Okay, answer us a few questions. $600-$700 is definitely possible, but some routes will be easier than others, and it will take some smarts.
Do you prefer Intel, AMD, or either?
Do you care if it's dual core or quad core?
Do you want to overclock? Need an aftermarket heatsink or is stock fine (if not overclocking, stock will be fine)?
When you say "alot of RAM", does that mean as much as you can get, or just a good amount that won't be too little a year from now? The standard right now, at least if you were buying right now, would be to get at least 4GB. With DDR2 prices going back up slowly, it may be a good idea to grab 8GB now if you really do mean you want alot, but this will cost ~$100 on it's own, cutting into other parts cost. Getting 4GB certainly won't be too little. I just want to gauge what you mean by "plenty".
Do you care if the GPU is ATi or nVidia?
Do you have a preference for motherboard brand or no?
Will you want to reuse any of your existing parts? I assume you'll just be needing the PC itself, and that the monitor, speakers, keyboard, mouse, and OS are all accounted for. I am referring to any PC parts you already have.
Lastly, and most importantly, what is the use of this PC? How often will you use it for what, and how long will you want it to last before you need standard upgrades/before you can put more into it, if ever?
Do you prefer Intel, AMD, or either?
Do you care if it's dual core or quad core?
Do you want to overclock? Need an aftermarket heatsink or is stock fine (if not overclocking, stock will be fine)?
When you say "alot of RAM", does that mean as much as you can get, or just a good amount that won't be too little a year from now? The standard right now, at least if you were buying right now, would be to get at least 4GB. With DDR2 prices going back up slowly, it may be a good idea to grab 8GB now if you really do mean you want alot, but this will cost ~$100 on it's own, cutting into other parts cost. Getting 4GB certainly won't be too little. I just want to gauge what you mean by "plenty".
Do you care if the GPU is ATi or nVidia?
Do you have a preference for motherboard brand or no?
Will you want to reuse any of your existing parts? I assume you'll just be needing the PC itself, and that the monitor, speakers, keyboard, mouse, and OS are all accounted for. I am referring to any PC parts you already have.
Lastly, and most importantly, what is the use of this PC? How often will you use it for what, and how long will you want it to last before you need standard upgrades/before you can put more into it, if ever?
