So far, so good!

     I’ve had this homemade computer up and running since the 15th of March – almost two weeks. By God, it’s a pretty good computer. The kids have noticed a real difference. Karen plays ABC Mouse, and it was almost unbearable on the old computer. It would take a month of Sundays and the Seventh Coming of Christ to print out the tickets that are awarded after each exercise. When you went to the fish tank, it took a lifetime just to scrub the tank of algae. Karen, my youngest, said to me, “Dad, the thing really spits the tickets out fast now!” Sean noticed how much faster the fish tank cleaning was. So, for the kids, it’s a good deal. I can now run multiple applications at once. I can listen to my music, adjust large photographs, and run my genealogy program all at once, while the virus scanner is running. It’s just great!
     I had so much fun putting this computer together, that I’d love to do it as a job. The thing is, building a homemade computer from scratch is more expensive up front than buying a Dell, especially the cheaper models that they sell in Walmart. However, in the long run, it equalizes out because upgrading homemade computers is much cheaper. On a Dell, you can upgrade to a larger hard drive, or switch from a DVD burner to a Blu-ray burner. It’s easy to upgrade your RAM. But it ends there. What do you do when your processor no longer fits the bill? Just like the computer I have built, you have to change the motherboard. Dell, and other computer manufacturers, build your system just to the point that it works. They don’t leave much for expansion. The case usually isn’t big enough to run a large heat sink. The power supply is just large enough to power the computer that they shipped to you. If you want to add things like multiple video cards, etc., then you’ll have to purchase a new power supply. You just don’t hear people with Dells tearing their computers apart and rebuilding like you can do with a home built computer. If you had a home built computer, and wanted to upgrade the motherboard, odds are, all you have to do is change out the motherboard and processor. You will also likely have to reinstall the operating system as the OEM operating system is tied to the motherboard. The Dell that you purchase also comes with an OEM version. With the homemade computer, you can reuse your case and power supply. You probably can’t do that with a Dell. Here’s why. Again, the power supply is just enough that it powers the computer that they sent you. Odds are, it won’t be enough to supply power to a faster processor. As far as the case goes, there are two problems. First, the case probably isn’t big enough for a large processor cooling fan. The stock one that comes with the processor will probably work fine, but I like to keep my computer running cool. With my old Dell, when it got a little dusty, it would start to mess up most likely due to overheating. My homemade system has a large radiator looking contraption sitting on the processor with a fan. It runs cool as a cucumber. The cooling system only cost $40, so why not spend that to keep it running better? I know my Dell case would not have accommodated this cooling fan. The second problem is at the back of the case. On my Dell case, you cannot remove the I/O Panel. Click on the link to see what I’m talking about. Each motherboard has a unique configuration, so to accommodate this, they make a universally sized panel that comes with all motherboards. It's the layout of connections within that panel that is different between motherboards. On my homemade computer, the plate pops out and is easily changed. All motherboards come with an I/O panel designed for the unique configuration of that motherboard. For some reason, again probably because of cost, Dell made mine part of the case, so if you want to change the motherboard in my Dell case, you have to own a Dremel and be somewhat of a tinsmith. The computer case that Dell sends you has very few expansion and hard drive slots compared to the case that I bought for my homemade computer. I have a lot more ability to expand this computer because of that. This computer case is a lot more friendly than the Dell case in that it has more cooling fans, and actual filters that help keep the dust out of the computer. You can easily remove these filters (actually fine screens) and go wash or blow them out. It’s night and day difference.
      It all comes down to what works for you. I’m a very heavy computer user. It makes sense for me to have a better computer. For someone who just does some surfing of the internet, writes a few letters, and what not, a Dell or other similar brand would be fine.
      Here’s another way to look at it. My wife and I can our own food. You can go out and buy a $100 canner that is made in China, or you can spend about $250 and up for a canner made here in the U.S.A. The cheap Chinese made canner will work just fine. However, with those, you have to buy a gasket every year or two. They don’t feel as sturdy, and aren’t as convenient as the American made canner. I now own a good American made canner. I don’t regret the purchase one iota. I absolutely love the thing. We got a canner (one of those that takes a gasket) from my mother in law, and upon inspecting it, I’m sure glad that we have the good American made one. We use our canner a lot. I don’t think a week has gone by since late last summer that we haven’t used it. So, it’s worth it to us to have the better canner. That’s how it is with the computer situation that I have just described. Do you want a Cadillac, or are you happy with the Chevy? In this instance though, the Cadillac will be cheaper in the long run (so is the more expensive canner since you don’t have to buy gaskets ever year or two). I don’t know about you, but I feel computers are here to stay. It was worth it to me to spend a little extra money now. I have no regrets and would recommend it to anyone who takes their computer serious. In fact, I would build one for anyone who wanted to go this route.