New build preliminary questions

[woosmaster]

Hey, so I have (finally) decided to build rather than buy...I figure doing this now will benefit me from now on and save me a lot of money in the future. Anyways...

When building (for a noobie), is it easy to mess up and ruin parts? Should I extensively read up on building before I even order anything or is it okay to just order the parts and just start at step 1? (I already know about grounding yourself/using an anti-static wristband).

I am going to browse newegg (any other sites as good as this one?) over the next few days and get back to you guys on a mock-build. Thanks for all of your help.

[Katreat]

building is pretty easy and fast. For first time buildiers where to plug things in is probably the biggest challenge. It can be confusing until you have done a few and get use to MB layouts. Just take your time and read instructions and everything goes well. The number one problem I have seen with first time buildiers is not plugging something in. Another mistake is being too gentle and not getting something seated all the way like ram or the CPU.

Probably the most frustrating aspect of building is DOA parts. This is one reason this site will usually steer you towards quality parts which often cost a bit more than budget parts. But even using the best, computer parts are sometimes DOA and figuring out which part is not working can be very frustrating. (knock on wood) So far, with four computers and many upgrades under my belt, this has never happened to me, but it will someday, it is just the nature of electronics.

Kat

[woosmaster]

I have a question regarding cases and power supplies:

I am browsing NewEgg and i see cases WITH 500w or 450w power supplies selling for $100 - $150 with great reviews, and then I see cases for the same price WITHOUT power supplies.

Is there an advantage to not buying them together?

Here are some links:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811156092
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811233002
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811208005

Thanks for the help

[Katreat]

Mostly a disadvantage. most PSUs that come with cases are trash. They stick in a $10 PSU to help sales and it can fry your expensive computer.

The one exception I can think of is the Antec Sonota III. It comes with a quality PSU and sales for around $100 if you can catch it on sales.

Check out this list of good/bad PSUs. If the one provided does not make the good side of the list then dont use it.

http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=131195

Kat

[Khalil]

Here is a case that comes with a great power supply and it is a steal at the price http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129024

[blue60007]

I've found installing the OS, and getting drivers and software set up is the most time consuming part of building a computer. First time I built a computer I found the hardware side went pretty smoothly while the software side took longer/was more frustrating.