Crazy Hobbies - Building Computers?

Building Computers?

I recently came into a several computers and 6 of them are running and the others are towers that have been piced out i REALLY have been wanting to get into this as a hobby and want to rebuild and or upgrade them as is suitable for thier future porposes but am a novice at best. and advice or sites or companies or e-books that might help or just advice WOULD BE FANTASTIC THANKS IN ADVANCE!!

Public Comments

Learning the ins and outs of new computer hardware is pretty freakin easy. Even for a beginner. This website has much to say about anything...Important key parts you are going to want to learn are: Motherboard: What "socket" for processor Video Card: Does the motherboard support AGP or PCI-E Ram: is it DDR or DDR2 Hard Drive: IDE, EIDE, SATA-1, SATA-2 Thats really about all there is to a computer excluding the optical drive or floppy which you just plug in. http://www.HowStuffWorks.com
Go to the local book store and get the big book on "A+ Certification".
I would just do a search on "Building a PC". It is rather simple. It is a fun hobby to get into, and you can make some m oney off it as well. Try to get a wholesale account or disount somewhere on Computer parts. Here is a HOW TO Guide...
There are books about building computers (which is really just assembling the parts) Go to places like http://www.tigerdirect.com and order cabinets, motherboards and CPU that match. Then assemble the boards and disk drives that are compatable. Read and learn. Build your first one on paper and find a component supplier if you have doubts and see if they agree with your choices.
I have been assembling PCs since 1990 and have found that it is a great way to learn about computer hardware and operating systems but is not an economically viable occupation. The last time I assembled a PC for a "friend", my friend would call at all hours asking why it was not working properly. The last call was I received belligerent. I bought a new Dell desktop of equal value and swapped it for the PC I had assembled. I told them that next time it breaks you should call Dell, not me. Now my PC “projects” are just for learning. I play with Home Theater, In-Car, and Linux Servers such as FreeNAS, home made wireless routers, and VoIP, ect… Home Theater PC (HTPC): http://www.mythtv.org/ In-Car PC: http://www.mp3car.com/ FreeNAS: www.freenas.org Linux: http://www.aboutdebian.com/install31.htm Linux: http://www.ubuntu.com/ VoIP: http://www.asterisk.org/ Wireless Router: http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/wireless/2001/03/06/recipe.html Wireless Router: http://www.fab-corp.com/home.php?cat=291 Wireless VoIP: http://www.voipsupply.com/product_info.php?products_id=1563
If you pursue this as a hobby, an A+ certification book, or the "Upgrading and repairing PC's" (any edition) will serve you well. If you want to make a few $$, look into getting a business license in your state - here in Washington, a contractor's license was less than $30. Then you can go to a PC parts distributor, and get wholesale prices. Getting your hands "dirty" is really the best way to learn this, though. best luck