Are you wearing your grounding strap around your wrist? Okay, let's go!

Look at this! Yep, this is a computer case you can get for $29.99! No more blah and bland computer cases from Dell, Gateway, and Compac! Want to see more cases? Look at the images of cases I collected.

The form factor to look for is called ATX. Then look for a motherboard that is also an ATX form factor. You know, birds of a feather...

Computer diagram

Here's the first item that you'll have to screw in: the Power Supply Unit. It looks kind of like a squid because in back of it are lots of wires dangling out of it like tentacles. The image to the left doesn't show all those wires. Attach it up near the top of the case. See the socket in it? That's where the plug attaches from the power strip to the computer. These days it's good to get a power supply unit that is 450 watts or more. You can get them for about $40. After you attach the power supply, plug it into the wall and turn the switch on. Attach your grounding wrist strap to some bare metal in the computer case. There! You're grounded! Why is that important? So that you don't short out the motherboard by mistake.

Second, let's put on the motherboard (circuit board). Place the screws through the motherboard into the standoffs. Don't tighten the screws too hard! See that big white square just up from the center? That's where you drop the processor in. It only fits one way. Did you buy your motherboard and processor in a bundle? Smart! You can find them selling for $59.99 to $79.99. If you're specialized and are into editing images or making music, a $79.99 board will work out but you might want to go with one that costs around $125. ASUS, MSI, and Gigabyte make very good motherboards. As for processors, AMD costs less than Intel and are very good. For general stuff, the Sempron is a nice fit. If you're specialized, go with an Athlon dual core. If you're specialized and on a budget, go with the Athlon 64.

Computer diagram

Next the heatsink and processor fan go over the processor. See the black thing that's kind of squarish and yet kind of oval on the motherboard that fits around where the processor is? That's where you clamp down the heatsink and fan. You can get a good heatsink for $20 or less. By the way, did you see that white grease on the heatsink? That covers the slick back of the processor. Well, it's not as slick as you think. The grease fills all the teeny tiny holes in that slick surface that you can't see. If you ever have to re-apply the grease-remember-you only need a very thin application.

The memory comes next. Memory looks like green sticks with tiny gold teeth. Where do you put it? Go back and look at the image of the motherboard. See the vertical strips that look kind of yellowish? That's where the DDR memory goes. You just snap it in.

Holy cow! We're almost done putting in the parts and it feels like hardly any time has passed! The third item you'll have to screw in is the CD/DVD Combination Drive and Burner. Just slip it into the top bay. The parts you're buying are new, aren't they? I'd avoid the refurbished stuff.

The fourth item to screw in is the SATA Hard Drive. If you opened it up (please don't), it would look like a phonograph record player with an arm and needle, just like in the image to the left. Pick a bay towards the bottom of the computer. SATA has taken over and they don't cost any more than IDE. Besides, the new motherboards and power supply units all have SATA connectors.

The fifth item to screw in is really easy: the Case Fan. They come in different sizes. 120mm and 80mm seem to be the most common. The fan that goes just below the Power Supply Unit should exhaust the air. Got that? The air goes out, not in. When you go shopping for computer cases, it will tell you which size fans you can put in. You're all done putting the parts in! Congratulations!

Now all you have to do is connect the cables and wires. The picture to the left shows an IDE cable on the left and a SATA cable on the right. Older IDE cables looked like big gray ribbons.