Hey Marv,

I've programmed, designed and built computers since the late 70’s, and I would NOT – I SAY NOT recommend that any novice try to put together a system on their own. The main reason is that there are many devices (Modems, sound cards, video cards, etc) and even motherboards have a compatibility concern/problem. Unless the person putting the system together knows exactly what they want and has done a lot of reading or by building an EXACT copy of the same computer that their friend of theirs has built and hasn't had any problems with – only then might it be O.K...
The main concern is the frustration that comes with trying to get a computer "stable". There are problems that computer experts run into as well. Some are basic problems, other have to do with the revision of the software, software drivers and/or hardware!!! Even Macs have problems - I learned a very tough lesson over ten years ago about backing up, when the MAC I was using crashed and lost all the data I had been working on for a BIG meeting that was coming up in a few days....

For the novice, beginner, non-hacker type of computer user - I WOULD RECOMMEND that they buy a computer from a reputable company - such as Dell. The piece of mind that one gets for starting off with a “stable” system is well worth its weight in gold!!!

Dick