After lurking in this forum for a while, I'm aware of the general consensus regarding building systems versus buying them. However, I'm compelled to ask if building my own system just isn't viable (personally), what manufactured systems would some of you gurus out there suggest? I've read of some mobos being better than others, CPU's etc. Certainly there are good and bad points to ready-made systems. I'd appreciate hearing from you.Regards,Rick

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If you still want to buy a named brand, then do some comparison shopping using a list of parameters for all the important features. Head on over to the websites of at least three brand name sites. Start will a computer that is near your requirements, then go to the upgrade/modify page and add/subtract items and have it recalculate the price, make a quote, and print it out. Go to the next site until your satisfied with what you want.Some things you don't want in order of importance:On-board graphicsShared memory with graphicsOn-board soundOn-board NIC, modems, etc.The reason you don't want the above is because the mobo manufacturer's tend to group all these on-boards to the same IRQ, which can be a killer for gaming.Some things you want:Good case with adequate power (350w minimum) and cooling fans. Stay away from low profile cases since they are harder to add peripherals.Once you looked at the name brand go back to http://www.progresssystemsinc.com/ and see if they have something better to offer. Remember cost is a factor but sometimes the lowest cost doesn't mean you made a good deal.

Agree with you on the onboard graphics and shared memory. Many motherboard manufacturers toss in onboard sound and LAN. This is not necessarily a bad thing. I still do prefer the individual name brand cards unless the onboard sound is 6 channel or better, and network card wise if it has an intel or 3 com. Nforce 2 baords are quite good. The running joke is that you get a free motherboard with your sound! Either case the onboard stuff can be disabled in the BIOS.

Thank you both for the input. I certainly appreciate your help.Rick