This is after like months of reading and submitting posts... I just wanted to be well-informed for my very (yes very!) first build! Goal: fast office / graphics box. So, please share any comments, etc, etc! Also, many thanks for the great input and *humble* opinions!
CASE: Antec Solution Series Quiet Black Mid Tower Case with 350W Power Supply, Model "SLK2650-BQE" - Retail
WHY I LIKE THIS: psu has lots of current on 12v rails, pretty black case!
MOBO: ASUSnForce4 Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket 939 CPU, Model "A8N-E" -RETAIL
WHY: Actually can run DDR-400 memory in various configurations up to 3 GB dual channel; lots of options for everything including overclocking; I tested support hot line, got a rep in less than one minute; very good documentation; some other less expensive boards were very picky on memory configurations for dual channel.
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3000+, 512KB L2 Cache, Socket 939 64-bit Processor - Retail
WHY: Best bang for the buck, just trying to keep cost down
VID CARD: Gigabyte nVIDIA GeForce 6200 TurboCache Video Card, 64MB DDR (Up to 256MB Shared), 64-Bit, DVI/TV-Out, PCI-Express, Model "GV-NX62TC256D" -
WHY: Value; not doing heavy gaming
RAM: Kingston ValueRAM Dual Channel Kit 184 Pin 1G(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200 - Retail
WHY: Compatable with mobo whereas some others are not
STORAGE: 2 Seagate 80GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drives, Model ST380013AS, OEM
WHY: RAID 1... these have 5 yr warrantee, and don't need 120-300 GB anyway.
DVD BURNER: NEC 16X Double Layer DVD±RW Drive, Black, Model ND-3520A BK, OEM
WHY: Looks nice, dunno!
MISC: Floppy, keyboard
Total cost about $750 incl shipping. Most of the stuff planning to get at NewEgg.
Total cost if I got soemthing like it from D*LL: well over $1K