and operating systems. Add that to the drivers, installation processes, etc – and you can end up with a real headache – which is where I eventually found myself in this project. Some things just DON’T play well together. Especially if one is dodgy to begin with.
Build Custom PC Raleigh – Graphics Card – ATI Radeon 4850 HD PCIe – 2 custom pc raleigh,build custom pc raleigh,build custom computer,custom pc building,custom build a pc

Build Custom PC Raleigh - Graphics Card - ATI Radeon 4850 HD PCIe

Build Custom PC Raleigh - Motherboard - Gigabyte EP43_UDL

Build Custom PC Raleigh - Graphics Card - ATI Radeon 4850 HD PCIe

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