Get yourself a copy of PC's for Dummies - it's got a ton of great information, plus pictures so you don't put the square peg in the round hole.
When you're building your machine, set up your work area first. A nice wide space that's well lit. Next, get a couple of screwdrivers and a pair of pliers.
Choosing your case is kinda critical as it will determine just how much of a pain in the _____ this is for you to do on your own. Enlight makes a good case that's easily accessible, and their power supplies last a good long time too.
For motherboards, I prefer Abit. I've put hundreds of them in service, in everything from PC's to seismic data acquisition systems. I have YET to have a DOA Abit. Can't say the same for the others, including Gagabyte, Soyoyo, (sp)acer, etc. Tyan is great if you're doing a multiprocessor box, but for single procs, Abit's the way to go.
Video card: Don't scrimp here, but don't go overboard. Buying the latest and greatest today means you'll be 3 cards behind tomorrow. You don't want the oldest nag in the starting gate, but don't go for the yearling either. Anything with a GeForce is a good bet - solid cards, awesome performance.
Sound card: Sblive is the way to go. I personally like the XGamer 5.1 - it's the middle of the road pricewise, has great performance.
Network card: You want one. Even if you have no network and aren't on broadband, get one. Trust me
The 3c905 series (regardless of a/b/c generation) is a solid, nearly bulletproof series of NIC cards, and they don't cost a fortune.
Modem: Get anything that isn't a Winmodem. USR still works well, and they've gotten less proud than back in the day when I bought my Courier v.Everything. A modem is handy for faxing, and the new ones will also give you answering machine capabilities, so they're handy to have. I don't suggest having one and NOT having good surge suppression, having had to rebuild many a PC for people after lightning struck their house (or the next door neighbor's in the case of my parent's computer years ago).
Joystick: Saitek has a great range of sticks, USB connected.
USB Hub: Get one. Trust me.
Keyboard: Pick something that costs about $20 and you're in like Flynn. Unless of course you just can't live without that Microslop Unnatural Wristbender
Mouse: Don't scrimp - you use it as much (or more) as/than the keyboard. I've had a ton of these things and my favorite by far is the Razer Boomslang 2000 by Karna. The Microsoft Optical is ok if you're not into mega gaming. Logitech has a good one. I prefer USB for the mouse - less processor waste here. Seems smoother too.
Monitor: I personally stick with Viewsonic, have for years. Great product, fantastic support, and they actually service what they sell. They earned my loyalty a long, long time ago. However, they are NOT the less expensive vendor out there. For that, a great bet is the VL or VS series (or whatever their current Value designation is) from Chuntex Technologies, branded as CTX. I've got an 8-year-old CTX 17" monitor on my kids' computer - still working just great. (knocks on wood).
HD: Get whatever you like. Western Digital is good, Maxtor has finally quit making doorstops, Quantums are great as well.
CD: Get a DVD - a little more, but worth it.
CDRW: If you're spending the bucks, get one of these.
Lastly: Processor. Pick whichever you want, but match it to that motherboard up there ^^^^. Some like AMD, others like Intel. Personally I don't care - they perform about the same pound for pound in real world stuff when it's all averaged out.
and
have great reviews and insight on the latest and greatest in hardware, plus benchmark data.
Don't be afraid of the box - treat it like an erector set. Don't throw pieces at your kid brother.
And after you're all done putting it together, before you turn it on - give the case a good shake...make sure you don't have a wayward screw in there waiting to screw things up for you.
Off to find more caffeine...
After you finish putting it all together
