when building a new computer do i have to put everything in before starting or can i get of with mobo\cpu\case and psu\memory do you guys also put in modem\sound card\and graphiphs card basically what can i get off with not putting in as im building a bit at a time and want to make sure the parts i have bought first work before the warrinty runs out(reason for doing bit at a time is cash flow)

when I just put 2 computers together for my sisters, I hooked up the mobo, cpu, memory, hard drive, floppy and cdrom drives in the case before i booted for the first time, basically the whole system. The mobo uses integrated video, so no video card was needed. system booted ok so no further concerns. if you have problems, then remove the cdrom and hard drive to see if the system will boot, the rest of the parts you need for initial boot. Al

would i be better putting win xp on my hdd before i build (ie put my hdd in another computer and install win xp then take it out and put it in the newly built one).

Not NO, but absolutely DO NOT install XP on another computer, it will not boot into the new one. Just install, mem, vid, Mobo, CPU, and try it. If it boots, install other periphs, fdisk and format HD and install XP then and only then. The validation only works for a single machine. Clyde

Some things, like modem, sound card, network card, more RAM, etc. can wait. You will need graphics, motherboard, power, hard drive, CD drive, etc. to begin. I don't recommend buying onboard graphics with the intention of upgrading to a real card later - you're paying for the same thing twice. Instead, buy a low-end graphics card that you can sell later should you wish to upgrade. Just some thoughts, Bob

thanks i have a graphics card in this computer i could use for now a GeForce2 mx 400