Can you provide a good resource for determining which components to buy? I've never built my own computer, but I'm confident I could do it. But I'm a little lost with all the choices.
I'm using linux for my main machine, so buying components w/o an installed OS should help keep the price down.
I currently use a laptop as my 'desktop'. External keyboard/mouse and a USB hub, occasionally an external monitor when I need more screen real-estate, which is rare - the 'Workplace Switcher', 'Window Selector' and 'Window List' applets really help keep my screen uncluttered. I keep separate 'stuff' on separate virtual screens, and move easily between them.
Anyhow, since I've got this laptop, and a little netbook I bought for travel, and DW has a laptop (MacBookPro), I'm thinking of moving to a mini-sized desktop when I replace this laptop as my main machine. I think I would want to go with a mobile processor - I'm a little shocked at these 500W power supplies they call for in most of those builds on NewEgg. What will that do to my electric bill! My laptop uses about 20W. I'd also like the option of connecting two monitors - sometimes that is super-useful.
I go to this passmark site to compare relative CPU performance (the CPU names and GHz ratings don't seem to mean much!):
PassMark - CPU Benchmarks - List of Benchmarked CPUs
Any help is appreciated!
-ERD50