If you have a chance to visit the Computer Museum in Boston, make sure you tour the Walk-through Computer 2000 exhibit where you'll walk inside the system unit of a gigantic PC to get an up-close view of the computer components discussed in this chapter. The Computer Museum Web site contains a text-based description of the exhibit at tcm.org/html/info/exhibits/wtc2.html. Scroll down the page and click "The Walk-through Computer 2000: Behind the Scenes."

PC Mechanic: Building Your Own PC  If you really want a good look inside a PC case, why not build your own PC? PC Mechanic provides detailed, explicit directions for building your own computer. The procedure walks you through each step in the process, from purchasing all the components to installing the operating system. Many of the steps include detailed photographs of the components and their locations in the PC.

PC World: Here's How: Hardware   Another way to get a close look at the inside of your PC is to learn how to do your own upgrades and repairs. In PC World's Here's How: Hardware, you can find detailed instructions for upgrading your PC and installing new components. Many of these upgrade articles include photographs of the components and how they should be installed.