Ordering Equipment

Take the time to make a review of vendors! Questions about most potential vendors you are considering can be asked and answered here.    Be sure to ascertain the following information about any vendor you may be considering:

• What kind of reputations and ratings do they have?
• What is their DOA, dead on arrival, policy?
• What kind of RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) policies do they have?
• What is their restocking fee for unopened items?
• Who is their primary shipping carrier?

While cost is important, sometimes it is prudent to pay a few percent more for service, reputation and RMA ease. If you are comparing prices, make sure to include shipping costs and carriers. You may prefer your packages not to be shipped via specific carriers. Some vendors charge a premium to use the better carriers, though their initial advertised shipping charge is for the lower caliber carrier. For example: Z vender may advertise a widget for $55 including free shipping from the premium shipping company. On the other hand N vender has the same widget listed for $49 plus $4.50 shipping. On first blush it appears that N will cost you $1.50 less. But you are not comparing apples to apples. That $1.50 less gets you an inferior shipping company that is also slower. If you want the same premium shipping company Z uses, N will charge you an additional amount, say $2.75 in this example, which would bring the total to $56.25 compared to the $55 that Z vendor was up front about. If you are ordering a number of items at the same time, N's ala carte shipping charges can become a significant difference when updating shipping to the premium carrier. Something to keep an eye out for if you are on a tight budget.

Let's cut to chase. A lot of you are wondering how much love, $ that is, will you have to part with. Here are some examples:

• Email and surfing computer
• Moderate gaming computer
• Performance rock solid and multi tasking workstation
• Higher end gaming computer

Disclaimer

Before we proceed any further we need to post the following disclaimer: ABXZone.com, its' leadership and members, and the autor of this guide disclaim any and all responsibility for any and all damage to hardware, software, data, or anything untoward that you may experience as a result of following or failing to follow the information in this guide.

Parts Assembly

The cartons have started to arrive! Yay!

Fig. 1    A Sample of Components Ordered
(Click Image to Enlarge)

Caution! This is for real folks:   Do not open or handle the anti-static bags. Careless handling can cripple if not kill components. Long hair, sweaters, your cat, brother or child, even a styrofoam cup all are potential sources of ESD (Electrostatic Discharge). Never, ever lay an electronic component on anything other than a properly grounded static mat or the anti-static packaging the component came in. Even the formica of a table top has enough electrical potential to kill a component. Only open the bags and take out the components when you are instantly going to install same. An excellent article on ESD can be found here.

ESD is such a real danger that many shops will not allow workers to wear long sleeved shirts no matter what other ESD precautions may be in effect. I always wear a plain 100% cotton short sleeved shirt. Some synthetic fabrics have a very high static potential, so they are out. Never walk across a room with a component out of it's antistatic bag. Air movement on ungrounded components has enough electrical potential to cripple if not kill the component. Also, you do not want a fan blowing on you while you are in the process of building.

Fig. 2    Anti Static Mat & Arm Band
(Click Image to Enlarge)

Go ahead and open the cartons to make sure that all the parts are there. Just don't handle or open the anti static bags. Make sure you put everything away safely after you are done looking at it.

ABXer JimTram has suggested to make life easier on down the road, the packaging and boxes in which the components arrived should be saved. In other words if you decide to update a part and elect to sell the item on Ebay or others, the buyers like to get the original packaging and manuals, etc. It also makes it easier in the event you need to return an item. Thanks JT, Zep!

When the motherboard arrives, you want to unpack the manual and study it. It will give you details on how to properly install your motherboard. I'm not kidding, read the manual first. If manuals come with other parts, make sure you also read those before installing.