my current computer is getting on in years, and to upgrade it in any meaningful fashion would pretty much require replacing the motherboard and everything on it. so i'm just going to gut the case and more or less start from scratch. now i've never done this before, although i've upgraded plenty, is there anything i should be aware of?
also, as far as components are concerned, i pretty much know what i want cpu, ram, mobo and hd wise. but graphics i have no idea about - i don't play that many pc games so it doesnt have to be future proof or anything, but something that will run at least major current titles would be nice. and the power supply i know absolutely nothing about - what should i look for? whats a decent wattage, what connectors do i need, etc.
>is there anything i should be aware of?
Most major PC manufacturers use non-standard cases; don't bother trying to replace the mobo in a Dell or something like that.
IMO it's worth overdoing the PSU -- you don't pay much more for, eg, a 750 watt model than a 500. I'd suggest at least a 500 watts. It's also worth looking into "80 PLUS" certified models; they're generally quieter, cooler, more efficient, and longer lasting.
For connectors, you probably want the 20+4 main power (normal 20-pin ATX + 4-pin molex). A PCIe power connector can't hurt either. I personally don't worry as much about SATA connectors as 4-pin (IDE hd style) molex -> SATA are cheap and often come with retail packaged hds, psus, or even mobos. Some (older) SATA hds also have both types of connectors.
Most of the components you'll be buying will specify their power requirements and all will specify their connector type(s), so you should be able to determine exactly what kind of PSU you need as the last step of your build/purchase. I can't really recommend a GFX card as I'm not really a pc gamer.
HTH.
The Nvidia 8800GT seems like a solid buy.
Well, I have all my parts, and have assembled them, but its all gone a bit wrong. when i switch it on, all the fans start moving and the LEDs come on, but there's no signal to the monitor, and no beep from the internal speaker (which is hooked up to the motherboard, correctly as far as i can figure out; it has a red and black cable, i've connected the red to speaker + and black to speaker -).
I have since tried a different monitor, different DVI>VGA adapter (the graphics card has only DVI outputs and my monitors are all VGA) and finally removing absolutely everything aside from the CPU and power supply, even removing the motherboard from the case and running it on a flat surface, in the hope that the lack of RAM and GPU would elicit an error beep of some kind, but no dice.
so would you say my new motherboard is fucked? or... anything else?