- PC HARDWARE -

Shown below are the final stages of a new computer I am building for a client - on my office workbench.   Since he is a special client, I spent the whooping amount of $37  for the case and 300Watt power supply (shown in above left corner of case - with supplemental cooling fan) as the enclosure for the system.

I'm not going to say a whole lot in this area beyond the suggestion that if you are in the process of building a PC, treat yourself to an attractive case with a good power supply.  Also, if you are in the mode of upgrading your PC, replacing the cheap power supply (that probably came in your computer) would be a very good investment (I have seen really awful things happen because of inadequate power supply's).  This is especially true if you are running an AMD Athlon CPU in your PC - THEY DO NOT LIKE flaky power supplies - and I recommend at least a 350 watt hi-performance unit!  Finally, replacing an ATX power supply is really a `no-brainer' - so trust me and do it!