I know you guys see a lot of these threads, so I hope I'm not being really annoying here and that some of you actually like helping out guys like me. Your help is much appreciated. I mainly ask, because I'm not really sure on how to know whats compatible with what.
I'm planning my first build and here's what I'm looking for:
-I don't need the cheapest case you can find. Something that has plenty of vents, space, and convenience along with sharp looks is good.
-I need a machine that will run Photoshop or Illustrator + multitasking with no problem.
-I'm not a big gamer, but I like to play CounterStrike Source, WoW, the GTA series, and I'd like to give some new games a shot as well.
-I don't have a big preference as far as Intel vs. AMD, though I want 2 or 4 cores.
-I don't plan on buying everything at once, so there's no need to go bottom of the barrel price-wise, but I don't need the most extreme top-end (expensive) stuff around.
-I have an external HD for my music and video files, so I don't really need a TB of space. 250 to 300 is fine.
-I'm thinking about 4GB of memory.
-I have Windows XP already, plus a mouse, keyboard, and monitor(which I'll replace later).
-I don't want to ever buy another pre-built, so upgradeability is important.
-I'm not sure upgradeability is even a word.
A couple of questions:
-Should I upgrade to Vista or just wait for Windows 7? I like XP fine, but will staying with it hinder anything with new equipment?
-What should I do to protect myself against static electricity during the build?
I'm planning my first build and here's what I'm looking for:
-I don't need the cheapest case you can find. Something that has plenty of vents, space, and convenience along with sharp looks is good.
-I need a machine that will run Photoshop or Illustrator + multitasking with no problem.
-I'm not a big gamer, but I like to play CounterStrike Source, WoW, the GTA series, and I'd like to give some new games a shot as well.
-I don't have a big preference as far as Intel vs. AMD, though I want 2 or 4 cores.
-I don't plan on buying everything at once, so there's no need to go bottom of the barrel price-wise, but I don't need the most extreme top-end (expensive) stuff around.
-I have an external HD for my music and video files, so I don't really need a TB of space. 250 to 300 is fine.
-I'm thinking about 4GB of memory.
-I have Windows XP already, plus a mouse, keyboard, and monitor(which I'll replace later).
-I don't want to ever buy another pre-built, so upgradeability is important.
-I'm not sure upgradeability is even a word.
A couple of questions:
-Should I upgrade to Vista or just wait for Windows 7? I like XP fine, but will staying with it hinder anything with new equipment?
-What should I do to protect myself against static electricity during the build?