Help with building PC

In the past I have paid someone to put the parts I select together but this time I feel like saving some money and learning to build one myself. I know nothing about building a PC from scratch and the most I have done before is insert RAM and video cards.Ok my first question is regarding the selection of components. What kind of case do I need for an AM2 motherboard? Are all cases compatible or do some only work with certain types? Where would I look to find out what is compatible and how do I find out what kind of power supply I need?Help with building PC
Good move to build yourself instead.Motherboards come in standardized sizes the most common being ATX, EATX (extended ATX), and Mini ATX; just look at your case and motherboard choices to see if it will be compatible, keep in mind that you will also have to fit other components (for example higher-end videocards have longer lengths that won't work with small-formfactor cases.)You can use a PSU calculator to determine what kind of wattage you will need, most modern PSUs will have most of the connectors you require, keep in mind some older PSUs won't support newer connectors like the 24-pin connector (used on modern motherboards), SATA (for SATA drives), and PCIe connectors (for newer videocards.) Post if you have more questions, or PM.Help with building PC
the small am2 mobs will probably be mico/mini atx ie the oens with 2 or less pci slots and one pcie slot and the bigger board will be atx the ones with say 3 pci and 2 or more pcie slots. and am2 cpu will fit any am2 mob, any new p/s would fit but old ones will probably not have the right plug. avoid ''genric'' p/s get a brand name one such as thermaltake with atleast 400w total output, also you need to make sure there is enough amps on the various lines such as 12a and the +12 or 3a on -5 etc
the small am2 mobs will probably be mico/mini atx ie the oens with 2 or less pci slots and one pcie slot and the bigger board will be atx the ones with say 3 pci and 2 or more pcie slots. and am2 cpu will fit any am2 mob, any new p/s would fit but old ones will probably not have the right plug. avoid ''genric'' p/s get a brand name one such as thermaltake with atleast 400w total output, also you need to make sure there is enough amps on the various lines such as 12a and the +12 or 3a on -5 etc
i built my own a few weeks ago and i found it really easy (only 14 plus i'ld only ever replace RAM before)For a case try a full tower thermaltake case, they take pretty much every motherboard and have loads of room (i've got an armor), get a little snack tray (one of those ones with little compartements) it's anoying looking through 100 screws for the right one. Have a look at my rig then adapt it as you see fitGigabyte P35C DS3R (really pleased with this, easy to overclock (first ever worked perfectly without stress testing or anything fancy))E6600 (comes with a cooler with thermal paste already on it so don't worry about that)EVGA 8800GTS Superclocked(works very well but runs hot)ASUS SATA DVD-Rewritter with lightscribe (it's good and SATA (smaller cables), but it can be quite loud))Hitachi deskstar 7200rpm 16mb cache 320gb (don't have much to say on this except that the size was measured in the old method (1000mb = 1gb) instead of the new (1024mb = 1gb) but it's not a real problem)2gb cheap GEIL DDR2 800mhz (overclocks nicely (only got it because it was cheap), it's also listed on the gigabyte website as compatible)Thermaltake armor VA8003BWS (incredibly heavy (probably twice the weight as your old PC) but it's good, easy to work with but the mylar tapes were an arse)OCZ 600W GamerXstreme(very good, cool, efficient and quite, but it does emit a very quite noice if you leave it plugged in or switched on at the back)PM me if you need any help