Hey there people. I am a rather novice when it comes to building desktops. I have built a couple of them in the past but i am wondering. Is it better to purchase a barebones kit or start compeletly from scratch. It appears to me that it is the exact same thing only the motherboard is place in the case. Look forward to your answers. Thanks.

The advantage of a bare-bones kit is that you can be sure that the components are compatible with each other. Motherboard, CPU and memory specifically. Start from scratch and you are going to have to do your own research. There is not a lot of difference to chose in price. Stuart

What StuartS states is true, but from looking at barebones systems that vendors put together I think thier target market is based on pricepoint. What I mean is that they assemble low end components and offer them with your choice of add in hardware. Like any consumer purchase you need to do some research prior to buying. If you do that and you find a barebones with components you want, by all means buy it. Barebones usually means cheap cases and PSU that the vendor has tested and they work with the system they are selling. Just because it works doesn't mean it is good. Many vendors will test MB/CPU combos for a small fee. Some will assemble components into a case and test for a fee. Look at Mwave.com for some options on barebones. They are a little more expensive than Newegg.com on most components but are a reputable vendor that may suit you needs.

If you don't need the "latest & the greatest", the S754 format is offering the best bang for your buck right now...either the nForce3 250/250Gb for AGP systems or the nForce4-4X for PCI-E systems. You can easily find an A64/board combo for well under $100.