UPDATE
Ok, ran 3Dmark06
my score is:
7649
Not too shabby really in my eyes.
So how did my build go then? Well it only took about 3 hours to unwrap it all, poke it, look at it, read the manuals and then peice it together. The actual build was relatively stress free. Only issue was the thermal paste! lol
It is quite confusing with all the cables but you can't go wrong if you read ther manuals and take heed of their advice. plain sailing really. The best bit of advice i had was to just take my time and i would whole heartedly agree with this.
Being a noob i was a bit clumsy with a few things. for example, trying to screw the mobo to the side of the PC was difficult but only took a few failed attempts and it was sorted.
The main problem i had was obviously well documentated within this thread. The dreaded blue screen. This caused me much stress outs as i was constantly thinking about how and what i could do to get around it. Luckily, i (well Griff and me... mainly Griff tbh..) managed to solve it after trying many different options.
I think the software area will always be a problem as bolting it together, imo, is quite easy. Having these issues has made me learn quite a lot as i have to fiddle about with various bits and peices in bios etc etc. I think it also shows, with a bit of help form some techno dudes, your trusty friend Google and geek forums, any wierd problem can be overcome!
Would i recommend doing a self build to a noob? Yeah i reckon i would. If you are a complete computer leper and have no idea how to even turn one on, i would stay away, as seeing all the bits and peices in front of you is very daunting. But if you have tinkered a bit (i had only previously added some ram, graphics card and done a format.) i am sure many would relish the challenge! just be prepared for a few 'issues'.
I don't think nowadays building your PC is that much cheaper, if at all, from buying a pre made one. It does however give you the choice of which components you want and you can be sure you have quality. It also ensures you don't get a load of crap add on software from the start. I have finally got rid of AOL for good!
and that can only be a good thing!!!
Better go buy some cool games now - command and conquer here i come!
Only final thing i have to do is get some zip ties so i can tidy up the inside. Then i am done!