Any computer experts?

[XTRazzer]

Frys, Micro Center, MWave, NewEgg, and ZipZoomFly are all good vendors.

As already stated don't skimp on the power supply. Although I would go with a minimum of 650w because of today's graphics cards.

Case is important too. Better quality cases have better cooling flow and there aren't sharp edges on the steel inside. Bigger fans can be run slower and therefore quieter. Cases usually incur higher shipping charges, so buy locally when on sale.

You might save some money going with AMD over Intel for the processor. For motherboards I prefer ASUS and Gigabyte because they seem to be the most reliable. As far as motherboard features, having an onboard graphics is nice should you ever have concerns about the video card. Otherwise the onboard graphics is disabled when using the video card.

I recommend that most people buy the motherboard with the CPU installed and bench tested (MWave does this and I'm told Micro Center can do this). This avoids the potential for damage when the processor is set or having a motherboard that's dead-on-arrival.

Picking the components is the hardest part. The rest is pretty much reading instructions and assembling.

[RGD.]

Originally Posted by E-Tx Surveyor

. . . I hear it can be done relatively easier and far cheaper with better specs compared to a store bought system.
. . .

Better specs, Yes. Far cheaper, No.

Originally Posted by E-Tx Surveyor

. . . I think I will go with a $750 system . . . a very high end video card.

Some video cards alone can run that much -

Originally Posted by Chingas

. . .
Don't forget to comp your prices. Ive bought a majority of all my parts from Newegg and ZipZoomFly.

Good luck brother.

Originally Posted by XTRazzer

. . . As already stated don't skimp on the power supply. Although I would go with a minimum of 650w because of today's graphics cards.

Case is important too. Better quality cases have better cooling flow and there aren't sharp edges on the steel inside. Bigger fans can be run slower and therefore quieter. Cases usually incur higher shipping charges, so buy locally when on sale.

I actually found my last case on Buy.com, saved a few hundred and got free shipping. Keep them in mind after you select your parts for price checking.

Originally Posted by XTRazzer

. . . . Picking the components is the hardest part. The rest is pretty much reading instructions and assembling.

Once you select your motherboard - see what they recommend for the memory chips and go with it. Don't just select any ole memory based on price, etc.

Good luck with it and let us know what you end up with!


Ron

[XTRazzer]

Originally Posted by RGD.

.....
Once you select your motherboard - see what they recommend for the memory chips and go with it. Don't just select any ole memory based on price, etc.
...

Very good point. And a good double check is to browse forums like Anandtech or Tom's Hardware to see what other people are using.

On a related note, unless you keep current on the computer market, expect to take a month or so doing research to select parts.