Behold Avalon-the first computer I have ever had the privilege of building. Fast, spiffy looking, and very users friendly (for the rest of the family) It is the best computer in this house. My experiences in making this machine were certainly an interesting endeavor, as you are about to find out.

The last computer we had gotten was a pre-built machine. Specifically, it was an E-Machine E-tower 566i^2. This thing had the amazing specifications of an Intel Celeron 566 MHz, 7.2 gigabyte hard drive, and 32 megabytes of RAM. Most importantly, it had 2 Megs of shared video memory, leaching the remaining that it needed to run applications off of the computer's RAM slots. It has served us well, and is still in use up to this day, but not without a couple of hard drive reformats and a RAM upgrade. It was fine for what we were doing; browsing the web, playing Starcraft, Mechwarrior 4, SimCity 3000 Unlimited, and older variety games like that. And then, in mid-2000, I heard that SimCity 4 had been announced, and being younger and subsequently less mature than I currently am, waited with impatient glee for that game to come out. And then, to my horror, I learned that there is no way in hell the old computer would run that game! Other games started appearing on the scene-none of which the old machine we had gotten had the slightest chance of running! I was crushed. We needed a new computer, to do the things that I wanted to do. Unfortunately, it is a little difficult to get your parents to agree with you on this topic. Without parental approval, all I could do was look up information about computers.

I searched for a while with very little luck on how to make computers; I was always looking in all the wrong places, since I was 3 years younger. Sometimes the urge for a new computer would pass, and I would let that go. We had gotten a Nintendo 64, and there were still games coming out for that fun little console. But when that was taken, I would go onto the old E-machine, and wish it would run games better than it did. The fuels of this fire were also fed by the fact that my cousin's computer was also old, and he ended up getting a brand new computer, featuring the then brand new Intel Pentium 4 1.4 gigahertz processor. As you can expect, I became fairly envious of his new, seemingly unbelievably fast machine.

Some time had past, and I didn't think about needing a new computer that much. My sister had recently gotten married, and her husband Zach, the most computer knowledgeable person I have ever known, had been told (by me) about how I wanted a new computer. Since I didn't know very much, he started asking me some basic questions, such as "Why do you need a new computer?" My response, as you could expect, was something along the lines of "Because the old one is slow, and I need a new one to run the new games." This conversation occurred nearly two and a half years ago. His next question altered the course of my computer search entirely. He asked me "What kind of processor do you want to get?" I was a little confused by this one. As far as I knew, the only chip company out there was Intel. So, I answered "An Intel one." Of course, he than asked me, like any devout AMD fan would, "Why INTEL?" I responded with "What? What's wrong with them? Is there someone who makes better processors?" And then I learned of Advanced Micro Devices, and most importantly, that they are cheaper, and for the cost, better performers than Intel Pentium branded CPUs. My quest for a new computer was altered forever, since up to that point, I was looking for computers that had nice advertised specs in the Seattle Times Sunday Ads. I was now on the search for one with AMD on it, and I started to look for the parts to get on the internet.

Gamespy.com soon had a new article on the internet-Gamespy's how to guide on the Ultimate Game Machine, and I was amazed at the detail and sheer quantity of information provided. Using top of the line components, they built the Ultimate gaming machine (For their times) with an Intel Pentium 4 3.06 Gigahertz processor, and at the same time, one with the Athlon XP 2700+, at that time the best processor AMD had to offer. As for Video cards, ATI had just become king in the video department, and Gamespy decided to go with the newest video card to come to the market-the All in Wonder Radeon 9700 Pro. I just couldnt beleive how much there was to be told, and how much involved in computer technology. It introduced facets I had never heard of for computers, and showed me how to make a good machine. Unfortunately, it also cost 3000 dollars at the time, so that was out of the question in the budget department. And so, I sat sadly for approximately 3 months, looking for alternatives, and another three trying to find ways to convince my parents to get us this new PC. (This is kind of tough to do when your parents consider $50 a significant purchase for only a single item). And then, six months after that article debuted, they released a follow-up article-the Budget game machine. Ironically, it was nearly the same machine. However, they cut down on the pricey features like the giant 23" CRT for a more reasonable 17". They also replaced the Klipsch Promedia 5.1 with the Logitech Z-640, and other less pricey parts. Since it was AMD only, and the cost difference was so significant, I went looking for ways to make an AMD component PC.

