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Thanks again. I've adjusted the cpu from oem to retail, I had no idea what the difference was and information is not readily apparent from their website.

Also switched the case for an Antec and swapped out the graphics card. Antec case was the same price and the card was only about 7 dollars more.

Now if I can only manage to put all this stuff together.

Question: How do you go about installing the bios and those initial first steps to prepare a freshly assembled system for loading Windows? I've bought 'barebones' systems online before, but they were always burned in and ready for the OS. Are there any tricks or traps to watch out for during that first power up stage?

Long gone are the days of jumpers, and BIOS headaches. I usually use Asus motherboards, but I imagine the Gigabyte's are the same in that as long as you connect everything the right way (RTFM as they say :-)) you should be able to get it up and running 1-2-3. A few things to remember:

You usually need to go into the BIOS to set the computer to boot off the CD (so you can install your OS), and the default settings may need to be tweaked. Good luck.