i am a total noob when it comes to building computers, if i attempt this it will be my first ever build. i am really scared ill mess it up so i was hoping some of you could help me out. one of my friends is trying to discourage me from doing this because if i build it myself then i can't call customer service somewhere to get help if something goes wrong with it. maybe you guys can weigh in on that aspect of building your own PC. i already have the parts in mind and will list them here. - ASUS P5N32-E SLI Plus LGA 775 C55+MCP55P; a.k.a. nForce 650i SLI & nForce 570 SLI ATX Intel - Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 65W - ZALMAN 9500A 92mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler - OCZ GameXStream OCZ600GXSSLI ATX12V 600W Power Supply - G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel - EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Microsoft Windows XP Professional With SP2C - OEM i don't have a case in mind but was hoping i could get a recommendation, i don't really need anything fancy with led's and such. would like it to have alot of room and be a quiet case as well as keep things cool in there. was also hoping if all this stuff is even compatible with one another. should i even try to do this, cuz i also have to worry about setting up the BIOS and installing the OS. i don't think the manufacturing of the PC is as scary to me as having to program the BIOS and setting up the OS. any help is very appreciated. oh by the way at this point without having the case yet all the parts come out to about $1,715.93 including shipping, taxes and all the warranties from newegg.com. thnx for any help oh one more thing, i heard there are cpu coolers that come with some kind of pad underneath it that makes it so you don't need to use the thermal paste on the cpu, does any know about this and recommend one plz.
You don't have to worry about setting up a BIOS since it is already installed on the motherboard. All you need to do is make sure that the CD Drive is first in boot priority. That way when you pop in the windows installation CD it will boot from there allowing you to install windows onto your hard drive. Its so easy that even my grandmother can do it. Since you are building a gaming PC there are some component changes that I would like to recommend. 1) The CPU should be a Intel Core 2 Duo E6750. 2) The motherboard should have an Intel P35 chipset. The nForce 600 and 500 are outdated. If you want an nForce series motherboard the 700 series is the newest and should be purchased instead. 3) The 8800GTX is outdated as well. You can get close to GTX level performance from a 8800GTS 512mb (G92) for a fraction of the cost. Or a 8800GT 512mb for even less. If you plan to run SLI then only a nForce series motherboard should be purchased. 4) The Corsair HX620 is the power supply that I would get. 5) When considering a case for the computer only Lian-Li cases will meet all your needs. Click on the link that is found on my signature to browse some cases or you can also find them on newegg. If you build it yourself then keep all the receipts for all the components in case something goes wrong that way you can replace a part if it is still under warranty which is usually three years on most critical components. If you decide to buy it pre-made expect second rate components that will break down as soon as the warranty expires. That way you can get a cold shoulder from an Indian lady that will not be able to help you in a time of stress. Just to let you know I got a new keyboard and I really enjoyed typing this up. It feels so good. Just one more thing that I forgot to mention. ALWAYS make sure that you are grounded before touching ANY computer component or else you run the risk of static electricity ruining your electronics. To ground yourself just touch a metal surface. Also just use thermal paste. Its a breeze to apply. Just don't apply too much. Google the proper thermal paste application procedure if you are not sure how to do it.