For the next six months, I went begging my parents to let me get $1500 worth of hardware. As you can guess, they were getting fairly tired of my constantly trying to convince them. I eventually got them on the advantages that would be provided about a fast computer, such as "Not complaining about choppy framerates in games" and, "Being able to run applications that will become necessary over the long term for the things I want to do." And most notably, "So we can actually SEE what we are doing" with the 19" CRT monitor I picked. And so, at about 7 o'clock at night on October 16th, 2003, we went to the recently opened Fry's Electronics store and got the following parts.

• Processor: AMD Athlon XP (Barton) 3000+
• Motherboard: ASUS A7N8X Deluxe Rev. 2.0
• Video Card: GeForce FX 5700 Ultra
• RAM: 512 Megabytes of Patriot PC 2700 DDR RAM
• Hard Drive: Western Digital 80 gigabyte 7200 RPM HDD.
• CD-ROM: BTC 52x32x52 CD-RW drive
• Monitor: Viewsonic A90f+ 19" Ultrabrite CRT
• Keyboard: Generic Black Keyboard
• Mouse: Logitech Mx300
• Case: Enermax X-Dreamer

These parts have worked out wonderfully, although it does slightly deviate on one regard from my plans-I was originally planning on getting a 9600 XT, but Fry's Electronics was out of that particular video card. As a result, I got a GeForce FX 5700 Ultra. Soon afterwards, I learned that this video card was neck and neck with the 9600 XT. However, since I had no interest in getting a First Person Shooter at the time, I chose to stick with the 5700, since it came with a game already; Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell. This clinched it for the nVidia card.

As for the keyboard, mouse, hard drive, CD-ROM drive, RAM brand and case, I basically got lucky. I wasn't looking for particular brand names. If any one of these didn't work right, my parents would have gotten pissed that I had spent this much money and gotten something that didn't work. I got lucky. Fortunately, this machine performs beautifully, and I chose the best 80 gig hard drive, best mouse, one of the best CD-RWs, and a good keyboard.

When we finally got back from Fry's Electronics with our two cartloads of expensive hardware, we shipped them off into my recently cleaned room. I spent the next day at school excitedly awaiting the trip home so that I could build the computer I had wanted for so long. When I arrived, I ripped the boxes apart. Due to the complexity we all know is involved in getting our first computers assembled, it took me a total of five hours to assemble every component in this system. Unfortunately, it didn't go completely flawlessly. For some dumb reason, the rounded cables I had gotten in addition to the machine, which cost a total of $16, didn't work with the Hard Drive (You can imagine that I was quite concerned that I had done something fatal) Fortunately, we tested the cables that came stock with the components of the PC, and learned that the stupid cables weren't ATA-E compatible! Those were subsequently returned. I'll also mention for the record that the Enermax X-Dreamer, although attractive, is a pain in the ass to put 5.25 inch devices into, unless you remove every panel and bezel from the case. And so, it was a sort of adventure of getting this machine together, but it is one I would gladly do again. Avalon is a very tough machine, and it runs games and 3D applications with blazing speed. Since I have learned of the Bit-Tech forums, and all of the other intelligent people who have had similar experiences, I am sure my next computer project (The one that will replace the worthless box sitting on top of my IKEA desk) will be even better then Avalon, thanks to the experiences I have had building this computer.

For those of you considering whether or not to build your own computer, I say go for it! But remember, building a new computer is not without risks and potential hassles. Do as much research as you can and get as much advice as you can for building your new machine! You can always ask for advice at the very supportive and friendly Bit-Tech Forums, or ask This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for advice on components. Good luck, and have fun with your computer adventures!