Desktops
Desktops come in many shapes and sizes, as do the many components that make them into a computer. It was once thought, that they were superior to laptops, but this fallacy is now fast becoming obsolete with the variety and flexibility laptops offere these days. Obviously a desktop computer is not portable and you do need some space as well as a screen, keyboard and mouse and in some cases a set of speakers also.
Desktops certainly still have their purpose and perhaps will for years to come, it is not just the gaming market that share their enthusiasm, but also business computing, which is an area that requires the versatility that comes with desktops.
So what is a desktop? Well it is basically that box looking thing that most of us call a computer, although the uniformed might incorrectly call it a “hard drive”. !! This box usually sits on your desk, hence the term "desktop!" Inside this box you will find several components that together work like an over-grown calculator, crunching ones and zeros that eventually produce an instruction, action or image that we see on screen.
So with this let’s look at the internal workings of a desktop computer, and see what all the fuss is about? First of all you need a box which is better known as a system case, or just simply a case. These are made in many different ways and some look like a box, while others are a little more flamboyant. Some are in fact, even home made but they all do the same job. They provide us with a storage like container, which houses all of the internal components that make up your computer.
I will explain what each of these components are and what they do, and also a little on how we install them. This will help you understand not only the way your computer is built, but also enable you to see just how easy it is to customise a desktop computer.
For more information see also: Build a Computer
Desktops certainly still have their purpose and perhaps will for years to come, it is not just the gaming market that share their enthusiasm, but also business computing, which is an area that requires the versatility that comes with desktops.
So what is a desktop? Well it is basically that box looking thing that most of us call a computer, although the uniformed might incorrectly call it a “hard drive”. !! This box usually sits on your desk, hence the term "desktop!" Inside this box you will find several components that together work like an over-grown calculator, crunching ones and zeros that eventually produce an instruction, action or image that we see on screen.
So with this let’s look at the internal workings of a desktop computer, and see what all the fuss is about? First of all you need a box which is better known as a system case, or just simply a case. These are made in many different ways and some look like a box, while others are a little more flamboyant. Some are in fact, even home made but they all do the same job. They provide us with a storage like container, which houses all of the internal components that make up your computer.
I will explain what each of these components are and what they do, and also a little on how we install them. This will help you understand not only the way your computer is built, but also enable you to see just how easy it is to customise a desktop computer.
For more information see also: Build a Computer
System Case
Ok we now know the system case houses all the internal gizmo’s that form a computer, there are a few basic kinds of cases you should familiarize yourself with before you decide on one. Desktops are either flat or tower like in structure, the flat ones are often used for business computers, they save on space and you can also usually place a monitor on top of them.
System cases are classified in terms of their size and shape, this is also known as `form factor'. Regarding business computers, you could say that they have a low profile or slim-line form factor, because they are rather flat, more like a shallow box rather than a tower-like structure.
System cases are classified in terms of their size and shape, this is also known as `form factor'. Regarding business computers, you could say that they have a low profile or slim-line form factor, because they are rather flat, more like a shallow box rather than a tower-like structure.
Low Profile Form Factor - Business Computing
Many business computers do not require huge amounts of power and for this reason you can usually cram everything into a rather small flat type of case. Faster computers requiring massive amounts of power also run very hot and so you need extra cooling, this is usually why fast gaming computers are much bigger than business computers. As a rule the faster the computer runs the hotter it gets, so you need lots of “empty” space with many cooling fans to keep the temps down. For business computing this generally not the case.
When we refer to tower cases we mean a system case that is “tower like” in structure, this is the larger form factor and is often referred to as an ATX form factor or simply an ATX case.
The ATX part comes from the size of the motherboard that fits into these case, the motherboards are a standard size as is the power supply units that fit and power these cases. There is also another size standard known as micro ATX which is the baby of the ATX family, generally speaking if the case is an ATX form factor it will accommodate any ATX board.
The ATX part comes from the size of the motherboard that fits into these case, the motherboards are a standard size as is the power supply units that fit and power these cases. There is also another size standard known as micro ATX which is the baby of the ATX family, generally speaking if the case is an ATX form factor it will accommodate any ATX board.
These towers are also referenced by their size, usually by height, in this respect you end up with the big Daddy known as the tall tower or “full-sized” tower and the smaller of the family are known as “midi’s” or mid tower sized cases. Many people also call these a miditower and is the most popular for home PC’s. The smallest of the tower group are the minitower and usually look more like a box rather than anything tower-like.
MidiTower
Gaming Machine - MidiTower
The miditowers are also used for high-end gaming meaning that these cases have plenty of room for expansion including larger video cards, sound cards, hard drives, sophisticated cooling systems and rows and rows of fast ram. Very often these cases incorperate LED lighting of various colors for enhanced visual effect, mostly seen in the cooling fans.
They require extra cooling because of the heat these larger components generate, this also consumes additional power and this means you need a much larger and more powerful power supply. The power supply is known as the "PSU" or power supply unit.
They require extra cooling because of the heat these larger components generate, this also consumes additional power and this means you need a much larger and more powerful power supply. The power supply is known as the "PSU" or power supply unit.
The tall towers are more suited to server roles where you place many hard drives on top of one another or next to each other forming a massive storage unit. Sometimes this setup will be in what we call a “rack-mount” and this is where you will find many websites are stored, it is not that far different from how you store your photos etc on your own computer except with these guys there are many more hard drives to share the load.
Computer Systems we Custom Build and Sell:
We do provide complete computer packages including Antivirus, Antispyware, Monitor, Speakers, Keyboard & Mouse, Printer and delivery, you can customise your computer to the specifications you want. Just click the link below for a quote or to order your customised system: acompsolutions@optusnet.com.au
The desktops below are the tower only and include Antivirus and Antispyware, we can custom-build them to your requirements or specifications so you get the exact computer you want. !!
Basic Bare Bones Package $450
P4 Intel celeron CPU
1024 Mb Ram (1 Gig)
80 Gig Hard Disc drive
DVD CD/RW Dual Layer
ATX Tower & 6 USB
Windows 7/XP Home
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Bare Bones Package $650
P4 Core 2Duo CPU
2048 MB Ram (2Gig)
250 Gig Hard Disc Drive
DVD CD/RW Dual Layer
ATX Tower & 6 USB
Card Reader Optional
Windows 7/XP Home
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Low-End Gamming $1000
P4 Core 2Duo CPU
4096 MB Ram (4Gig)
500 Gig Hard Disc Drive
PCIe 9600 Video card
Sound Card 5.1
DVD CD/RW Dual Layer
Windows 7/XP Home
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Super Box $2000
I 7 Qaud Core CPU
6144 MB Ram (6Gig)
1000 MB HDD
275 GTX Video Card
Sound Card 5.1
DVD 22x RW
Windows 7 HP Edition
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Turnaround from payment to delivery is usually 3-7 business days for custom built systems. Delivery incurs a $50 charge for all systems
Prices and terms subject to change without notice - Conditions Apply