Thinking about building

[atvrdan]

alright... im thinking about building but im not really sure on it all. I know every person on this forum will want me to build but there are several things that i need to ask about.
1) Does the processor just snap into the motherboard? Im not soldering so if not then can i buy one that is already in there?
2) Its all pretty much just snapping stuff into place right?
3) Im not really sure on all of this heat sinking stuff... what is it?
4) the case is pretty much built so that all the stuff is in the right place for the airflow to reach it?

Im also considering overclocking at least the processor, so how complicated is that? Also say that i do end up buying a pre-built computer such as a dell....yeah i know....but will the motherboard be able to handle over-clocking?

Im looking to spend about $1000 on it all. This includes a flat-panel monitor, speakers, keyboard, mouse ect. ect..... im planning on using the computer to game, for music, and i want it to run vista. Is this a reasonable price range?

sorry if most of this stuff is completly newbish i dont know much about computers.

 

[King X13]

im going to make one suggestion, if you dont know whether you have to solder a processor into the motherboard or not then i would advise you buying a pre-built one or ask any of your friends if they know what to do to walk you through it in person. i dont want to see you spend 1000 bucks and then damage the parts and have to spend another 1000 on a built systems. with that said...

1)the cpu just drops into place which you have to line up correctly or you can damage the cpu. and then you pull a lever to lock it into place.

2)it is and it isnt, stuff gets snaped into to place, but the wrong thing in the wrong place(like a power cable) can damage the system. you need to know the basics of how everything goes and what everything does.

3)Heat sinks draw heat of of hot areas with a large surface area to dissipate the heat off of what it is on top of.

4)if you buy an ATX motherboard you will need a ATX tower. if you get a smaller ATX motherboard you can get a mid-tower if you want it in a smaller space. but you also need to know how many pci slots you mobo has to get it on the case as well and also how many hard drives you want so they call all fit in your case, etc.

you cant overclock dells, and software overclocking i dont advise of. i wouldnt run vista if you want a stable system.

 

[Sora]

Basically, Yes everything just about is insert into the motherboard. The CPU just goes onto the pins and you close it back up. Then for the Heat sink all it is is just a Mount on the CPU and the Video card. The Heatsink also just snaps right into place over the CPU. Nothing requires you to be a rocket scientist at all.

And I do not suggest overclocking with computers like Dell as their cases aren't made for overclocking and their mobo's are locked. If you build your own then yes your case will usually have adequate cooling already if its a half-decent case. You can get cases good enough for overclocks starting at around 50 bucks.

And that will build a pretty powerful desktop PC, and a mid-range gaming PC for that much. Closer to the high end side of gaming though.

 

[joowan]

i just built my first pc,

pretty high end gaming/media pc.

seems like everyone already answered your questions. but heres some more advice.

your cpu should fall in place, just make sure the cpu socket and the motherboard socket matches, heatsink snaps on top of your CPU.

i suggest you open up a computer, have someone that knows what their doing and teach you all the fundamentals of it first.

and when you do decide to build it, read the motherboard manual and understand it before you start putting anything in place.