A computing quadrary! (How to Build the Perfect Computer)

Name: islander13957

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Product:	How to Build the Perfect Computer
Date:	15/12/00 (115 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Definitely the smug feeling of satisfaction!

Disadvantages: You need to be prepared to invest time in learning about and planning the project.

Well, maybe this isn't about building 'the perfect computer' - it's more like working to a strict budget but still managing to get good value for money.

A computing quandrary...


Early in the summer of 1999, we had a request from our fourteen year old son. He wanted his own computer for playing games on - AND (so he promised us!) for his schoolwork as well. At the time, he was using an ageing Gateway Pentium 75 system that we had purchased five years previously. Although although fine for schoolwork, it was way out of its league when it came to playing computer games. The other household computer, only two years old and much better-specified, was my territory and I had always vowed that I would never clutter it up with computer games (despite all the sotto voce accusations of 'rotten spoilsport!' that got levelled at me...).

But, eventually, I surrendered to his incessant requests and allowed a demo of Worms Armageddon to be installed. It wasn’t long before both he and his Dad were playing regularly. They found it enjoyable and (dare I say it) even addictive? Soon it was becoming more and more difficult to get to the computer when I wanted to work on it. The idea of teenage son having his own computer was gradually becoming more attractive...

Teenage son then set his heart on having MechWarrior3 and splashed out some of his hard-earned cash when he was on holiday with grandparents in August. When he returned from holiday, he propped the Mechwarrior 3 box up in a prominent place against his computer - so that I couldn't go into his room without seeing it. That put me in a quandrary - did I let him install it on the family computer (where the 4.3Gb hard disk would soon be coming under pressure) or should I give serious consideration to getting him a new computer? I suspected lowdown underhand motives, something along the lines of "....if I can make Mum feel guilty enough about me spe
nding £30 on this game, perhaps she'll give in and install it on her computer...".

For a start, there was no way we could afford a new computer for him - that was for certain! So we resorted to delicate and protracted joint negotiations. Using skills worthy of a high-ranking job with the United Nations, we worked out a compromise deal. If he saved £150 from his summer job and we agreed to provide matched funding, that would provide a budget of £300 for his new computer. Guess who got the unenviable task of bringing this to fruition?

So I took a very long and very hard look at the Pentium 75. I decided that he could make do with the 15" monitor for a while which, although not ideal for gaming, would see him through to Christmas when he hoped to get a new 17" monitor. The keyboard, mouse and speakers were still perfectly adequate. In addition, I was keen to upgrade my own computer with a new processor (I'm not the only sneaky one in this household, you know!) so I handed over my Pentium II 233Mhz processor. The case was also a bit of a problem because it was a desktop using a rather outdated Baby AT form factor motherboard so even that would need replacing.

In the end, using the Internet, I sourced and bought a new middle tower case, ATX motherboard, 6.4Gb hard disk, 32Mb AGP graphics card, PCI soundcard, 48 speed CD ROM, and a floppy drive. Memory prices had just gone through the roof so I let him ‘borrow’ 64Mb RAM from my computer (I still haven’t had it back...) and gave him the Pentium II processor. In total, we spent £289.82 and he ended up with a very respectable computer for that money.

I’m no technical whizz-kid. I’m a Mum in her early forties with two teenage kids. I do have a technically-competent husband which is a definite advantage but anyone who can follow a manual and instructions should have few problems. I recommend checking out 'Computeractive' ma
gazine which often has useful illustrated step-by-step guides to working on computers.

It also offers the added advantage of being able to customize your computer to a much greater extent than an off-the-shelf purchase. You can include a fabulous sound system if you're a music freak or beef it up with a lightning-fast processor, top notch graphics card and oodles of memory to play games. The computer is your oyster!

To be fair, this isn’t a project to be tackled lightly - you have to do plenty of homework and learn a fair amount of technical stuff so that you don’t waste your money or make an awful mistake. But, as long as you are methodical and thorough, there is no reason why you can’t do it.

I can tell you that there is immense satisfaction both in the achievement and the astonished look on people’s faces when you say you built your own computer!

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