So I'm looking to build a new system (first time), but I have some questions I need help with before I can make some serious choices.

First off - I will be using the computer for gaming/watching movies/music/general internet use/video editing. I like to multi-task and have the ability to switch between windows quickly.

Now then, here are a few of my questions:

CPU: Is quadcore really worth it? Yes in theory they should be twice as good as a dualcore, but other than benchmark stress tests will I really see a noticeable difference in my day-to-day usage? If so how significantly? Also, AMDs seem to be a better value than intels, but I've heard people have a lot of problems with AMDs overheating, is this true for the newer products?

PSU: How exactly do you go about figuring out just how much power your system will need? Can you simply add all the watts listed by the hardware specs or is it more complicated than that?

Board: To me it seems like a good board is a good investment because you can always upgrade different components later, however at the same time a board only supports a specific set of hardware types, and won't support new CPUs or memory that might come out... if I opt for a cheaper board, how much would this effect my over-all system performance? Can a cheaper board essentially bottle-neck an other-wise good system? Also, why do all the cheaper boards seem to come with built-in GPUs? I plan to purchase a video card, so I don't want to be paying for something I'm not gonna be using.

Sorry if this is a lot to ask, but that's where I'm at right now. Also feel free to get into details because I'm not exactly computer illiterate, just inexperienced with building systems. (I've been using the same IBM for the past 9 years)

This post has been edited by VSL: Oct 17 2009, 10:50 PM