Hello. In this economic condition, I'm trying to save a few bucks but I need a new computer. This one I'm using is at least 6 years old and isn't very efficient for my photography needs and maybe playing a game once in a while. I was looking at the Intel Q6600 processor, an Asus motherboard and Radeon 4850 graphics card for starters. The problem is that I've never installed a motherboard into a case (I don't think it's hard?) or a processor into a motherboard either. I've installed hard drives, RAM and Network cards before. Is it very hard to build my own? I checked around at the local computer shops and they obviously want to charge more than I can purchase the pieces for to build it myself and they also charge $70-80 to put it together for me, which I'd like to save. Also, what's the deal with the Thermal Paste and how much so I really spend on a Heat sink and Fan? How do you feel about Asus motherboards? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!!!

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"I told Chuck D that his mouth was his Uzi and his words of truth were his bullets." - Russell Simmons - An Open Letter to the Recording Industry

I did this for the first time last month. I was at the same exact experience level as you. I had no problems at all but I checked and double checked all of my parts for compatibility.

I was nervous about the thermal paste as well. I bought a tube of rosewell silver paste and before all my parts arrived I watched a bunch of people do it on Youtube - some really bad examples and some good ones. Seeing it done and reading the comments may have helped me.
hehe In the end the heatsink/fan I bought already had the exact same thermal past already applied. The stock intel cooler that comes with my Q9450 also had the same looking paste pre applied. In the end I wiped it off and applied the paste directly on top of the installed processor with a plastic sadwich bag and my finger - it's actually not that hard just don't use too much, the size of a grain of rice.

This is what I made and I am very happy with it. Probably newer mobos worth looking into already though. (I already owned the monitor and colorometer). I also used a COOLER MASTER|ICT-D925R-GP RTL Fan instead of the stock one although it's in reality not any better than a stock intel fan. I am not planning on overclocking this anytime soon so I am not worried about it. If you want this computer to last look for a motherboard with 100% solid state capacitors.

Manufacturer: Custom Build
Case: Antec Sonata III
Mobo: Foxconn P45A-S
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 (Yorkfield)
RAM: 8GB DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) g-skill F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK
Chipset: P45
Bios: P01
Display Adapter Interface: PCI Express 2.0 x16
Display Adapter: MSI R4850-512M w quad cooler/heatsink
Monitor: KDS 21" LCD 1680x1050 @60Hz 6500k (DVi: Computer 1, VGA: Computer 2)
Colorometer: Greytag Macbeth i1 (calibrates colors/white point/contrast icc profiles)
OS #1/Disk #1 (Surround Sound DAW): Windows XP SP3 32 Bit
Dedicated DAW Disk/Disk #1: Internal SATA Seagate Barracuda ST3750330AS 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache
Dedicated Audio/Project Disk/Disk #2 (No OS): Internal SATA Seagate Barracuda ST31000340AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache
OS #2(64-bit)/Disk #3: Vista Ultimate 64-bit Sp1
Dedicated internet/Experimental 64-bit OS disk: Internal SATA Seagate Barracuda ST31000340AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache
Optical Drive: LG SATA Internal Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM & 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Model GGC-H20L
NIC: PCI Express D-Link DWA-556 IEEE 802.11n (draft) IEEE 802.11g IEEE 802.11b
Onboard LAN disabled in BIOS
Audio Device #1: M-Audio Delta 1010,
DRIVER: 5.10.00.5057 (OS#1 Surround Sound)
Delta BetaV64 5.10.00.5069 (OS#2 64-bit)
MIDI Device: Delta 1010
Additional Audio Devices:
Audio Device #2: HDMI (7.1 192kHz) via video card
DRIVER: Latest ATI Catalyst
Audio Device # 3: Onboard audio disabled in BIOS and disconnected from front ports.

it sounds like you felt the exact same as i did. i appreciate your help.

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"I told Chuck D that his mouth was his Uzi and his words of truth were his bullets." - Russell Simmons - An Open Letter to the Recording Industry

No problem.

And as far as installing the motherboard into the case, you could do things in a number of different orders, but I did it like this.

I took the motherboard out of the static bag, placed the bag on the cardboard box, the motherboard on top of the bag and box. I installed the processor, thermal paste, and heatsink outside of the case. It HAS to be in this order for certain heatsink/fans. My heatsink is the type you use a plate on the bottom of the board and screws - so it must be out of the case.

I then mounted the motherboard to the case and installed the ram and video card. The Antec case came put together with the powersupply already mounted. I probably avoided a lot of work with that choice - some cases need to be assembled.

lol...

