Building a machine

[kandrathe]

Here is some additional stuff not covered above.

I do this to insure the base of the heat sink is very flat (microscopically), as they often are concave or convex. It takes a couple hours generally and it is well worth it and removes any worry of the CPU overheating due to poor contact with the heat sink. Use a good quality thermal paste.

You also don't want the weight of the CPU's heat sink resting solely on the CPU silicon wafer, so most installations will require a shim to surround the CPU. Look at the CPU and/or Mobo manufacturers site for the recommended installation.

The only thing scaring me a little, considering how insanely lazy I am, is the idea of having no customer support...

That was my sentiment as well, but think of it this way. If you do it correctly and have a sweet fast machine for a huge price savings, those savings are insurance against future failure. The most common problems I've seen have been between power supply and motherboards, and neither of those are expensive ($50 - $150) in comparison to the price of the entire package. That said, getting a trusted good quality power supply can save you tons of frustration and will help to protect your other components. $20-$30 of extra quality in a power supply can save you time and money when you find yourself trying to get the supplier to take back the motherboard(s) your bad power supply has zapped.

Have fun. Once you do this I doubt you will ever buy one off the shelf again. :D