I started out by taking the sides and top off. It was at this point I decided to go excessive. Since the majority of computer peripherals come with black finishes, I decided to change to color of the case to black (this is where Home Depot comes into the picture). So I took off the face of the case and gently removed all of the buttons and lights.
I then proceeded to install the motherboard, processor / fan assembly and memory. Next came the expansion card (wi-fi) and on-board connections. Note: Since I have some spare parts, I did install back panel connections for one serial port, one printer port and four USB ports (for a total of eight on the back). These did not come with the motherboard. Then came the power supply and the drives.
Here is a photo of the finished system, less the face and sides. I did add two more items into this $164.98 machine. Any body who knows me, knows I do not like to run on-board video cards. It uses a part of your system memory, which on a system with a small amount of RAM, can be detrimental to the performance. Say you have a system with 512 mb of RAM and you have to have 128 mb for your video card. You now have cut your available system memory by 25%. Also, the memory on internal (opposed to on-board) video cards is faster. So I added a Microstar NX-8400GS with 512 mb for $43 and an Antec 80mm Tri-Cool case fan for $5.
So here's what I ended up with:
Intel Celeron 430 1.8 GHz with 4 GB's of DDR2 memory running with an FSB speed of 800 MHz, Microstar video card with an NVidia GeForce 8000 Series GPU with 512 of GDDR2 with a Western Digital 320 GB SATA Hard Drive.
Total for the whole system, $213.97 excluding labor. I will post a picture of the finished case when it's done.
SideNote: My younger daughter decided she wanted to change her case too. This one is cool! Faux stone and chalkboard! Stop back by and see how this turns out.
Till then,
Scott