You're either building your own computer because you want to save money, or you're doing it so you can end up with the exact system that you want. Regardless, it's always a juggling act between finding the best parts for your computer and not spending a fortune.

I've been burned several times because I bought parts from someone whose reputation I didn't research fully, just because they were cheap. Most notable is when I bought a power supply from a man named "Moo" and it fried my wife's hard drive. I may never live that one down!

Over the years, I've come to rely on two main sources for my computer parts, with a small network of others that I use for research and double-checking price, reputation, etc. 

Two excellent online retailers that I use regularly are Newegg.com and Tigerdirect.com.

Amazon.com, PcMall.com, and Frys.com are also among the more recognizable...and reputable...online sellers that I primarily use for researching the component I'm buying. 

BizRate.com, Pricewatch.com, and eBay.com are also well recognized sources, though they are really middlemen that put you in contact with other companies.Still, if it's a brand name component you want, these are helpful in finding it at the best price. DO research the seller though, before you buy! 

Each seller has their strengths and weaknesses... which one you choose will be a balance between several factors:

• Support and service
• Returns and warrantees
• What you want
• Your knowledge of computer hardware
• Your research abilities and how much effort you want to expend in order to research the best deal
• Reputation of the manufacturer
• Reputation of the retailer
• How much you want to spend 

These are not by any means the only retailers or middlemen available. A simple search on any search engine will net you thousands of hits. I’ve chosen these because they are some that I’ve dealt with myself and I can give better examples from experience.

When looking at ease of use, good descriptions and specifications of products and variety of manufacturers both Newegg and Tigerdirect are excellent.

Which of the two will give you the best price varies from product to product, I tend to check both for what I want and get it from the cheaper one.

Tigerdirect seems to do better on their barebones and combo deals, Newegg on the main components bought separately. One advantage that Newegg has with their site is customer feedback on the main page for each product. It seems to be fairly done, with positive and negative comments uncensored (except for language I think).

I could go on and break things down farther, but these are the basics of what I look for.

You can get better deals, even on brands with great reputations, but you’ll want to use the search engines to make sure of who you are dealing with if you go that route. Google the name of the supplier and see what comes up. If it's an off-brand you're looking at, google that as well. Good Luck!