Rant: Building a computer sucks!

I agree with the title, heh.

I also went for a smaller size case back when I went off to college. It still barely fit in the space I had in the dorms, but it was doable. After leaving, of course it was a pain to upgrade for as most parts wouldn't fit in it. So I eventually got another bigger case.

Sorry you're having a rough time with it.  Yea, computers can be pretty finnicky, and its not uncommon to freak out a bit when you first power it on and something doesn't work.  It could be anything, the parts are expensive and RMA is a pain in the ass.  

One of the most important components is the PSU, though many people dismiss it as an afterthought.  Gotta remember, that one component powers ALL of your components, and though you may want to cut some corners to lower your budget (less powerful video card, mobo with less features, etc.),  don't cheap out on the PSU.  Buy a quality one (Seasonic, Corsair, Antec) that feeds clean, stable electricity to your rig.  (Check out this list for a general idea, look for Tier 3 or higher - http://www.eggxpert....ead/323050.aspx ) Throw away the one that comes with your case (unless it is from one of the above mentioned brands.)  A poor PSU can cause tons of stability problems that you may think is another component.

Good luck with your build, I built my computer about a year ago and ran into a few problems too.  Hang in there.

Interesting, I built my first computer from scratch a year and a half ago no issues. Took about 2.5 hours or so.  I swear about 30 minutes of that was just dealing with the drive bays on my Phantom 410, couldn't get my SSD in right. 

This was also after using a Mac for about 5 years and not really touching much hardware. 

Luck of the draw I suppose.

Thanks for the advice/encouragement guys.  I ordered a Corsair CX-500W PSU and it's modular so I think it should be fine (I think I saw it in the 3rd Tier).  I used to have an Antec True Blue which I never had issues with.

This is like my 5th build I've done, but I don't think I've ever run into this many issues.  I mean the GFX card isn't a huge deal, but this beeping MOBO is driving me crazy.  Once the PSU comes I hope that fixes everything.  

Yea that's a solid PSU.  Hopefully it solves your problems, keep us updated.

Haha, that reminds me, I once had a PSU explode. It was the one built in to the case and no other components were harmed, but the room smelt bad/burnt for 3 days.

Welcome to the party pal.

Good news guys!  The new PSU did the trick.  Installed it, added all my cards, drives, etc.  Closed the sucker up and started up with no problem or beeping!  I'm back in action and updating everything before I start DLing some games on it.  I installed a 2TB hard drive so no more deleting or moving things around!

Thanks for all the support!

Glad to hear that you're up and running.  I've built a few systems and while it's theoretically "easy", I've come across enough issues that I wouldn't give anyone flack for wanting to buy a custom pre-built (I'd still give them flack for buying a Dell from Best Buy though )

Without getting into a giant story of it, my last build was using an old Clarksdale i3 and it just wouldn't boot up.  First I realized that the cable connections weren't consistently colored (the orange 'power button' wire from the case was connecting to the orange 'restart button' pins on the motherboard) which was my fault for not double-checking the MB documents.  But then it turned out that using my specific processor required a flash BIOS upgrade which I only learned through a few hours on Google, reading old-ass message board threads from 2009.  That's the sort of thing no one brings up when telling an uncertain party "Just build one, it's simple!"

It's worth doing once for the experience and you feel confident the next time you need to open 'er up and upgrade something but it's often marketed as easier than it (potentially) is.