Don't' buy a Maxtor hard drive. Not sure about wd anymore, but look for a 5 yr warranty.. hitachi, seagate.. I'm usually partial to asus mainboards, but there are some other good ones too.. good luck with msi also. jim -----Original Message----- From: elky-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:elky-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Chris Lindh Sent: Monday, November 30, 2009 4:52 PM To: elky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [elky] Building a PC I decided I needed a laptop, to be able to work around the house - keep an eye on the boys, etc. As I shopped I came to realize there are two classes of laptops: $300 Walmart specials or $1000+ fully featured laptops. Since a computer is a vital part of my business I need a workhorse, so as I shopped looking for power and light weight I found myself deep in the $1000 to $2000 range. The Sony Vaio Z series and Lenovo T400s were at the top of my list. As we've discussed before a laptop is a compromise, out of necessity to fit in such a small form factor. So I'm now thinking I'd rather build a powerful PC and buy a cheap, small laptop. Not a netbook, but a little larger - around 3lbs. I also like the ability to troubleshoot a PC... I can swap parts out if I have a hardware issue (which is rare in my experience with a PC). Build versus buy: there is no doubt I can buy a prebuilt PC that will do all I need, but these typically use the cheapest components. My Shuttle PC was a barebones built with quality components (I bought it built and upgraded parts along the way). My Shuttle has been very reliable - it's been on for almost the entire 4 years I've owned it. I will be building a full size PC, or possibly a mini ATX, but I doubt I'll do small form factor again - I just don't need the portability. I was impressed with my RMA experience with Corsair so I'm looking at Corsair ram and a little reading indicates Corsair is also one of the best manufacturers of power supplies. I'm thinking about the new i7 processors and Windows 7 Pro. I use a PC for spreadsheets, Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, etc and the backend for my website, among other tasks... I usually have several programs going at once. I don't game but I'm going to get a decent graphics card. I'd be interested to know your opinions about other components... my focus is reliability first. Thanks! -- Chris Lindh http://www.PartsForSpeed.com Rules: Please play nicely with others. -List members page (text & pic links): http://www.myelcamino.net/eclist.htm -List members page (all pics): http://www.myelcamino.net/ec_list.htm Rules: Please play nicely with others. -List members page (text & pic links): http://www.myelcamino.net/eclist.htm -List members page (all pics): http://www.myelcamino.net/ec_list.htm