In the past few months since I built my most recent computer, I've written about it, taught about it and had several students warm to the idea and even succeed at it themselves. Building a computer is not an impossible task and is rewarding in more ways than one.

Generally speaking, you can end up knowing much more about computers when you're done, and the end result is usually a better computer -- with better quality control -- than you might get with a store-bought unit. There are some pretty cheap ones out there, but as we know, we get what we pay for.

Maybe with the New Year the time is right for a computer adventure, especially if it leads to that upgrade you've been putting off.

The combination of buying online and knowing what you want and whether it's any good will generally produce a computer at bargain prices that will really deliver.

One of my students discovered a strategy that really helped make up his mind on what to buy. If it worked for him, it just might be the ticket for you, as well.

You see, Mel wants very much to build his own box, but how to make sense out of the endless possible combinations of brands, power levels and vendors just vexed him.

I suggested Pricewatch.com and pointed him to the various components that allow the most bang for the buck. Sure enough, we could put together a system that made sense to me, but for Mel -- for many people, perhaps -- his question continued to be: Why this and not that?

What answered the question for him was a visit to United Micro at www.unitedmicro.com. It's the online outfit where my student Harry got his stuff.

What Mel discovered was the "Configurator," which lets you design your own system and then prices the combo as you go.

For example, Mel chose a Pentium 4 CPU Based System at the first screen. Then, United Micro gave him a form for choosing the different components. Mel already had his case from a local computer show.

So Mel's first choice at United Micro was a motherboard, and he went with an Asus with on-board video, audio, Ethernet and the new serial ATA hard drive connectors.

Next, he went for the Pentium 4 2.4 GHz microprocessor with the 800 MHz front-side bus, which conformed to the Asus motherboard. The chip isn't the fastest Intel makes, but it's the best buy in today's CPU marketplace.

After that, he chose the appropriate cooling fan for a P4.

Then it was on to something really important, the memory. I'd already talked with Mel that PC 2700 DDR 512 MB memory modules were at the best price these days, considering the dual channel mode delivered 666 MHz bus speed for half the price of the PC 3200. Enough said. (Well, maybe not, but let's move on.) Mel was careful to enter "2" in the quantity field so he'd end up with a gigabyte of DDR memory.

Now, Mel had everything else he needed. When he clicked on the "Buy/Quote," he had confidence that he had picked a system that made sense. The price suited him too.

You'll also find online guides for building your own PC. "Build Your Own" at www.pcmech.com/build.htm gives you a folksy, step-by-step guide. One of the best on the Net is Tom's Hardware Guide called "Building Your Own System" at www.tomshardware.com/howto/20020904/. If you follow the pages, you'll get a very deliberate set of directions.

I can recommend Compubuzz.com for component shopping, where I originally bought my last system. Tigerdirect.com is also very reliable, and Primepc.com lets you start from a bare bones system and customize, so that you get a feel for what works.

I would also urge anyone who'd like to build their own computers to use the search sites like Google and Yahoo! to locate both information sites for learning how to put computers together as well as shopping sites that may help you find your own components at prices you can afford.

And don't forget eBay. You can buy almost anything there and the price often can't be beat.

If you're not comfortable shopping online or if you want to hold the stuff in your hand while you buy, you can always go to a shop like Computer Connection in Napa.

I also urge you to join a class where you can learn more. The Napa Valley Adult School has computer classes, and ROP programs like mine at New Tech High also welcome adults.

Another wise move is to hook up with like-minded people in clubs like the Napa Valley PC Users Group. Many of its members have a hankering to build computers and you just might be able to partner up.

Good luck and Happy New Year!

Calvin Ross can be reached at calross@napanet.net