Assuming all parts show up on time, JEservices and I will be building my new computer on Saturday, 10/16. For a detailed thread on how I made my component decisions, see the thread in this forum entitled Have $1,500, help me decide on hardware!

I made all my purchases from on-line e-tailers, as I found their prices to be much better than going to a retail computer parts store. And I decided to build rather than buy from Dell for 2 reasons: 1) Because I can get more for my money, and 2) There is so much great information and great people on the Internet to help me (like JEservices). If I had to do this alone, I probably would have shied away from building myself. But there's comfort in knowing I will have people who've done this before helping me every step of the way... kudos to BleepingComputer.com!

I ended up using 3 different e-tailers: Outpost.com (video card), Dell.com (surge protector), and Newegg.com (everything else). The parts I chose are as follows (see thread listed above for pictures):

Case: A-Top XBlade Black/Silver with 450W Power Supply - Retail Packaging - $63.50
2 Replacement Case Fans: Antec All Clear Pro 120mm Double Ball Bearing Case Fans - Retail Packaging - $14.99 each, $29.98 for two
Motherboard: AOpen AX4SPE Max II with Intel 865PE Chipset for Socket 478 CPU - Retail Packaging - $116.00
Processor: Intel Pentium 4, 3.2E HGz, 800 MHz FSB, 1MB L2 Cache, Hyper-Threading Technology, Socket 478 - Retail Packaging - $222.00
System Memory: 2 Sticks of A-Data 184-pin, 512MB DDR, PC-3200 Unbuffered and Non-ECC - OEM Packaging - $70.00 each, $140.00 for two
Hard Drive: Maxtor Ultra Series Kit 120GB 7,200 SATA Hard Drive - Retail Packaging - $108.00
Optical Drive #1: Lite-On 16X DVD/CD Writer, Dual Layer Support, 2MB Buffer - Retail Packaging - $84.00
Optical Drive #2: Lite-On CD Writer and DVD-ROM Drive, 2MB Buffer - Retail Packaging - $45.00
Floppy Drive: Mitsumi Internal Combo 3.5" Floppy and USB 2.0 Card Reader - OEM Packaging - $25.00
Sound Card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS, 7.1 Channel Support, 24-Bit Digital Audio - Retail Packaging - $91.99
Video Card: BFG Technologies nVIDIA GeForce FX6800 Overclocked, Lifetime Warranty & 24-Hour Support - Retail Packaging - $249.99
External Hard Drive Enclosure: Coolmax Silver Aluminum USB 2.0 Enclosure for 3.5" or 5.25" Drives, Includes Cooling Fan - Retail Packaging - $36.99
Broadband Router/Print Server: D-Link 4-Port Router Plus USB 1.1 Print Server - Retail Packaging - $58.00
Surge Protector: Belkin Surgemaster Gold, 10-Outlet with Coax Protection - Retail Packaging - $31.20

Total Cost Before Taxes and Shipping: $1,301.65
Total Taxes and Shipping: $85.61
Grand Total: $1,387.26

In case you're wondering about a monitor, keyboard, and mouse, I am going to be re-using these items from my old Dell computer. The monitor is an off-white 19" model P991 CRT, the keyboard is the standard off-white Dell Quietkey keyboard, and the mouse is a Logitech analog mouse with a scroll wheel. Re-using these three items (the monitor especially) allowed me to do better on the sound and video cards which should really make this computer one to last for quite a while. Plus it allows me to save up for a future purchase - a larger monitor!

Anyway, now you know what I'm going to have. As soon as the parts roll in, I will start taking the pictures and posting them. When the build day arrives, I will document everything as best I can (including pics) and make sure to post that as well. I really want this to be an educational tool for those on the fence about whether to build or buy pre-assembled. I also want this to be entertaining.

If you all are half as anxious as I am to see the continuation of this thread, imagine my giddiness!

Jason

Anxious to see how it progresses.
Keep us posted.

Hey if you got a digital camera would love some pictures of you putting in the components to use in future tutorials

The Sony DSC-F707 will be fully charged and ready to go. Pictures will be taken. The hard part will be to remember to take them. One thing I rarely see when reading reviews and how-to's is during-the-install pictures. They tell just as much as the words do I think.

Stay tuned!!

Absolutely agree!

I will be bringing my dig cam along also, along with enough mem cards for over 200 pics. Because your card reader is internal, I will pack my USB card reader. It may only read 2 different types, but if we are lucky, it will work on your cards also.

The Memory Stick in my digicam is 128MB and if I turn down the resolution I can get over 400 pics on it. We won't be short of pics assuming we actually take the pictures.

DHL deliverred the surge protector from Dell and the video card from Outpost this morning. I will take pics of them when I get home from work tonight and post them. The rest of the parts (from Newegg) should show up tomorrow, according to FedEx tracking.

The countdown is on!

Wohoo!

Now I am getting excited

I think the Aopen motherboard was a good choice. Make sure its got the latest BIOS installed. Here's their download link: http://download.aopen.com.tw/default.aspx?...pDownWebsite=GL

You should think about replacing the power supply that comes with your case. This is a critical component. Check out the Antec TrueBlues.

Good luck with your build.

Thanks for the link. And I will give the PSU it's fair shake and see what happens. I'm not sure what kind of PSU A-Top puts in their cases. Anyone know?

Here's a pic or two of the surge protector and video card:

Images edited as they were bringing a advertisement up for another site - Grinler

More to come as the parts keep arriving!

UPDATE: The rest of the hardware showed up yesterday the 14th. Here are some pics I took tonight. I have not opened anything yet.


Since I can only have 10 pics in a post, the rest are below.

Enjoy. I will probably start a whole new thread to chronicle the build tomorrow.

Edited by Grinler: Woody it seems like this cpimg.com site is not allowing you to view images stored there unless you are on their site. Look at the above post to see an example. You may want to use photobucket.com instead