Building a PC?

I am not a technologically savvy man. That being said, I like to think I'm not technologically handicapped either. My computer is beginning to show it's age, and with my tax return coming in, I'm interested in getting an entirely new system. I've taken apart old, scrap computers and put them back together before fine, but beyond that, I have no experience with building computers, and my knowledge of setting up drivers and BIOs is basically non-existent. Taking all that into account, my questions are these:

Is it worth it to build my own computer, or am I likely to screw it all up?

If I do decide to build one, I may be woefully ignorant on compatibility between parts, and may need help picking things out in addition to putting things together. Is Major Geeks the right community to seek help on these matters?

Thirdly, my budget will be $1,000-1,200. Will spending that much on a computer allow it to remain useful for a few years?

 

Hello and welcome! :-D

Major Geeks is great community that will get you there in the end, with friendly advice.

I'l pressume you trust Newegg, play games and need everything bar a monitor for now.

This is a really fast machine, will handle any games thrown at it with the high settings, and will last you a good few years. (Totals at $1,092.00)

http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/882/mg1100.png

 

There are a number of builders here (of which i am one) who will gladly help you select and install components.

First step is to decide what you want the PC to do IE: games, photo editing or just everyday surfing, then we can help you find the parts you need.

Burrell is also well versed in building and the list he supplied is a really good set up, the only thing i would query is the GTX 570 graphics card ( that's a real power card) and unless you need the power graphic you could save some cash.

One other thing you need to put in the equation is an OS because unless you are going to use something like Linux which is free then the cost of an OS must be considered.

When you are ready to start just post and the help will be there.

 

Mostly I'm looking for a computer for everyday surfing with moderate-good gaming capability. I play a fair amount of games, but I don't need to play everything on Ultra settings to be satisfied. As for an OS, yes, I will need an OS (although Linux interests me, I'm not well versed in how to use it. Perhaps this old computer will become my Linux learning playground lol.). Chances are I'll be buying a new monitor, keyboard, and mouse, but I set aside a separate budget for that.

 

If you are interested in Linux this is the latest and is very user friendly, http://www.linuxmint.com/ I have it running on my spare PC, it just needs a short learning curve and you are good to go.

 

In that case that PC above would be ideal. Yes the 570 is a powerful card, maybe more than you will need now. But i guess you'd want to future proof your system as much as possible to getting that would help hold back upgrades for a good few years yet.

If you have any other questions regarding the specifics of building it, please don't hesitate to ask!