President's Corner: The Upcoming “Build Your Own Computer” Class
        by David Robbins, President, CCOKC    May 2005

      (Before I start with the class information I want to cover some of the ups and downs with building your own computer.)
      The main reason I like to build my own computer is that I can put “newer” technology in a computer than is usually in a proprietary system. I don’t mean that the parts used in a boxed computer are used, but it is older technology. This is of course price dependent, meaning if you pay $2500 or more for the computer it will have more of the newest technology the a $1000 computer.
      The home built computer allows you to pick where you want to put your money, a better power supply for future expansion, more ram than what the store will put in the computer, larger hard drive, there are many considerations you can work with when building your own. Think of this as tailoring your system to your needs. This gives you the ability to upgrade/expand your computer in the future which can save you a lot of money. My first home built computer was sold about 4 years after it was built and had the third motherboard, fifth CPU, second floppy drive, sixth hard drive, third video card, well I think you understand what I am saying. These upgrades were accomplished by buying only the part(s) that I needed to make them and not a whole new computer.
      One of the downs is the warranty consideration on the parts. A boxed computer will have a one-year warranty in which some of the parts, if bought separately, can have up to three years. But this means you will have to deal with the dealer or manufacturer of the part yourself and not the manufacturer of the computer. This is not necessarily a bad thing. I have recently had warranty dealings with a couple of manufacturers that went quite well.
      Technical support is another consideration; I don’t speak a foreign language so I guess there is no loss there.
      There can be an inherent feeling of accomplishment, of not only mastering the use of your computer, but now having built the computer you use.
      A tentative time schedule has been made and is on the Website for the computer building class. Check it out and if there is a conflict with your schedule that will not allow you attend at the planned time, let me know so I can adjust the attendance list.
      The first Saturday meeting will be to discuss what will be needed and order the parts. Second Saturday will be to inventory and begin assembly of your new computer. Third and the last Saturday will be final inspection and first startup of the computer, then installation of the operating system and drivers.
      The time of day for these meetings has not been set yet, but the last two meetings will probably be starting early in the morning. I will be making the final list and notifying the people on this list in the next few days.
      I would like to have some input as to what motherboard/CPU combination is preferred, if there is a preference. The market pricing on CPU's is a little high right now and that will be a major consideration in the pricing of the kits for the class.
If you have your own source for parts, that is fine, I do not require that you purchase them from our usual dealer.
      Any questions can be e-mailed to me.
I think we had a lot fun last year and learned some things too.

 

 

David Robbins is President of the Computer Club of Oklahoma City. David can be reached at   David Robbins