Processor: 64 bit or Dual processor? Which manufactor? Which motherboard?
Well this is something you will have to decide and there is a massive spread to choose from with a lot of parameters:
"I like to OC and I know what I'm doing"
- Either P4E(S775) running a flagship class 925X mobo or a Athlon64(S754) running a nForce3 mobo
- With the Intel route, you'd have to get 550/560 processor to take advantage of pseudo-unlocked multipliers. So far ASUS is the only brand to have this feature but the other brands will be following shortly. It's very important to distinguish between the P4E(S478) and the P4E(S775) as the former has mass heat issues and the latter doesnt. Now even if you cant get the 550/560 processor, you can still squeeze out a max of 25% OC on the older processors which is a respectable OC really.
- With the AMD route you can make use of 64bit support in video applications and naturally, play games in 64bit mode (and there IS a difference, i.e., Red Mercury). The reason I noted the Socket754 instead of the Socket939 is that it's so much cheaper and (a) they OC like a wild rabid dog and (b) lack of dual channel controllers isnt a critical hit because the memory controller is on-die. For a choice of nForce3-250 mobos, the current favorite is by MSI
"I might consider OCing but not right now"
- Either a P4C-3.2 running a flagship i875 mobo or a Athlon64-3500 running any mobo you can find (most are very good)
- With the intel route, you get a solid out-of-the-box configuration which, for all intents and purposes, "set the bar" that has not been broken until recently with nForce3-250 configurations (and for those ready to chuck me benchmarks and crap -- save it; benchmarks compare chips outside of the price bracket). Running the class-leading ASUS P4C800-E Deluxe will give you a platform that is quite devastating to start with but doesnt sacrifice upward mobility as OC potential is quite impressive with both P4C and P4E chips
- With the AMD route you get a very solid platform, which, like the Intel route (and possibly more so), is extremely easy to OC yet still gives formidable out-of-the-box performance. You might consider getting the Athlon64-3800 instead as it gives a lot more room to OC later on ... then again if you are considering the A64-3800 you might then want to consider the FX53 which gives you extremely flexible overclocking performance.
"I dont want any OCing, I dont (want to) know how to"
- This is prolly the most expensive route, to get class-dominating performance within that budget but should be doable: again, Intel 550/560 with a 925X mobo or a Athlon64 FX53 running a nForce4 Ultra mobo.
- With the intel route, again as above, you get a lot of OC headroom with a very solid, out of the box experience. Nothing particularly special about this (when you dont consider OCing).
- With the AMD route, the now-discontinued FX53 gives you a crapload-of-performance-in-a-box and if you are willing to wait for the nForce4 boards (which are available but just starting to trickle into the market) then you'll be more than set. You can of course get a K8T800Pro or nForce3-250 setup if you cant wait that long (they should prolly be quite readily accessible by Xmas)
RAM: AT LEAST a gig of RAM. What speed do I need though?
- For video ops, go raw bandwidth i.e., PC4000 as a minimum. Why raw bandwidth as opposed to low-latency? Look at DDR2: high latencies but overall more performance
Note that with something like PC4000, in most cases when you start up the computer it will be runnin in PC3200 mode -- the PC4000 sticker on the box just means that the mamory can be overclocked that high. If you're not interested in OCing, get low-latency PC3200 memory.
- If you're using a DDR2 board (925X/nForce4) then, not much selection/importance as the technology is fairly new. You're fairly safe all-around but you might want to look at Samsung, Micron and Corsair considering those companies are on the JDEC council which defined DDR2 but again, not a world of difference yet. If you're going for a OC setup, hunt down DDR667 and DDR700 memory. If not then PC2-4200 is fairly common.
Hard Drive: Do I need something with a faster search speed?
It would be nice but dont make it a priority until you have everything else done and good to go. Your run-of-the-mill 7200rpm, 8MB PATA drive should be the minimum though.
DVD-RW: I want one. Which do I get? I'd like a slot feeder if they exist
Pioneer 108. Its the "standard" drive, very widely used (for better or worse) and as such, has a lot of support and stuff.
Sound Card: I'm looking for something goooooood. I'm a gamer and would like to have the best sound possible.
Get good speakers too. The standard card would be the SOundblaster Audigy2 ZS.
Cooling. Depends on your penchant for noise.
Video Card: I HATE ATI. So, if at all possible, I'd like to stick with NVidia.
Good man
