Optical Drives, Video Cards, and Cases
THIS IS COMPUTER BUILDING 101 - THE PARTS, PART 3. VAMOS!
Optical Drives
I will just cut to the case. There are only three types of drives you need to worry about: DVD Burners (they burn and read cd's and dvd's), Blu-Ray drives (the ones that read cd's, dvd's, and blu ray discs), and Blu-Ray burners (burn everything, cd's, dvd's, and blu-ray). Any other drive that doesn't preform the previous are not worth your time and money. It is up to you what you want to get. DVD Burners run from $30-$60, Blu-Ray drives run from $75-$150, and the mother of them all, Blu-Ray burners run around $180-$200. The thing to keep in mind is that you need software to play DVD's and Blu-Ray discs. Windows Vista and 7 come with DVD support now, so you can watch DVD's without 3rd party software, but not so with Blu-Ray. If you plan on watching that Blu-Ray disc, you will need to purchase the latest software from PowerDVD or WinDVD, making sure that the version you get supports Blu-Ray media. If you are running XP, you need 3rd party software for DVD's as well as Blu-Ray. *hint: VLC player will play DVD's and it is free. The only other thing you need to pay attention to, when buying optical drives, it A) how many you want (one is usually enough, but having 2 can facilitate, um, "backing up" those "home movies" you have.) and B) chooding between IDE or SATA connections. IDE is going the way of the dinosaur and SATA is superior in about every way. So make sure you are getting a SATA drive and you will live happier. Just keep in mind how many SATA ports you have on your motherboard and how many SATA Hard Drives you will have as well. Don't want to order all this awesome stuff only to find out that you ran out of SATA ports.
Video Cards
There are basically 2 camps with video cards. nVidia and ATI/AMD. Intel makes an onboard solution (built into the motherboard) but if you are interested in gaming you will want to go with a dedicated solution. You can pick from a wide variety, but if you are even remotely serious, you will want to spend at least $100 on a decent video card.
There are many 3rd party manufacturers, but only 2 chip manufacturers. Both have a numbering scheme that is simple and complicated. I will attempt to explain this.
From the ATI/AMD camp, you have 3K, 4K, and not 5K numbering schemes. Each number represent the generation. 5K is the latest generation of cards while 3K represents cards of 2 generations past. From there, the low numbers represent the low end, performance-wise, while higher number represent better performance.
x100-x250: IGP or integrated in the motherboard
x300-x550: Low end Dedicated card
x600-x770: Mid range
x800-x950: High range
Now, they don't usually (ok, never) name a card 3499. It's usually increments of 50 with some exceptions. But card usually follow the numbering scheme thusly: the first number is the generation, ie 4 in 4650, and the last three denote the performance, ie the 650 in 4650. The last three are really important. A 3650 is more powerful than a 4200. See that? Remember the first digit denotes the generation, not how awesome you it's going to be when you are mowing down raiders in fallout and the action doesn't slow to a slide show. The last three numbers will tell you that. A 4850 will out perform a 3850... usually. When the last three numbers tie or are almost the same, relying on reviews and common sense denote that the newest generation should outperform the latest generation when it comes to apples to apples comparisons.
nVidia is pretty similar. The first number denotes the generation and the following numbers denote performance. However, since the 9k series, they have dropped the 4 digit scheme for a 3 digit scheme.
There is no current IGP from this generation... at least from what I am aware of.
210-220: Low Range
240-260: Mid Range
280-295: High Range
for the older 8k and 9k generations:
x100-x200 IGP
x300-x400 Low Range
x500-x700 Mid Range
x800-x900 High Range
These are all generalities, meant to give you an idea. You will need to do a little more research if you are new to this, but it will become clear after a little fact finding. Be sure to check the reviews and see if there are others in you situation or if the mentions specific programs you use, and their experience with the current product.
I need to mention that video cards fit into different slots. PCI, AGP, and PCI-E. PCI fit in any old 32 bit PCI slot. Nowadays, they are hardly used (usually only on motherboard that lack an AGP or PCI-E slot) and shouldn't be considered. AGP, the successor the the PCI card, is on it's way out, if not already dead and should not be considered. PCI-E or PCI Express x16, is the current standard. There are two versions of this slot (v1 and v2.0) and both are usually compatible with the other.
Video cards range in price, from $30 to $300 or more. The more you pay, the better performance, for the most part. Obviously that is being grossly general, but relying on the information here and reviews found in other places, can help you immensely.
I'll discuss this in three groups:
Group A: You do not plan on gaming but you motherboard does not have onboard video. You can easily spend around $50 on a quality, low end card.
Group B: You want to game but don't have the cash to buy that $250 card. Go Mid range and lower some of the in game settings to reflect a smoother game experience at the cost of detail.
Group C: I GAME. THE VIDEO CARD IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THIS RIG. THE VISUAL ASPECT MUST REFLECT REAL LIFE AS FAR AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE. I WILL SPEND AS MUCH MONEY AS NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE THIS. Yes, high end is probably the only option.
Frankly, high end is getting more and more plausible. You can buy a video card from $150 to $200 and it will last for a while, providing you with liquid smooth visuals and great game play. But remember who you are and what you will do. You can save some cash here if you are aware of you needs.
Cases
You can spend $20 - $400 on the case. Up to you. Obviously, if you spend $20 on a case, expect cheap, flimsy and mediocre. Frankly, this works for a lot of people. Sometimes, a case will come with a PSU as well, but these shouldn't be trusted unless reviews reflect otherwise. On the whole you can get a decent case for around $30-$60. The things to look for include:
Size: is an ATX board going in there or a MATX. Most cases that support ATX will support a MATX but not the other way around. MATX cases are usually shorter, given that MATX motherboards are short.
Space: Will that case you want also support the 2 Optical drives and 4 hard drives you plan to install? If not, you best look for one that does. Also, be aware that just because it will support the 4 hard drives and the ATX motherboard, doesn't mean that is will fit that 14" high end video card you plan on getting as well. The higher end video cards are notoriously long and sometimes cover SATA ports on the motherboards as well as go beyond the length of the motherboard into HD cage territory necessitating a new case or case surgery.
Look: looks aren't everything, but do you really want this shiny, over the top case, with blazing LED lights illuminating your room when you are trying to sleep? Take that into consideration. Some like it, others don't; but both sometimes don't realize the fact until it's too late.
Brand: There are many manufacturers. Quality, high end cases include Lian Li, Silverstone, while others span the range: Antec, Coolermaster, Thermaltake, Aprevia and yet more span the low end- mid range: Rosewill, HEC, Foxconn. I have used cases from the 3 low end brands and have been pleasantly surprised.
Whew, lot's of material. Thursday I will finish off the parts section with a look at case fans, add on cards, card readers, keyboards and mice, and monitors. Until then, thanks for reading.
Late
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