Hi guys, since my parents have agreed to buy a new PC soon (I changed my mind about a laptop), I thought I'd take the plunge and build my own system instead. Much more satisfactory I think, and I'll get to have exactly what I want in it. This is a rough & uncompleted list of the components I've put together so far, it's a budget build, so I'm trying my best to save every penny where I can (using on-board video and sound), but not sacrificing performance too much in the process.

- Asrock AM2NF6G-VSTA
- AMD Athlon64 3000+
- GeIL Value DDR2 1.0GB PC6400 Dual Channel Kit
- Western Digital Caviar SE16 250Gb 16Mb Cache Hard Disk Drive SATAII

I have a number of questions actually that I would be extremely grateful for someone to help me with.....

1) I realize that 'custom' systems aren't as straight forward when something goes wrong, as in you can't just send the machine back to the manufacturer and let them deal with it, you probably have to sniff out what the problem is for yourself and then get a replacement part. Can anyone tell me if this is anything to be worried about for someone who's fairly inexperienced with the inside of a machine? I'm pretty certain I can put it all together, but when it comes to dealing with faulty parts I'm not so sure.

2) Do I go with the 'OCZ 1GB DDR2-800 PC2-6400 Gold XTC Dual Channel Kit', or save myself £13 and stick with the above GeIL one? Is there much difference between the two?

3) Does anybody have any particular advice regarding setup, such as having two HDD's instead of one, things that will improve the overall efficiency of the system stuff like that?

4) Last but not least, I'm having trouble finding a couple of parts. I need a Dual Layer DVD Rewriter, I think it needs to be SATA interface and not IDE (am I right?), so if anyone can recommend a cheap one of those I'd be very grateful. Not as important, I'm sure I could find one myself easily, however I do need a case to stick all this in. If anyone knows of any cheap gaming/modded cases that would be sweet. (They look uber cool )

The only thing I'm concerned about is getting all the necessary cables/adapters and things. (Which is why I'm trying to avoid as much OEM stuff as possible, so everything I need is in the box) It's not essential, I'm sure I'll manage to get everything together. I'll have to check the compatability of everything too very carefully.

Thanks guys. Any advice/recommendations/thoughts whatever... are all much appreciated. I expect the list to change a couple of times lol. It'll probably get some fine tuning, and one good thing is that there's space for a decent graphics and sound card later on.

Do you have a buget how much $$$ have you got to spend??

Answers IMHO :

1) I would not worry about defective parts too much-- by buying-to-build you'll be getting better quality to begin with... and most manufacturers will stand by their products-- especially brand-new brand-name components.
2) For RAM-- if you want to game-- spend a little more... "value" RAM tends to be a little more error-prone/have shorter warrranty. RAM problems are quite rare-- but they do happen. For the difference you speak of-- I'd go for the higher-quality
3) HD setups are a personal call-- unless you want a RAID rig which is a whole 'nother thing. If you change your mind --you can add one later on. 250Gigs is plenty for now.
4) AFA Dual layer DVD ReWriter-- your mobo supports two IDE drives...why do you need SATA? SATA DVD drives are quite new--new often equals "reliability issues" you could get IDE for half the money and upgrade later--

That's the beauty of building-- once you do it --you'll never go back-- because if you are not happy with a particular part/brand/interface...
you can change it yourself

Want Cases ?

Computer Cases, PC Cases, Custom Computer Cases, Cool Computer Cases at TigerDirect.com

Want cables?

Computer Cables, Custom Computer Cables, Discount Computer Cable at TigerDirect.com

Need cooling ? (you certainly do)

Quiet Case Fans - Silent Nexus Fans, Zalman Fans, Papst Fans

A couple of tips -- Get a GOOD quality Power-supply. Buy your Case and Power-supply separately-- most stock PSU's that come with the case --are junk.
Look for cases with larger fan openings-- larger fans move more air with less noise. I like 120mm

Use a good thermal compound between your CPU and Heatsink (I use Arctic Silver) no pads or "white goop"-- it makes a big difference in performance of the heatsink now-- and is easy to remove later -IF you decide to upgrade.

Double-check all connections/make sure CPU/RAM etc is fully seated.

I'd recomend NewEgg, they have cheaper prices, better shipping, and better after-sale support

Newegg is the best IMHO-- though I've had pretty good luck with many vendors

The thing is we're spoiled in the US because not everyone ships outside the country

You are not fair!

If you are in the UK then order from

Computer hardware and software at amazing prices, available online from Scan Computers UK

Micro Direct Ltd - Quality Computer Components

Overclockers UK (but there a bit expensive)

I recommend Scan.co.uk