Brain Candy #85 - Roll Your Own

I'm beginning to think about getting a new computer. My first several computers were Commodores. I owned one of the first VIC-20s in Oklahoma which came with 3,500 user-accessable bytes. I later owned a Commodore 64 and several Amigas - the Amigas are still my favorite personal computers. Commodore went out of business, though, and with the release of Windows 3.1, I started buying IBM-compatible PCs, which I'll just call PCs throughout this article.

My first few PCs were from Gateway. I decided that I preferred Dell computers after Gateway changed some of its policies. Lately, Dell has also lost my loyalty. Specifically, it can be fruitless, or even dangerous, to try to repair your own Dell, even if it's just a noisy fan or a failing power supply. If it's out of warranty, you'll pay Dell's prices to get it functioning again. It isn't just Dell - the pursuit of the dollar tempts all the mass market computer vendors to cut corners. This is to some degree understandable, since most people want cheap computers. Cheap computers are what they get. Too many corners are being cut these days for my tastes.

So what can I do? I can have a local computer builder build one for me. Someone who knows little about computers can try this route, but in all likelihood, such a person would be happy with a Dell, a Gateway, an e-Machine, or a Compaq. Someone who knows more can discuss their needs and wants with the builder and roughly define a system that the builder can flesh out. A really knowledgeable person can completely specify the system to be built. For a person who isn't comfortable with actually handling computer hardware, this might be the way to go. You'll pay for the assembly, of course, and you'll also pay for any customer service and warranty you receive. If you're going to go that far, and you're not afraid of handling hardware, you can also build it yourself. You'll know exactly what went into the system that way. First timers will probably also learn a lot by the experience. But what if you aren't quite up to doing this by yourself?

Well, there are always books. A new one due to be released in August is titled "Building the Perfect PC" by Robert Bruce Thompson and Barbara Fritchman Thompson. They are the co-authors of "PC Hardware in a Nutshell," another book that you might want to scan as part of your learning process. The website for the new book, which also contains a link to the "PC Hardware" book, is www.oreilly.com/catalog/buildpc/. You can read a sample chapter from the book, look at the table of contents and the index as well as get a full description. Once it is published, you can also access the errata and examine reader reviews of the book.

There are several problems with trying to learn a skill like this from a book. Even if the book is extremely well-written (and it appears that this one is), you can go off into the weeds trying to master a physical skill merely by reading about it. Natural mechanics and tinkerers have a big advantage here. The pundits say that building your own computer has never been easier, but is it easy enough for you to master from a book?

Another issue specific to the task is that the computer industry is still evolving quickly. As a case in point, Intel has just released several new motherboards (the backbone of the computer - you plug all the components into the motherboard to assemble a computer), which are probably superior to those that are discussed in this book. In other words, the book is somewhat out-of-date even before it is released. The authors have their own website, www.hardwareguys.com, which is intended to mitigate this factor, but as I review it, I see that they still haven't any documented experience with the new boards. In other words, until they work with them and document them on their web pages, you're on your own, unless you choose to use the older motherboards. That might be the best choice anyway, since the new boards use a type of memory that is currently very expensive - at the moment, a computer based on the new boards will not be attractive to those who are money-conscious.

There is another way - local colleges often offer courses in computer assembly. As a matter of fact, the University of Akron is offering a course called "Build Your Own PC" in October. You can find the info at www.uakron.edu/ce/schedules/PCRepair.php. By taking this course, you'll have the benefit of two instructors to teach you and help if you have problems. I called the phone number provided by the web page for more information and found that students need to buy a kit with a rather extensive number of options. This year's list isn't yet available, but I suspect that some of the things I have in mind for my system won't be covered on the list of options, so I won't be going that route myself. Still, the course might suit you. The course is a bit pricey, but consider that you'll be developing a skill that you may use for the rest of your life. You'll also have a new computer that you built yourself.