You will likely have a "double standard" problem.
I don't know if this applies to Gateway, specifically. However, the "big name" boxes tend NOT to be built to "industry standards". They are built to proprietary standards.
That is, over the years, a set of physical and electrical standards have evolved. Mother board size, mounting hole patterns, power supply size, power supply connectors, etc.
This set of standards, though, applies to "build it yourself" components, used by individuals, third-tier manufacturers, local "custom build" shops (dunno about your location, but San Diego is loaded with Asian-run shops that build their own no-name PCs), etc.
Look inside a Dell, IBM, etc., though, and it's unlikely you will find the use of these standards. The big name makers build a lot of flavor-of-the-year funny-shaped boxes that just won't accomodate the standards. Or, they ignore or modify the standards, because it will save them money, or even to prevent customers from replacing components with off-the-shelf parts.
That said, there's no reason not to keep your old CD ROM and hard drive. Except that you'd probably be better-off with a DVD-ROM drive, and the hard drive speed is probably left in the dust by current technology. :) |
