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If you're in Minnesota, General Nano Systems is nestled on University avenue between Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Great service, good prices - quote these guys a price and what you want to do, and they'll put together a great machine for you.

I talked my 21-year-old son out of going to that store that starts with "Best" (Best for who?), and he ended up with a system that is the envy of his friends for a third of the price he expected.

They also bench-check the hardware when they sell it, so returns for bad product are extremely rare (never happened to me or anyone I know).

http://www.nanosys1.com/

I would've bought my powerbook there if they had them...:)

These guys are worth any dime you spend on hardware.

The M3 always seem to come in the same length and get used for 3.5" floppy drives, DVD-ROM, CDROM, Burner (ie anything that goes into the 5 1/4" bays). They usually get used to attach the motherboard by screwing into the brass standoffs that the mobo sits on (more on that later).

The 6-32 get used to secure PCI/AGP cards onto the case, for securing the case side panels, and sometimes also fit the standoffs used to secure a motherboard (Enlight cases are an example of this). If you try to put an M3 screw into a standoff that wants a 6-32, it will probably work going in but not out, which pretty much sucks but we've all done it. It's pretty hard to differentiate a 6-32 brass standoff from a M3 one just by looking at it.

Hard drives also use 6-32 screws, but they have to be shorter than what ordinarily gets used elsewhere. The hard drive manufacturers aren't obvious about what length is recommended, but 1/4" or 4mm is about right. For some cases with removable drive bays (like Antec), the hex head screws stick out too far and won't work, so you'll need a flat head. This is usually where the bag of screws you get with the case comes in useful, so I try to use those first. You don't want to use an ordinary 6-32 length screws (not sure how long they are), since they could damage the drive.

Other than screws, I suggest buying some paper washers that go between the screw and the motherboard. Not really necessary, but they insure that there's no electrical short and prevent damage of the motherboard. Well worth the $0.10 each or whatever.

Since you never seem to get directions with a case (or they're totally incomprehensible), I suggest separating all the hardware into groups to figure out what you've got. It's easiest just to buy the screws and washers in bulk and not mess with all the different weird screws you'll ordinarily get though.

The M3 always seem to come in the same length and get used for 3.5" floppy drives, DVD-ROM, CDROM, Burner (ie anything that goes into the 5 1/4" bays). They usually get used to attach the motherboard by screwing into the brass standoffs that the mobo sits on (more on that later).

The 6-32 get used to secure PCI/AGP cards onto the case, for securing the case side panels, and sometimes also fit the standoffs used to secure a motherboard (Enlight cases are an example of this). If you try to put an M3 screw into a standoff that wants a 6-32, it will probably work going in but not out, which pretty much sucks but we've all done it. It's pretty hard to differentiate a 6-32 brass standoff from a M3 one just by looking at it.

Hard drives also use 6-32 screws, but they have to be shorter than what ordinarily gets used elsewhere. The hard drive manufacturers aren't obvious about what length is recommended, but 1/4" or 4mm is about right. For some cases with removable drive bays (like Antec), the hex head screws stick out too far and won't work, so you'll need a flat head. This is usually where the bag of screws you get with the case comes in useful, so I try to use those first. You don't want to use an ordinary 6-32 length screws (not sure how long they are), since they could damage the drive.

Other than screws, I suggest buying some paper washers that go between the screw and the motherboard. Not really necessary, but they insure that there's no electrical short and prevent damage of the motherboard. Well worth the $0.10 each or whatever.

Since you never seem to get directions with a case (or they're totally incomprehensible), I suggest separating all the hardware into groups to figure out what you've got. It's easiest just to buy the screws and washers in bulk and not mess with all the different weird screws you'll ordinarily get though.

The M3 always seem to come in the same length and get used for 3.5" floppy drives, DVD-ROM, CDROM, Burner (ie anything that goes into the 5 1/4" bays). They usually get used to attach the motherboard by screwing into the brass standoffs that the mobo sits on (more on that later).

The 6-32 get used to secure PCI/AGP cards onto the case, for securing the case side panels, and sometimes also fit the standoffs used to secure a motherboard (Enlight cases are an example of this). If you try to put an M3 screw into a standoff that wants a 6-32, it will probably work going in but not out, which pretty much sucks but we've all done it. It's pretty hard to differentiate a 6-32 brass standoff from a M3 one just by looking at it.

Hard drives also use 6-32 screws, but they have to be shorter than what ordinarily gets used elsewhere. The hard drive manufacturers aren't obvious about what length is recommended, but 1/4" or 4mm is about right. For some cases with removable drive bays (like Antec), the hex head screws stick out too far and won't work, so you'll need a flat head. This is usually where the bag of screws you get with the case comes in useful, so I try to use those first. You don't want to use an ordinary 6-32 length screws (not sure how long they are), since they could damage the drive.

Other than screws, I suggest buying some paper washers that go between the screw and the motherboard. Not really necessary, but they insure that there's no electrical short and prevent damage of the motherboard. Well worth the $0.10 each or whatever.

Since you never seem to get directions with a case (or they're totally incomprehensible), I suggest separating all the hardware into groups to figure out what you've got. It's easiest just to buy the screws and washers in bulk and not mess with all the different weird screws you'll ordinarily get though.

Try this one. Regardless, simply touching the case -- whether it is plugged in or not -- is usually adaquate. I've assembled dozens of computers using that technique and never had a problem.

I brought it back to the place I got it http://www.nanosys1.com/, (I don't work for them, BTW) and they not only took my board back and RMA'd it, they sold me a newer one at 10% over cost. I think I would be greeted with confused looks and laughter if I went to Best Buy or Computer "Go-Round".

I now have my motherboard back (they explained that it's better to RMA through them, since they have a relationship with the board makers; more chance of MSI fixing/replacing it.) and my new board is chugging along nicely. I've been buying stuff from them since '97 and now that I've moved out of the Mpls area, I drive an hour and a half to do business with these guys. Happily.