Hi everyone, This is my first time posting so forgive me for any break in protocols, but I am seeking to build a new computer and would love some advice. I built my own 286 when I was 15, but since then I really havn't kept up with the finer points of system building, or even the current state of top-of-the line technology for that matter. Here is my situation/needs: I currently have about $2000 saved up and would like to build the best system I can for the money. My primary goal is a gaming rig. I have the advantage of already owning an ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 256mb AGP and a SB Audigy Platinum. I know that both of these cards arn't the absolute top of the line any more, but I think they will work for a new build (I can always upgrade them later). My current system is a 1.7 ghz P4 with a mediocre motherboard and a slow 512mb of ram. If it wern't for the graphics card, it would be unfit for my needs. But even now, it can't run Half Life 2 or some of the other, newer games to my satisfaction. So, basically, I am looking to build a brand new system from scratch. The main things I am confused about are: 1) Whether to go with Intel or AMD... and if I go with AMD.. how to compare the performance or a particular chip to Intel. (I've been told you can't compare the GHZ rating of an AMD directly to an Intels in terms of performance) 2) How important is it to match up motherboard bus speed to ram? 3) Is PCI-E that much better then AGP 8x? 4) Is 10,000RPM considerably better then 7200 (er, 7800, whichever it is) for a HD? But mainly, I just wanted the advice of people who know a lot more then I do about what they would buy, in my situation, with the given money ($2000). My general philosophy is to buy the best hardware I can afford as long as it is atleast about 6 months old. (Otherwise it looses its value too quickly and you end up overpaying in the long run). But at the same time, I am not looking for "bargain value". I am willing to pay for the good stuff. In any case, I appreciate any advice you guys could offer me. Specfic hardware suggestions (company and model) would be especially appreciated. Sincerely, Jonathan

1) I like both Intel and AMD. For a gaming machine, I would gravitate towards one of the faster Socket-939 single-core Athlon 64s. I think the FX chip is awesome, but it's more for bragging rights than money well spent. As for comparisons, it's getting harder and harder to come up with a formaula to compare Intel and AMD--I'd recommend checking out Toms Hardware, Anandtech, etc., for reviews on how the chips stack up. 2) It's always best to have your memory running 1) at full speed and 2) in sync with the FSB in stock situations. Anything else and you're wasting money / missing out on performance. Lower latency RAM is important, too. 3) PCI-e Vs. AGP: I think the PCI-e spec is superior to AGP, but the biggest decision-maker for me is, "Which one is going to be around a couple years from now?" 4) More RPM normally means quicker access to data and faster sustained transfers. My 10Krpm drives outperform my 7.2Krpm drives.

yeah, those 10k rpm drives are faster in performance than 7.2k drives but lately they've been making a lot of drives with larger caches so larger cache in your drive is another option to look for all of the drives at my house are 8mb cache but newer drives have 16mb and maybe even more common sense isn't very common

Thanks for the reply, both of you. I have a follow up question about syncing FSB and RAM. I know that having RAM that is FASTER then the FSB is utterly useless, but what about the other way around? Is DDR 400 on a motherboard with 800mhz FSB considered "synced?" And if so, how would DDR 400 perform on a motherboard with a FSB of 1000mhz? Also, does using dual channel memory complicate things as far as syncing go? Finally, does the speed of the processor (Pentium, Athlon, etc.) need to be synced in some way with the FSB and the RAM speed for optimum performance? Thanks aqain for the help, Jonathan