Let me start by saying this: I know this is the wrong forum for this, but I feel more closely connected to you guys than any of the other forums at THG, ergo I am posting this here.
 
I have been saving up cash for quite a while and I will reach my goal of $1500 in fairly short order. So, I am now looking for parts to put together a successor for my current (and aging ) system.
 
I am still debating between an amd or an intel build so as a result I will be compiling 2 lists of parts for possible systems, 1 will be intel-centric and the other will be AMD-centric.
 
Here is what I have so far:
 
IN THE AMD CAMP WE HAVE:
 
CPU:   http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103773
 
AMD ATHLON 64 X2 6000+           $229
 
MOTHERBOARD: To be determined
 
ON THE INTEL SIDE WE HAVE:
 
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115003
 
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 (Dual Core)      ~$223
 
OR
   
  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115017
 
 Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail
 
The current pricing on this is about $531, but I recently read an article about Intel pricing strategy that indicated this may drop to the ~$200 level within the next couple of months
 
Motherboard: To be determined
 
THESE ARE THE PARTS THAT WILL STAY THE SAME WHETHER I GO INTEL OR AMD:
 
DVD BURNER:  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827136118
 
 LG Black 18X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 18X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache IDE Lightscribe DVD Burner - OEM
     $32   (I might consider picking up an extra dvd-rom drive as my old one is about to die)
 
RAM:   http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820134117
 
 Kingston ValueRAM 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - OEM    ~$109
 
Video Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130082
 
 EVGA 320-P2-N811-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail        $289
 
OR
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130071
 
 EVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail           $349
 
Hard drive: Possibly another SATA hard drive if the budget permits
 
CASE/PSU: to be determined  but for the case I am looking at the ANTEC 900 (my buddy may be able to get me discount where he works)
 
AND THESE ARE THE PARTS THAT I PLAN TO REUSE FROM MY PREVIOUS MACHINE:
 
Maxtor Diamond10 250 GB SATA drive
Western Digital 7200RPM 40 GB IDE drive  
mouse/keyboard/monitor/speakers
floppy drive
 
Please gentlemen, I ask that you give me your honest opinions of these builds and feel free to suggest different hardware. You may suggest more expensive parts if the return on the additional investment is indeed worth it. However, if you can suggest something that is at least as good as what I have already down, but is cheaper, that would be greatly appreciated !  
 
I am building this machine for games, but I plan on running some form of linux as my primary operating system (maybe gentoo or sabayon) and I would certainly like to be able to run nice things like beryl.
 
Who knows, maybe by the time i finish building this thing, I might even dual boot (or tripple boot) w/ linux, winXP and reactOS for kicks.
 
I value all of your opinions so please feel free to speak candidly, and know that your input will be taken into serious consideration. Finally, I would appreciate if you check back on this topic from time to time as this future box is very much a work in progress. Thanks!
 
-Zorak
 
P.S. Sorry for the long post, but I need to make one final remark. I am not going to go SLI, so I don't need to worry about getting a mobo or PSU certified for that option.

Two thumbs up on the VGA, a fine choice!
 
You might want to consider an SATA DVD burner and drop all PATA drives from the build as well as the floppy.
 
I would recommend an nvidia 590 board if you go AMD.
 
If you go intel I suppose the 975XBX would probably be a good choice.
 
 
Either way wait for the next major CPU price drop before you buy a CPU there should be a substantial one when the AMD Quads are released.
 
GL :-D

well would a sata dvd burner really be that much better? Also, I still kinda use floppies Thanks for the recommendations linux_0, what do you think about the case? And do you have any recommendations as far as power supplies go?
 
-Zorak

The Antec 900 seems nice.
 
PSU wise you usually can't go wrong with Antec (True power or NeoHE), OCZ, PC Power & Cooling, Seasonic or FSP group/Fortron Source.
 
There have been reports Antec has had quality control problems recently. Not sure about the rest, quality control seems to be a major problem for a lot of manufacturers.
 
Antec, Lian-Li, Cooler Master Silverstone and Chenming make good cases.
 
GL :-D

hmmm.... somehow this isn't generating as much feedback as I would have hoped. I guess I will post this topic where it belongs
 
I wonder though, do you guys think that all these new problems will give me heartache in linux, or will it pretty much be smooth sailing?
 
Thanks
 
-Zorak

I'm betting your Antec PSU blows in the first 4 months.
 
Posting in the wrong section really makes ti hard for the hardware guys to say anything. Then again, those hardware guys are annoying and mouthy flamers.
 
If you can't figure out what hardware you want in your own PC, I say you shouldn't be building one. Read up on each thing.. 2-3 minutes per piece of hardware. You'll get something +/- 3-5% performance of whatever other options you had throw together.
 
I prefer to keep brands together as much as possible. I've blown around 4-5 Antec PSUs in my time and no longer use them because, while pricey, I found them to be crap. I used to swear by them but others seem to have better luck than I with them.
 
AMD or Intel.. whichever. Find the motherboard you like and go from there. AMD, which I run at home and am a fan of, seems to be fading with the increased output of Intel. Though, with so many options out there right now, what's it matter what you go with? By the time the software really can make use of it, you'll be upgrading again.  :?

With due respect riser, I purposely posted this article here so that I could get feedback from people who aren't as rabid as the regular hardware posters. Additionally, I posted here because like i said in my earlier post, I feel a bit more connected to this forum than any of the other forums, and I can get additional advice concerning which pieces of hardware might give me heartache in linux (something more sophisticated than "don't buy ATI" ).  Finally, I do know what I want in my hardware, I just am not certain about the details.  
 
What you don't see is that originally I was going to build a system around the AMD X2 4600+ and then when the prices dropped on the 6000+ i thought I would go with that instead. Then i read about the massive price cuts in the Intel camp. So it isn't indecision you are seeing, it is a plethora of new choices being taken into account. Besides, you don't get the same satisfaction buying a prefab system as you do when you build one    
 
-Zorak

True. Oh how I hate that Hardware section. I don't wander in there.
 
Figure, anything you buy will have price cuts immediately after your price guarentee expires.
 
I went out and bought a GeForce Ti6600. The 6800 came down in price.. and I wasn't too happy until I realized it had been almost a year after I bought the card. I got over it.

I'm also looking at the same sort of things.  I am an AMD fan, but, as you can see from my previous posting on another thread, I'm going Core 2 Duo in the near future (subject to new house/new baby not swallowing up the available £££).
 
I like the look of your system.  I'd post in a couple of other forums (MozillaZine would be a good place to start) and ask opinions there.  I'm not too sure how well the newer hardware plays with Linux, b ut I'd imagine that the driver support is considerably better than for Vista...    
 
Andy