So...the new computer plan for the Stormhands household is this...
We upgrade and replace the main PC I use. It would also be Luke's option for game playing.
Jr. gets the current PC set up in his room.
Mom gets the laptop to use for school.
Knowing my limitations, can y'all walk me through 1) what I should get and 2) the possiblity of building it myself.
Possibility of building: can be fun, if you're willing to put time in. Can be frustrating beyond all reason. How good are you with fairly finicky enclosed work? I mean, getting the jumpers onto the motherboard can take some maneuvering.
If you decide to build, the first thing to decide is what sort of processor you want. That will determine what motherboard you can get, and the motherboard will specify everything else. The system I'm putting together has a P4 3.0 gHz chip, 800 bus speed, 512mb of ram, a 120-gig hard drive (I'm going to add another drive in a few months), wireless networking card, video card, and a cd burner. Total cost for parts: ~$425. Newegg.com has about the best prices on computer parts and I've never met anyone who has a problem with purchases from them.
If you do buy, I'd recommend Dell refurbished. Don't get a Celeron processor, get a Pentium.
If I were you, I'd go with a refurbished Dell. We have three in the family at this point, and they've been good systems that didn't cost all that much.
Mine is the oldest - a laptop that's approaching four. Haven't really had any trouble with it that wasn't my own fault in the end. It IS starting to have parts wear out, as I've mentioned...but considering how hard I've been on it, I can't complain.
I wouldn't wanna build a system myself. The benefit is that you know what goes into it, and if you LIKE that sort of thing (I don't), it can be a fun project. Also, if you catch the right sales, you can potentially save a bit of money, though not as much as was once true.
Downside is that you have to contact the manufacturer of different components if you have a failure, and know enough to KNOW which component has failed in order to do that. No one stop shopping for service. And you obviously won't have a warranty on the full system.
I recommend you buy it either new or refurbished. The major problem with building your own is that if a part fails (or you do something wrong) you have no technical support. Buying from a place like Dell (especially with Complete Care) gives you lots of support for a system in trouble.