U.S. and European Compatability

[lgc4evr]

I'm moving from the United States to The Netherlands in a couple months and I have some questions about the compatability of U.S. and European parts.

I understand in general that the U.S. and Europe not only have different plugs for electronics but that the power itself is different: the U.S. runs at 120 volts while Europe currently runs at 230 volts.

While I plan on leaving the computer I currently have here when I go, there are a few extra parts that I'd like to take with me because they are relatively small and could save me some money when I go to build a new computer in Europe.

One component is a Western Digital Caviar SE 16 WD3200AAKS hard drive, and the other is a Pioneer DVD-RW drive.

Will these components work if I try to install them into a computer whose parts come from the European market?

Will European computer power supplies have the right internal computer sockets to provide power to these drives and are the cables that connect the drives to the motherboard the same here as they are there?

Does Europe have the same ATX case format that the U.S. does or is it different?

Any information someone could tell me about the compatability of U.S. and European computer parts would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[MrLinux]

The only real difference is the mains power lead, most PSU's will have a small switch for 120/230V; everything else is the same (with the exception of some terminology and spelling).