Homebuilt Computer - Standardisation

Standardisation

The same availability of standardised PC components that makes computer building so easy and widespread has led to the development of small scale custom PC assembly; with so called "white box" PCs and commercial "build to order" services ranging in size from small local supply operations to large international operations. Practically all PCs except laptops are largely built from interchangeable standard parts because PC manufacturers enjoy an advantage of scale, and the system assemblers derive a commercial advantage from multiple sources of interchangeable parts. Even in the more specialised laptop market, a considerable degree of standardization exists "under the covers". Unfortunately many "big name" systems and especially laptops also contain components that vary widely from the "de facto" standards that generic PC systems follow, which are only obtainable from the system assemblers concerned.