Build or not to build?

[The Grandfather]

Uhhhh, you can replace the motherboard on any computer.  You just need the correct form factor.  Dell computers are upgradable.

Most come with PCI-x16 slots.  Most will support 4 GB RAM.

I understand that your comprehension of the subject is limited, so any help I offer may or may not make any sense to you.  This isn't meant as an insult.

Basically, do what you want.

I did not know you can replace the mb on pre-built pc's.

My comprehension is very limited. This ia why I am asking opinions. I appreciate yout ime and your patience in helping me.

Hmmm decision decisions....

[The Grandfather]

I am going to build. For a couple of reasons. I want the experience and I want a more than fast computer.

The main question. 32 or 64 bit?

Quad or dual?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115130

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115201

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103471

Ofcourse I want the biggest bang for my buck. Any suggestions?

[BulleT917]

Get the new core i7 dual core!  Those things kick ass

[b@!!ofH8]

Get the i7 920 - better processor / price than the ones you posted.

[The Grandfather]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202

Took me a half hour to find this thing, lol.

This sounds good to me.

So you think I would be happy with a quad 2.66 than a dual 3.0 or higher?

And

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-High-Tower-Black/dp/B001EPUQAE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=pc&qid=1237849378&sr=1-1

Maybe this altogether

i7 920 oc to 4.0 ghz--Would love to overclock this a little
1000w Corsair PSU---?
P6T Deluxe v2---?
12gb DDR3 12800 1600 mhz---?
2x 620 wd raid hd with 1.5 tb Secondary back up---wtf is this?
Thermalright Extreme Cooler---would I need this?
Antec 1200 Case---very nice
GTX 295 ---??

Or this for memory

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227381

[Toucan_69]

Here is my take on it all...

With the newer technology of i7 you will have a solid system for a few years out. Whether you wish to keep this PC at the office or at home, it will have a lengthy life that will be a heck of a lot better than what is in the office (or house) right now.

As for the case - your taste is much different than mine  -- but those lights can be pretty! Personally, I'll be looking for a case without bling.   

Maybe this altogether

i7 920 oc to 4.0 ghz--Would love to overclock this a little
1000w Corsair PSU---?
P6T Deluxe v2---?
12gb DDR3 12800 1600 mhz---?
2x 620 wd raid hd with 1.5 tb Secondary back up---wtf is this?
Thermalright Extreme Cooler---would I need this?
Antec 1200 Case---very nice
GTX 295 ---??

The 920 would be good - and with the better cooler (the Extreme) you should be able to get closer to your goal of 4.0 GHz. The motherboard is highly rated (although I will state for the record the only motherboard I have ever returned for failure was an Asus motherboard), so you should be okay with it. With the memory, if you are looking for all-out speed, why not go for the DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000)?
To explain the three hard drives mentioned above, there are two (620 GB x 2 = 1240GB/1.24TB) that are raided together (for performance reasons, usually) and then a third drive (1.5TB) that looks to be used for backing up data.
The card would be a great addition, but my understanding is that if you really want gaming performance with that i7 processor, get a second card in SLI to go with it.

My $ 0.02 worth...

[logicaL!]

Just buy a respectable Gaming PC from a reputable company. Therefore you can't screw it up.

Examples.
Falcon NW Talon ($2k)
Or
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9180423&st=Core+i7&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1218046802234
(Yeah its a Dell... with an i7 and a 4850)

etc.

[Mongoose]

Just buy a respectable Gaming PC from a reputable company. Therefore you can't screw it up.

Examples.
Falcon NW Talon ($2k)
Or
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9180423&st=Core+i7&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1218046802234
(Yeah its a Dell... with an i7 and a 4850)

etc.

This way it is reputably screwed up out of the box.

[logicaL!]

Just buy a respectable Gaming PC from a reputable company. Therefore you can't screw it up.

Examples.
Falcon NW Talon ($2k)
Or
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9180423&st=Core+i7&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1218046802234
(Yeah its a Dell... with an i7 and a 4850)

etc.

This way it is reputably screwed up out of the box.

Exactly. This way it will make Killa think he screwed it up.

[BulleT917]

I have a Dell XPS  (Don't yell at me!)  and it works great.  I got it one and a half years ago and i can still play most games at max settings.  It worked great out of the box, havnt had any complaints.  However, they gave me a slightly outdated mobo, which i was dissapointed about. Oh, its also BTX configuration, which kinda sucks. Anyways dells aren't that bad...