Thanks to all who responded to my recent request for recommendations for the purchase of a new system. Following is a recap of the suggestions I received so far: - avoid onboard video (integrated on the motherboard) - may not need a separate video card unless for games or video editing - get a PCI sound card because onboard sound chips may not work - Abit or Asus motherboards recommended - Elitegroup motherboards - Athlon processor with SiS chipset - Antec True-Power 330w power supply is $50 - Asus A7N8X-X is $67 - OEM (no fan) Athlon XP2800+ is about $100 - Vantec copper heatsink/fan $27.50 - Seagate 7200 RPM 40GB HD is $54 - Artec burner $79 in recent Fry's ad Online sources recommended to check out: - www.outpost.com - www.mwave.com  - www.pricewatch.com (for ballpark figures on parts costs) - www.jncs.com for price quotes - www.zipzoomfly.com To get some prices for comparison, I check Walmart online and found: Microtel "barebones" box with motherboard and Athlon XP processor $198.00 (has 266 MHz frontside bus, 10/100 LAN, and onboard modem) or AMD 2.06 GHz Athlon XP 2400+ processor speed w/Fan for $118.00 256MB 266 MHz DDR Memory for $51.64 40GB Ultra DMA Hard Drive/5400RPM for $73.00 or 80GB @ 7200RPM for $129.00 ATI TV Wonder VE video card for $32.84 Hawking internal PCI modem for $13.13 or US Robotics internal PCI modem for $24.98 Creative Labs Sound Blaster 16 PCI audio card for $29.63 At outpost.com, I found a barebones box for $229.00 that includes the following: AMD Athlon XP 2600+ Barton Bare CPU W/FIC AU13 Nvidia nForce2 3-in-1 chipset Memory capacity up to 3GB PC3200 DDR Expansion Slots: 1 (8x) AGP, 6 PCI 5.1 Channnel Audio, 10/100 Lan, USB 2.0, IEEE 1394 300W Power Supply Also this motherboard offered for $109.99: Asus A7N8X-E Socket A board with Nvidia nForce2 Ultra 400 chipset Processor support: Up to Athlon XP 3200+ Memory support: Up to 3GB PC3200 DDR Expansion slots: 1x AGP 8X, 5x PCI 6 Channnel Audio, GigaLan, USB 2.0, IEEE 1394, RAID, Serial ATA At this point, a barebones box seems like it might be a good starting point (if it has an Asus or other acceptable motherboard). An Athlon processor seems like a good choice. I think a 40-gig hd and 256-mb ram should be enough for my needs. I don't know if a CD-RW / DVD combo is sufficient ... and I don't know if I can get by with an onboard video board and sound board? I have an external Multi-tech modem and extra CD-ROM drive I could add in to the mix. Any additional component recommendations from my PLUG friends? Joe@Actionline.com --------------------------------------------------- PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change you mail settings: http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss