How much money have you got.
Definately go 1.4 GHz and up AMD Palomino (Athlon XP), or (2.2 GHz Northwood Core P4 if you're rich, although a 1.667GHz Palomino will keep up with it at half the cost)
Video card, the geforce 2 will be out of date real soon, I'd go at least a GeForce 3 Ti-200, if you have lots of coin ATI 8500 or Geforce 3 Ti-500 (people will go and on how one does 4 ro 5 FPS faster than the other, but at the speeds these puppies burn you'll never notice the diff. Especially since most monitors max out at 85 to 90 Hz to begin with) Hell go to a store and ask to see both in action, buy the one with what YOU think gives the best picture quality.
Sound card, only one option : Soundblaster Audigy. You can get the Platinum if you want to be able to plug a dozen different musical instruments and devices into it, but at over $300 that's pricey. I've got an Audigy Gamer for $99 Canadian. Match up with Creative Inpsire 5.1 5300 speakers (I can't afford the 5700's at $450, or the Klipsch at 600+), it pumps out great sound.
In the end decide on what YOU want, and check out prices at several different stores.
One secret: If you go to a major electronics store and buy a Dell or HP, you won't be able to upgrade the damn thing in the future. They use all kinds of proprietary crap to make. Find a reputable computer store, and if you don't know how to perform the upgrade, get them to do it for you. If you do, do it yourself and save a couple of hundred.
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Remember Dieppe
