REALITY CHECK: So I'm building a really nifty computer. The idea is that I'll have a media center that connects to my TV and plays and records DVDs, CDs and MP3's, along with storing all of my CD's in a 40 gigabyte hard disk jukebox. The unit itself is a tiny cube made out of aluminum with a Lucite front and soft blue indicator lights. It really looks like a piece of high-end stereo equipment. Unfortunately, one or more of the myriad parts I am using to build this sucker isn't working properly. This brings me to my rant: Why is it that when building a PC from components, at least one of the component parts is always defective? I'm oh-for two thus far in PC building in this regard. Despite being extremely satisfied with the product of my first attempt at building a custom box, an AMD Athlon, dual CPU-capable monster, I am finding the process of homebrew computing very irritating due to poor component quality.