You can get a decent machine (without monitor) for $600, a very nice one for $1200, but it's still easy to spend $3000 on a PC if you really want to. Your first steps should be deciding: 1) Budget, 2) How long you want it to last, 3) Expansion options, 4) Needed peripherals, 5) Chassis size. They interact quite a bit. Take a look [link|http://z.iwethey.org/forums/render/content/show?contentid=179906|here] for some ideas. Also look at admin's [link|http://z.iwethey.org/forums/render/content/show?contentid=105271|microPC].

I just got a 19" Samsung 997DF monitor for $200 from BestBuy yesterday (it has a $20 rebate too). I'm hopeful it'll last longer than my 19" Hitachi CM771 (which is having geometry problems). I want to run it at 1600x1200. I should have a report later in the week.

High-quality, large, but inexpensive CRT monitors are quickly disappearing. :-(

HTH.

Cheers,
Scott.

19" Samsung 997DF monitor ($200 at BestBuy - $20 rebate)

You'll need to check these prices from [link|http://www.newegg.com|http://www.newegg.com] :

Motherboard: Asus A8V Deluxe (VIA K8T800Pro chipset), Socket 939. Uses non-ECC, unbuffered DDR400 RAM (4 GB max). Promise 20378 RAID. $129.00

Processor: AMD Athon64 3400+ (2.2 GHz), Winchester core (0.09 um). OEM. $269.

Memory: 2 each 512 MB PC3200 RAM (~ $85 - $115 each). Check for Asus Qualified memory, but most name-brand stuff should be OK. Get PC3200 memory so the processor isn't waiting for data any longer than it must.

Hard Drives: 2 each Hitachi 160 GB 7200 rpm/8 MB/Ultra ATA 100. 3 year warranty. OEM. $93.00 each. Setup as Raid 1 (mirrored). If you have a good backup strategy, you can run these in Raid 0 for better performance.

Rosewill Radeon 9600 128 MB, 128-bit video: Retail $78.00

Antec SX1040BII (400W) case: $94.99.

Plextor EIDE 12x DVD+/- RW drive. Retail. $105. (The SATA ports on the motherboard won't work with the SATA version of this drive so get the EIDE version.)

There'd probably be another $75 in case fans, CPU heat sink and fan, and misc. parts.

Something like that should be reasonable. You'd have some money left over for a keyboard, mouse, multifunction card reader, wireless networking, software, etc., as needed.

Or you could simply get a Compaq SA4000Z with XPHome and similar specs for $1374 after $50 rebate (with no monitor). [link|http://www.hpshopping.com|http://www.hpshopping.com]

HTH.

Cheers,
Scott.

[link|http://www.newegg.com|http://www.newegg.com] lists an [link|http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductdesc.asp?description=19-103-506&depa=0|AthlonXP 2500+ (Barton)] except it has a 333 MHz front-side bus. Getting DDR400 memory isn't necessary for such a processor (unless you want to overlock it or have an upgrade path in the next few months). If you can get a faster processor for a few dollars more, try to do so. It might be tough as the AthlonXP is being replaced on the low end by the Sempron and on the high end by the Athlon 64.

How much system memory are you getting? You have 2x512 and 512 listed. I'd go with at least 1 GB so you don't have to think about adding more for a while.

I can't comment on whether the price is good for your area. It's a shame that they're higher than in the US, but having a real person you can go to in case of problems is an advantage. See if another local store you trust will give you a quote. That'll give you some idea of how the prices compare.

HTH. Good luck!

Cheers,
Scott.