Guide me on my work-spec purchase

Trying to break into the Intel Core 2 Duo without breaking my wallet. Would appreciate any help you could give towards mixing/matching my system. I'm trying to build a work-spec system with the following goals:

1. Break into the Intel Core 2 Duo world.
2. Assemble the system into a micro case (something boxy that looks good on the desk, maybe even stackable).
3. Have enough graphics power to run Ubuntu Beryl and/or Vista "glass" environments smoothly.
4. Gigabit LAN built-in.
5. PCI-E, Sata 3 and other features that allow me to grow in the future.

I don't play any games to speak of, so that is of little concern. Here is what I had in mind:

Case: Ultra Black MicroFly MicroATX Tower w/400w PS $39.99
MB: Gigabyte 8I945GZME-RH Intel Socket 775 MicroATX Motherboard $69.99
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 $189.99
RAM: Ultra 1024MB PC4200 DDR2 533MHz Memory $69.99
HD: Maxtor 320gb ATA 16mb (already own)
CDROM: Sony dual-layer DVD burner ATA (already own)

So as you can see I could be there for roughly $370, but do you think the integrated graphics would cut it? I also saw reference to the PCChips P23g (3.0) board bundled together with the Ultra case and wondered what you thought of that as well. Thanks everyone for your help.

To run vista, i doubt Interegated Graphics will cope... how are you getting RAM so cheap by the way??

It's a single stick of 1GB PC4200 RAM. I got one that cost me $40 CAD.

I'd avoid a PCChips motherboard, the gigabyte board is ok. The integrated graphics should be able to run aero, but I don't know how well.

Ahhh, you're right, didn't catch that the memory was a single stick. All of my prices were from Tiger. The reason I mentioned the PCChips was because of this bundle:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2755471&CatId=0

Seemed pretty smart that I could run a 3.2 for now and if I bought the right ram up front, I could simply pop in a 6300 or 6400 once the prices dropped down. But then I noticed that the PCChips motherboard lacked gig ethernet, no PCI-E and only Sata 150. Although it is appealling to have a lower processor for now and then pop in something faster down the road. Would work better for my wallet.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811190087
case like that seems nice for a desktop type environment
get a mobo, some ram and a cpu to put in it. the ones you have selected all ready are fine for this case

Wow, for right now, i strongly recommend AMD x2, or AM2 x2, i mean, right now, their speeds are very similar, but AMD x2 has been around longer, so its cheaper
(get a single core AMD, they're cheaper than dualcore)

and i dont recommend a small crammy case for these kind of processors, first of all, they're really a pain to assemble, and they can cause heating probems, i know they look really nice, but i dont recommend it

Well my major goal is to get into the duo core 2, mainly the 6300 and up. I know I could have cheaper, but that is my goal.

I wondered about the small cases too, but then I see more and more people (even gamers and home theater people that stick them in confined spaces) using them and saying they work great. So I got the impression that cooling had improved, or that the processors run a little cooler than they did in the past.

Can you guys think of any other relatively cheap cases that would be stackable and would look nice on a desk? I have some ugly desktops at the moment and they're crowding my feet here (I'm a bit ashamed of them).

well what kind of case are you looking for? a shuttle(.com) type case or the kind of case i linked you above?

I was looking at the Shuttle cases such as what you suggested, and the MicroFly MicroATX tower (link below). The MicroFly has an 80mm fan up front, 120mm in the back and also accepts full-size power supplies (comes with a standard 400w).

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1800610&CatId=1507

I just like it because it's pretty clean looking. Not into the gaming cases. It also seems like something that I could stack maybe two or three high on the desk.

looks good, but some of the reviews arent
" Summary:
Very speedy delivery. Case very flimsy but the high gloss finish make a very good looking machine. Installing PCI card somewhat difficult due to the location of the power supply. I had to remove the slide out tray several times requiring unplugging most of the connections because the graphics card I purchased was DOA and had to be reinstalled several times during the build trying to trouble shoot the problem. Finally got everything together this weekend with a cheap 128mb pci graphics card purchsed from Walmart while I am waiting on replacement from EVGA. Everything works and looks good. Case ventilation is great. Runs cool and quiet. I finally gave up on getting the rebate. I normally do not shop for rebates and the difficulty I encountered when applying only reinforced my opinion. Just give me the price, Rebates SUCK. I gave the case a 3 star rating mainly because of how flimsy the case is. For the price it should be built more sustantially."

the only thing i personally dont like is that the PSU is located on top of the pci slots.

Thanks for the tips. Yeah I read that review too, but once I build a system I tend to leave them alone so I sort of past over that.

The more I've been researching, the more I'm considering buying a motherboard where I could pop in a 3.2ghz P4 chip for now and then a duo core 2 6300 or up within the next year. Would you guys go this route if money was a factor?

Also if you guys were to build a decent quality 6300 duo machine with 1gb of ram and enough graphics to run Ubuntu Beryl or Vista but no more, what would you choose for a mb/cpu/gcu combo?

i think you can get a pentium d for cheaper than a p4 right now

Broke down and bought local, but I did ok!

Went to a local PC shop and talked the guy down a bit. Here is what I picked up:

Asus P5L-MX Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Duo 6400 Processor
Mid-tower case (brand unknown) with a Raidmax 420w PS (I know I know but it's temporary)

I discussed prices with him and he took off $40 off the whole deal, plus the case that I bought had a 300w PS so he threw in the Raidmax 420w for free.

Total out the door: $489 after tax.

I then went to BestBuy and there was a great deal on PNY 1GB DDR2-667 (5300) for only $89 a piece, so I bought two and threw in a $30 gift card I got for xmas just for good measure.

Total: $160 after tax for 2GB of ram

So now I have it all thrown together, and it's flying for what I do with it, the most I do is two VMWare virtual machines on top of the OS (XP Pro atm) for my computer training and do some Video editing work. It's just nice to have something modern for once, this is only my 2nd brand new system in my whole life, and I'm in my 30's!

Thanks for the advice guys, overall I stuck with my initial plans and ditched the micro case in respect to those of you that expressed heat concerns.