this is how i see it , and the direction i would go if i were you..
the pIII 733 is the best bang for the buck right now at $250.. coupled with the abit be6 motherboard ($130) , 128 megs of ram ($130) ,16 meg video card ($25) , 20 gig 7200 rpm hard drive ($160) , modem ($20) , 8x4x24 cd-rw ($200) , floppy drive ($10), case ($50), windows 2000 ($175?), and soundcard of your choice ($???) , you can have a very capable system..
total cost is $1150 not including soundcard.. by the way , ive included shipping in there..i would advise not buying a monitor online , being that shipping prices are so high.. keep an eye on the sunday newspaper for sales at compusa or circuit city.. you might be able to score a 17 inch monitor for $230 , or a 19 inch for $300..
- eddie -