well I was a car mechanic for 12 years...that might qualify.
I was reading through each part you listed a link for and people are saying I have to change voltages in the BIOS and use jumper instructions with the motherboard. Is that hard? At the same time, people are saying the instructions are almost non-existent with that motherboard.
As was mentioned earlier, the BIOS isn't something to be worried about. On your current Dell, you should be able to get into it by hitting F2 before windows starts loading (i think it's F2 - it usually is) and take a look around in there. You'll quickly find that it's not rocket science. The default settings are usually fine. I've used lots of different brands of motherboard in the past including Asus and normally haven't had to make any changes to anything. Most will come with a manual or a cd with the manual in pdf format. The manuals tend to be written by someone who barely speaks English so they are very amusing.
If you decide to build your own you'll find it pretty easy.
1. Install the motherboard in the case. Usually about 4-6 screws that line up perfectly with the case.
2. Install the power supply if the case didn't come with one. Only one spot it'll fit properly and screws right in there nicely.
3. Install the CPU. Only fits one way, there's a little notch that lines up nicely.
4. Install the CPU fan/cooler. This is the only part that can be tricky. you put a little silicone grease on the top of the CPU then put the fan on. The grease usually comes with the motherboard. Plug the fan into the connector on the motherboard (two pins near the cpu labelled "CPU FAN")
5. Install the RAM. It only fits one way. Take a quick look at the motherboard manual to ensure there isn't preferred slots to use. For example; if you have 2 sticks of ram and 4 slots, sometimes it's best to put them side by side, sometimes in slots 1&3. The manual will tell you, and if you do it wrong everything will still work fine.
6. Install the Hard Drive(s) -- easy mount in the case, plug the cable (probably SATA) into one of the connectors on the motherboard.
7. Install the DVD Drive. similar to the hard drive install.
8. Connect the power cables. There's likely two to the motherboard (again, it's obvious which ones go where) and one to each of the drives.
If you're going new, it's worth getting Windows 7. Get a 64-bit version.
I've done this enough times that I can do it in about 15-20 minutes. A newbie should be able to do it in about an hour or so.
Just like working on your bike. Take your time and look for what makes sense. The connectors are usually different shapes for different things. If something uses the same connector you can probably interchange them. The only exception to that I can think of is the stupid PS/2 connectors for plugging in your keyboard and mouse. Why they are identical is beyond me.
And of course, since this is the FZ6 forum, there's plenty of people here to help.
Good Luck.
