Ok. So here in Australia building a PC yourself seems to be a more expensive proposition than in the USA.
A bit about myself first. I have never built a computer. My family operates one primary PC, an arrangement I am comfortable with as my parents foot the bill for it. Our current one is starting to give us issues, so my Dad finally seems to be convinced to purchase a new one. All that is needed is the box (and possibly a keyboard and mouse) as the monitor, printer and speakers will be canibalized from the current PC.
The resolution of the primary monitor according to Vista's system performance information is 1152x864. It is highly unlikely I will convince my Dad to foot the bill for a second monitor, but if anyone thinks a cheap and better one can be had, let me know anyway.
I have a very good non-technical understanding of computers. By that I mean I can tell you what needs to go into one, and what you're likely to get out of one. What I can NOT tell you is anything to do with compatibility, the order that things need to be put together, etc.
So what I would like from everyone here is first advice. This is the family's computer, I cannot afford to fuck it up on my parents dime. I would take every care, take any advice given here, and read several online manuals should I choose to build the computer. Given that, do people still feel it is advisable from a cost/performance standpoint to build my own PC? Is it likely someone in my position will screw it up?
If you think I should build one, I would adore your advice.
I would need a:
CPU
Motherboard
GPU
RAM
HDD
PSU
Case
Good disk drive (good quality DVD dual layer burner will do, but again if someone feels there are now decent Blu-Ray options out there...)
Anything else you can think of.
Here are what appear to be the two best online price comparison/shopping points I can find for Australia.
As for budget, I think I can get my Dad to agree to $AU1800 (again, dont get too excited Americans, that wont go nearly as far as $US1800 would in the States.
Please any tech enthusiasts help me build the best PC you think I can for that price, as well as tips for building. Keep my guidelines in mind, but dont feel too constricted by them. There are a lot of extremely knowledgable people on this forum and anything you think I should be looking into I am interested to hear about. I am currently reading through the main "PC Building Thread," but again, it is quite US/Euro specific.
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