What are at least two reasons someone might want to build their own computer? The video mentions an optical drive. What’s your best guess as to what this is? Where does the hard drive receive power? Where does the hard drive receive data? What should appear if all is set up correctly?

Answer 1

There are several reasons someone might want to build their own computer:

1. Customization: Building your own computer allows you to choose specific components tailored to your needs and preferences, such as the processor, graphics card, amount of RAM, and storage type. This level of customization is beneficial for gamers, graphic designers, or anyone with specific performance requirements.

2. Cost-effectiveness: Often, building your own computer can be more cost-effective than buying a pre-built machine. You can avoid the markup associated with brand-name systems and may be able to source components on sale or used, thus maximizing your budget.

Regarding the "optical drive," it is typically a device in a computer that reads (and sometimes writes) data from optical discs, such as CDs, DVDs, or Blu-ray discs. It allows users to access data stored on these physical media.

As for the hard drive:

• Power Supply: The hard drive receives power from the computer's power supply unit (PSU) through a power connector (usually a SATA power connector for modern drives).

• Data Connection: The hard drive receives data through a data cable (often a SATA cable) that connects it to the motherboard. This allows the computer to communicate with the hard drive to access stored data.

If everything is set up correctly, the system should boot up, and the BIOS/UEFI should recognize the hard drive. You would also expect to see the operating system (if installed) load properly, and the hard drive should be available for use in the operating system's file explorer or similar interface.