In cases where I need later versions of applications than what comes with my distro (Ubuntu 12.04 ATM), using the original source packages is very helpful as th

In cases where I need later versions of applications than what comes with my distro (Ubuntu 12.04 ATM), using the original source packages is very helpful as they already correctly list all the dpendencies and they will install perfectly into the existing system. So you grab the source package, update the version of the upstream ounces, update the changelog and build an updated package, with as much original OS dependencies as possible. I don't know about RPM sources, but for debs, this is what I had the most success with.