[thechat] Building a computer

[Daniel J. Cody]

Kevin Stevens wrote:
> Hi people
>              Just wondering if anyone out there has any experience in
> building a computer from scratch. My old machine is getting more erratic,
> and as I'm getting better at programming I'm finding it gets very slow 

this is a good call kev, all of the evolt servers are built this way.. 
cheaper and usually better :)

> 1. Am I kidding myself that I am competent enough to build a computer, i.e.
> is it a lot harder than it looks?

naw, its actually pretty easy.. the mobo will come with instructions too 
in case you get tied up

> 2. What would be a fairly good graphics card to go with my selections? I'm
> not a huge games fan, but would like something that is half decent but not
> too expensive.

nvidia cards are pretty decent. anything with 16 - 32 Mb of memory 
should be good for ya

> 3. Have I missed out anything serious?

make sure your RAM is compatible with your mobo(e.g. pc133 or pc100 RAM)

> 4. Any tips about potential pitfalls would be greatly appreciated.

don't pick up a cell phone in the middle of working on it, and wear a 
static device of some kind. trust me. :)

also, get a decent fan to put in there.. the #1 problem with homebuilt 
computers is lack of ventalation

and you can always give a holler here :)

.djc.