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"People that need positivity around them all the time are weak individuals in my book" - @lilduval

but it's not hard to do. if all else fails, check the sig

i've googled this stuff over and over again.

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"I told Chuck D that his mouth was his Uzi and his words of truth were his bullets." - Russell Simmons - An Open Letter to the Recording Industry

you may want to consider a Dell.. they run specials quite often that come in at the same price as a custom build

eg the computer i found for a relative came with:
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2160 (1.80GHz, 1MB L2 Cache, 800FSB) $72.32
2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz - 2DIMMs $36
Dell USB Keyboard
Dell 20 inch Widescreen E207WFP Analog Flat Panel Display $189
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3100
250GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache $36
Genuine Windows XP Home Edition $76
Dell Scroll Mouse
Integrated 10/100 Ethernet
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Single Drive: 16X DVD-ROM Drive $13
Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
1 Year Basic Limited Warranty and 1 Year NBD On-Site Service
Dell Network Assistant

for $437.64, including tax and shipping..
just adding the items I pricechecked above (with pricegrabber) comes to $422.32 (without tax or shipping).

q6600, asus p5q pro, and an asus 4850. there are probably better options mb-wise, but it's been adequate. this is probably my 3rd build. mechanically it's all pretty simple - the hardest things are probably the heat sink and thermal paste and wire management. the heat sink/thermal paste is obviously a lot easier or harder depending on which one you get, but still take your time there and do it right, especially if you're oc'ing. there are thousands of heatsink reviews out there, so it is important to pick a good one, but you don't really have to spend more than 35-40 on it. wire management is obviously not difficult, but takes some foresight.

are you oc'ing? make sure you get the right version of the q6600 - there are 2 different ones and one's a lot better for oc. i forget how to tell.

but thanks for the insight.

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"I told Chuck D that his mouth was his Uzi and his words of truth were his bullets." - Russell Simmons - An Open Letter to the Recording Industry

they are like the build yourself guru's

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And I told them what I will tell you now.

Unless you're trying to really build some kind of super powerhouse machine, buying an off-the-shelf PC will run you the same price as building it yourself, if not save you about $100 and the time it would take to put it together and get it up and running (of course, that time is traded uninstalling software).

Maybe, if you are willing to take what they stick you with. But when I started to look for something that actually had everything I wanted, I would have ended up paying about 1,000 more.

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You can do alright with what you listed so far but you could probably save a few bucks by buying a barebones system that already has a motherboard and processor already installed and all you would have to do is add an HD and RAM or whatever other components you like. That way you can stay away from installing the processor yourself. Not that its hard but its better to be safe than sorry. Also if there is a Microcenter near your location they'll give you a consultation for free.

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I've built more than few since the late 90's. It used to be that you could save a bundle of money building your own PC, but nowadays the cost savings is minimal at best. And unless you've put together a PC before it can get a bit annoying when it comes to mounting the fan onto the processor and setting the motherboard specs to your needs. Handling everything you'll need an anti-static wriststrap/mat, otherwise you could screw yourself over before it's even complete.

However the positives about building yourself is that you know the quality of the components you are putting into your PC, you can make the OS leaner than say a Dell where, like Alexthezombie said, you'll be uninstalling a lot of bloatware/crapware that is installed from the getgo. And there is a sense of accomplishment by creating your own computer specifically for your needs/wants.

I've used many sites to get parts over the years, Tigerdirect, compgeeks, newegg, etc. Your best bet is to research the latest innovations and then spec out your computer before you start buying parts. Add it all up with the shipping costs included and then determine if you are better off with a Dell or something similar.

either buy what they have on sale or bundled or wait out until the components you want are on sale.

i'd also add mwave to your list of vendors. i did a build a couple months ago and most of my parts with shipping were cheapest from there.

computers from Dell and shit are cheap as fuck.
i'm looking at buying my mom something new and it was under $400
shit, the most expensive thing was upgrading her to wireless-n
2.2ghz Core Duo, 2gb ram, 320gb hdd, etc.. for about $300

....cheap as fuck. And they charge you up the ass when something like a mobo breaks. Oh yeah there customer support is ass.

if you think customer service will make or break a purchase/sale.

ALL computer support sucks. even if you paid to get the additional warranty. Some more then others, yes, but in the end it's all the same process and struggle dealing with an Indian call center employee reading from a script, which oddly sounds like a verbatim copy of the manuals that came with your hardware.

they had a new one at my door the next day, no fuss, no cost

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www.engadgethd.com - the other stuff i'm looking at