Build computer with your hands
and save money!

Everybody can build a computer from parts!
If you gonna to do it first time don't panic,
it's easier than you can imagine!

Guide to Selecting Cheap Computer Towers

Choosing between cheap computer towers is a fairly simple process.

There are five different questions I ask myself when purchasing a new computer case. They are:

How large is the case?
Do I like the case style?
How easy is the case to disassemble?
How many external and internal bays does the case have?
Does the case have an adequate power supply?

How large is the case?

You need to find a case that is large enough for all of your equipment to fit in. You also want a case that will allow you enough room to work inside the case if you need to install new equipment.

Cheap computer towers come in all shapes and sizes so you need to choose one based on your overall needs. If you will be working inside the case often, like I do, then you will want plenty of room.

If the only time you will be inside the case is during your intial installation, then this may not be as important to you.

Do I like the case style?

For many of you, you will be spending quite a bit of time on your new computer. It is important to get a tower that you will be comfortable looking at over time.

For some people this will not make a difference, but for others they just can't live with a plain jane case. They want something more like this.

How easy is the case to disassemble

You are going to need to put new parts into your new cheap computer tower. How simple this will be depends partly on how easy the case is to disassemble.

You will want a case that allows you to remove each of the panels seperatly. You will also want to make sure that the drive bays are easy to reach from both sides or are removable. This will make the process installing new drives much easier.

Another feature that is nice is if the case uses thumb screws. These allow you to remove the tower cover without anytools.

You can try and find a case that comes with these, but they are usually reserved for the higher end cases. Your other option is to purchase the screws here and replace all your standard screws.

How many external and internal bays?

You need to make sure that you have enough bays to support the number of drives that you have. If your system is going to have a CDROM, CDRW, and a zip drive you do not want a case with only 2 external 5 1/4 drive bays.

You will also want to take into account any future expansion plans that you may have. It is always best to leave a little wiggle room for the future when selecting cheap computer towers.

Does the case have an adequate power supply?

Many, but not all, cases come with a power supply. When looking at the power supply you will need to factor the requirements of your cpu as well as all of your drives.

If you are going to have a Pentium 4 or newer AMD processor then I would reccommend a minumum of a 350 watt power supply. This should provide plenty of power to your processor and periphial drives and devices.