PC Build 1.0

Holy Crap! I have been a psuedo-geek for a long time and now that I've decided to build my own desktop, I'm finding out there are multiple layers of nuance in PC components. The first part I've purchased is the harddrive...which may seem like I'm putting the cart before the horse, so please allow me to explain.

It's all about compatibility and I've already decided on the type of processor and motherboard I intend to get. Purchasing a HDD before buying, or at least deciding on a processor and motherboard is folly.

I had three flavors of HDD to chose from: Ultra ATA 100 drive, one of the newer SATA drives or a SCSI. After reading a bit about very geeky stuff like maximum data transfer rates, I decided on the UATA. It's an older standard, but still compatible with most motherboards and I got this Great Deal at Outpost.com on a Seagate ST3160023A-RK 160GB. With the rebate it was only $49.99 (shipping not included), which is just too good to pass up. It was delivered today...only two days after placing the order.

I'm trying to buy all my parts using deals & coupons. I'm shooting for an all-around desktop for $1,000 or less including a monitor. This may be impossible, but that's the task.

Stay tuned for PC Build 1.1 coming soon.