Ars Technica System guide -- March 2004 edition

Ars Technica: Our rockin' system guide -- March 2004 edition

I don't always agree with the Ars Technica recommendations, but they are a great place to start.

I find that the Budget Box is the best bang for the buck for 99% of the people I know. Its also a good idea to budget extra money to buy the best power supply (quiet and cool) and supplemental cooling fans for your case and CPU.

If you have the time for hard core gaming (and the money), the Hot Rod would be a lot of fun to build and use.