[an error occurred while processing this directive] The Computer Inside Out: Component Finder [an error occurred while processing this directive]

Component Finder

In this section of the site, you will be able to find parts for your computer. We have provided a service that will find these components in online retail stores. In the selection of components we did not try to put every component that is sold onto our list. In many cases we refer to a type of component, rather than a specific brand and model.

The first decision that you need to make is which CPU you want to choose. The Intel Pentium 2/3 line is the most powerful of the CPUs presented here. They are Slot 1 CPUs. The AMD K6-2 line is a strong alternative to the Pentium 2/3. The K6-2s are Socket 7 CPUs. The Celeron is the least powerful of the CPUs. Celerons are best for people who do not use their computer very often, or who do not use the computer to do intensive tasks. The Celerons are Socket 370 CPUs.

If you chose a Celeron CPU, you may still want to use a Slot 1 motherboard. This converter allows a Celeron processor to plug into a Slot 1 motherboard. In particular, if you are using our selection of components, you will want to get it, since we do not show any Celeron motherboards. The reason for this is that we thought that all of the Celeron motherboards available were of mediocre quality.

Your CPU will definitely need a fan. All current CPUs will melt if they run without a fan and heatsink. Thus, choose one that will fit your CPU.

The next thing that you need is a motherboard. Choose your motherboard according to the CPU that you chose. If you chose a Slot 1 CPU, you have the choice of using a Dual Slot 1 motherboard, which allows the use of two CPUs at the same time. This is only useful when using an operating system such as UNIX or Windows NT. Windows 98 and below do not make use of the second CPU.

You also need a case to put your motherboard in, as well as the rest of your components. We have only made one type of case available, as we think that it will fit the vast majority's needs.

Your computer definitely needs RAM. On average, 64MB of RAM should be satisfactory with today's applications, but you may want to plan for the future and get 128MB of RAM. Although we have not provided this option, you may take more than one piece of RAM, such as a 64MB chip and a 32MB chip for a total of 96MB or RAM.

You will need a hard drive to store your programs and files. We have selected three sizes that will most likely fit your needs. 4.3GB will be enough for a novice user, but more advanced users will find that they run out of space rather quickly. More advanced users should get a larger hard drive. A 10GB hard drive should fit most needs, and 20GB should be enough for any user.

The video card is what allows the computer to communicate with the monitor. We have made four different types available. The generic video card is for a user who just wants to see images on the screen, and does not care very much about the performance quality in games and other video card-intensive applications. The Riva TNT will point to a card that uses the Riva TNT chipset. This card is definitely faster than the generic one. However, a hardcore gamer would want something even faster than this. The two cards we have for the hardcore gamer or the graphics professional are the Riva TNT2 Ultra and the Voodoo 3. It is difficult to determine which of these two is faster, so we have made both available. The use of these cards will provide extremely fast graphics performance.

If you want to have sound on your computer, you will need a sound card. The generic sound card will provide the basic function of being able to play sounds, and record from a microphone. The medium sound card is a step above the generic one, but there will not be a greatly noticeable difference. We have also included two cards that are made for the sound professional, or someone who wants great quality sound output. The Sound Blaster Live! is one of the best sound cards on the market. However it costs more than most people want to pay, at around $200. Sound Blaster made a downscaled SB Live! called the SB Live! Value. This card does not have all the features of the regular SB Live!, but it still outputs very good sound.

If you have selected a sound card, you will most likely want to attach speakers to it. The low quality speakers go well in combination with a low quality sound card, while the high quality speakers go well with a high quality sound card.

If you are a home user, most likely you will need to use a modem to connect to the Internet. Depending on your personal preference and type of system, you may want to choose an external modem or an internal modem. Both work the same way, and there is little difference between the two.

You will need a network card either if you have a LAN set up in your house (or wherever you plan to use your computer), or if you are planning on setting a LAN up in your home. Most LANs are either 100Mbps or 10Mpbs. Some 10Mbps networks use Co-ax cabling, so for this type of network, you will need to choose the 10BT + 10B2 combo. If you are using a standard 10Mbps LAN with RJ-45 (telephone-like) connectors, then you may want to get the 10/100 network card for the case that your network is upgraded to 100Mbps. If your network is already 100Mbps, your definite choice is the 10/100 card.

Many of today's programs come on CD-ROMs. You may also want to listen to audio CDs while using your system. To do this you need to have a CD-ROM drive. We have a generic CD-ROM drive which can read CDROMs and audio CDs. However, if you also want to be able to play DVD movies, you will need the DVD-ROM drive. Most commonly, a computer does not both have a DVDROM and CDROM drive.

Some people want to be able to not only read CDs, but also write on them. For this, a special type of CDROM drive is required, called a CD-RW drive. This type of drive allows to write and then rewrite on the CDs. We have selected three different speeds for these drives. The speed at which they read is usually irrelevant, because they are usually used in conjunction with a regular CDROM drive. The 2x2xX CD-RW drive writes at 2x and rewrites at 2x. This is a drive for someone who does not need to write on many CDs, or does not need to do so quickly. The 4x2xX is more for people who need to write many CDs, but do not need to rewrite on them. The 4x4xX CD-RW is for people who often write and rewrite CDs. There are faster models available, but it usually does not make sense to pay more money for a marginal improvement. To give you an idea of what an "x" is, it takes 74 minutes to fully write a CD at 1x.

Last, but not least, you will almost surely need a floppy drive. Few people who use computers do not make use of the floppy drive. You can get one of two floppy drive types: regular or LS120. The regular floppy drive can handle disks with capacity of 1.44MB. The LS120 drive can handle the 1.44MB variety, as well as its own 120MB disk. This can be especially useful, since it eliminates the need to have two different drives, one for the regular floppy drive, one for the higher capacity floppy drive.

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