Hmm lets start off with this: proc:AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Venice 2000MHz HT Socket 939 -$185.99 mobo:DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard - $113.99 gpu:SAPPHIRE 100154L Radeon X1800XT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - $299.00 hdd:Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - $89.99 ram:CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2x512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit - $79.99 case:Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 ATX 12V V2.0 - $94.99 optical etc: i've got some stuff to spare from old inc. monitor speakers etc. total:863.95 (prices based on newegg.com) I want to see your comments on how i could still improve this setup, oh and about the case, do you think it's a good idea to have the psu included in the case, heard people's comments bout havin a separate psu instead is better. oh and i wont probably upgrade(probably only for dx10) since im not much of a hardcore gamer, can play medium settings at least(note the x1800xt). thanks :-)

i would say go for the 3700+ the extra 512 mb cache might be a better choise for the parts u selected.. good choise on the card im getting that one too:P ATi Radeon 9600 PRO AMD Athlon 64 3700+ Gigabyte K8NSC-939 1Gb Team Group DDR400 Maxtor 200Gb 450 Watts PSU 4 vents

Definitely NOT the 3500+. If you're gonna go for a Venice core CPU, save some bucks & go for the 3200+, then overclock to 3500+ speed or better. Since you're not a "hardcore gamer" & probably won't need two PCI-E slots, consider these changes: DFI nF4 Ultra-Infinity - $87 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813136163 3700+ San Diego - $229 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103622 Here's another couple of CPU possibilities: Opteron 146 Venus - $223 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103598 Opteron 148 Venus - $259 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103596 "about the case, do you think it's a good idea to have the psu included in the case, heard people's comments bout havin a separate psu instead is better" The issue with the PSU is that many people by a $50 case/PSU combo & expect that the PSU is gonna be adequate, when they should be spending at least $50 on a PSU alone. The case you chose (Antec) is a good one & has a decent PSU...that's why it costs close to $100. You should have no problems. Here's the pic from newegg showing the PSU specs: http://tinyurl.com/kjam7 Here's the same PSU if bought separately & also the specs from the Antec site: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103936 http://www.antec.com/specs/SP450_spe.html

Ok i changed the mobo processor and ram, will this do the trick? im not much of a gamer so probably wont need to upgrade to am2 or conroe. I just hope this would last me for maybe a year or two. proc:AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego 2000MHz HT Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3700BNBOX - $229.00 mobo:DFI nF4 Ultra-Infinity Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard - $86.99 gpu:SAPPHIRE 100154L Radeon X1800XT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - $299.00 hdd:Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - $89.99 ram:CORSAIR XMS 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model TWINX1024-3200C2PT - $103.00 case:Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 ATX 12V V2.0 - $94.99 total:$902.97

oh and should i change the x1800xt for a 7900gt instead? i also dont overclock that much so which would be a better card on stock?