I am trying to build my first computer for under $1000 (excluding monitor) that will be used for the following primary purposes in this order of importance and usage:

1. email/internet
2. schoolwork (4 children in house) - Word, Excel, PowerPoint
3. digital photography
4. video editing
5. gaming.

I will be getting a mini dv camcorder soon, so I want to build an entry- to mid-level computer that is easily upgradable over time. I have made the following component selections...please critique and offer alternatives with explanation as to why other choices might be better. Prices are from NewEgg including shipping:

1. Case - Lian Li 6077 $132
2. Power supply - Enermax NoiseTaker 370W $62.50
3. CPU - Intel Pentium 2.4C 800Mhz Hyperthread $139
4. Mobo - Gigabyte GA-8IG1000 PRO $107
5. Video card - Gigabyte ATI Radeon 9600XT $171
6. RAM - Kingston 512K 184 Pin DDR PC-3200 $77
7. Hard drive - Seagate 80MB 7200 8MB Cache $62
8. DVD Burner - Sony DRU710 $92
9. Keyboard/mouse - Logitech Cordless Mx duo $55
10. Speakers - Creative 2.1 $33

Total $930.50

I understand that for video editing, I will want more RAM and a second hard drive. I will probably add another 512MB of RAM and a 120GB or 160GB hard drive within the year once I get a camcorder and begin video editing in earnest. But for now, I just want the basics so we can use the computer and upgrade over time.

Also, I know I haven't selected the fastest CPU. I also have a POS IBM Aptiva running an AMD K6. My plan is to upgrade the new computer every year and use those parts to upgrade the Aptiva. I could foresee upgrading the CPU in 2 or 3 years and pairing that with the Aptiva parts.

There seem to be a lot of motherboard choices available. I am mainly interested in firewire and hyperthread support. Are there better choices?

I've read I shouldn't spend perhaps more than $100 on a video card. Gaming isn't a serious hobby in my house, but we want to run some games. Are there better choices?

I'm not sure what type of hard drives to get...IDE or RAID?

Do I need a CPU cooler, like the Zalman 7000CU for $40?

Any input or guidance you can offer would be appreciated.

One thing you are going to want more than anything else is more hard drive space. Have you done much video editing? It takes up ungodly amounts of hard drive space. I let a guy use my computer to make up a little movie and it ate about 60gb for a little movie that was almost 30min long. If you are going to seriously get into it I recommend getting at least a 200gb drive. Some can be found for as little as $50-$60 during holidays, keep an eye out for rebate deals.

<A HREF="http://www.folken.net/myrig.htm" target="_new">My precious...</A>

Lian Li are nice cases but you dont have to spend the cash for one.

PSU: Fortron/Sparkle Power cheaper and good quality. Still a good choice. You might need more power depending on what you add for components.

CPU might be a little slow, but still decent.

Not sure on that mobo, but if you plan on upgrading this computer in a year PCIe is better to get.

ATI 9600xt is decent.

RAM is ok. Yes more is better for video editing.

Bigger the harddrive is better for video editing!!! IDE and raid is not the same thing.

DVD burner, a Lite-0n is cheaper and just as good. Plextor is awesome but lots of cash.

You wont need the Zalman cooler.

Dont worry about raid at the moment since you only have one hard drive. SCSI is great for video.

I use a logitech keyboard and trackball. Their keyboards are ok, their trackballs are great.

If you are semi serious about video editing, a video editng card like a a Pinnacle systems or Hauppauge is a better solution. They make noob friendly cards.

For just general use your configuration is fine. Games and video editing is a whole another thing, it depends on what you need.

the Prisoner

I'm not a number, I'm a free man!

Might wanna get yourself and Abit IS7 instead of that gigabyte board. It has the same features and is cheaper.
Wht kinda games are you gonna play? Because if you can find a Radeon9800pro for $200 (I think i remember someone here saying they gotone for this price) then it might be worth the extra $30.

The case cost could be cut down a little by getting the PC-60 but I can see he picked the PC-6077 because it has front audio, firewire and usb. All of those are useful when doing av work. Over $100 isn't that unusual for a case now days and that Lian-Li will simply be better in all respects from it's closest competitors.

<A HREF="http://www.folken.net/myrig.htm" target="_new">My precious...</A>

Ok if you want to video edit you need to consider those needs first. Everything else will fall into place.
Lets say you have 1000 (close to what you speced out).
Case
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applica [...] u=ULT31584
Now the rest i pieced together at zipzoomfly for you.
I saved the card too!
mobo asus a8v-e SE 79.99
cpu athlon 64 3500 191.80
mem king 2gig 164.80
hd
seagate 80gig 61.99 both with 5 year warranty from manufacturer
seagate 250gb 104.99
video gef 6800 256 145.99 (xtreme pci express)
dvdburner liton 16x 35.99
key/mouse logitech cordless 39.99
creativelabs 5.1 62.99
ps antec 500watt 66.59
total is 955.12 for everything but the case
you could get less of a power supply/case/speakers/mouse keyboard/memory
just make sure your memory is compatible with your motherboard.

Your biggest xpense should be your processor/memory and hard drive space.
Processors arent that expensive now and memory /hard drives are even cheaper.
Dont skimp and you will be a happy editor/gamer.

login as
ed_jacobson69
password is jacobson
that should get you to your