The Practical Dream Machine

Here are the specs for this power machine. They aren't all the absolute best, but they're pretty close:

• AMD Setup:
• CPU: AMD Athlon XP 2500+ Mobile (1.83 GHz) and do an easy overclock to 3200+ speeds!
• Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-7NNXP (nForce 2 chipset).
• Intel Setup:
• CPU: 2.8 GHz Pentium IV Prescott - 800 FSB.
• Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-8IPE1000 PRO-G
• CPU Heatsink/Fan:  Thermaltake Volcano 9 for AMD or Cooler Master Aero 4 CPU Cooler for Intel.
• RAM: Two Crucial 256 MB PC3200 DDR DIMMs (or Kingston Hyper-X for a little more money)
• Hard Drive:  Hitachi Deskstar HDS722516x 160 GB, 8 MB cache, 7200 rpm hard drive.
• Video Card:  An ATI Radeon 9600 Pro card (or Radeon 9800 Pro if you can afford it).
• Case:  An Enermax or Antec case with an Enermax or Antec power supply at least 350 Watts (do *not* buy another brand 450 Watt thinking it's better than a 380 Watt Antec or Enermax).
• Modem: 3Com/US Robotics External FaxModem Pro (USB/Serial).
  AND/OR:
  NIC: D-Link DFE-530TX PCI Ethernet card.
  AND/OR:
  Whatever Cable / DSL modem your carrier provides (and the NIC above).
• Monitor: 19" Monitor with Sony Trinitron .24 dpi FD Trinitron tube - Sony CPD-E440
• CD-ROM Drive:  Lite-On 52x IDE CD-ROM Drive.
  OR:
  DVD-ROM Drive: Lite-On 16x DVD-ROM Drive (LTD-163).
  AND:
  CD Burner: Lite-On LTR-52327S - 52x write, 32x rewrite (or SOHC-5232K which also reads DVDs).
  OR:
  DVD Burner:  Lite-On SOHW-812S - 4x write, 4x rewrite, 40x cd write, 24x cd rewrite or NuTech DDW-082
• Sound Card:  Creative Labs' Sound Blaster Audigy 2 (OEM version for lowest price) or Audigy 2 ZS for a little more money or onboard sound.
• Speakers:  Logitech Z-560 4.1 speaker setup
• Backup:  Iomega IDE Zip Drive (100 or 250 MB) or just a CD burner.
• Floppy Drive:  Teac 1.44.
• Mouse: Microsoft IntelliMouse Optical.
• Keyboard:  Microsoft Natural Keyboard Elite USB or PS/2.
• Inexpensive Printer:
• For Best Photo Prints: Epson Stylus Photo 820
• For Best Text Prints:  HP Deskjet 5550.

Options:

• Scanner: MicroTek Scanmaker 4800 Scanner.
• Digital Camera:  Canon PowerShot A70 / A75 / A80.
• Digital Camcorder: Sony TRV33. 
• UPS: OptiUPS 650ES Battery Backup with Voltage Regulation. 
• Game Controller: Gravis Xterminator Force Feedback Game Pad.
• Joystick:  Microsoft SideWinder Force Feedback 2
• Steering Wheel:  Microsoft SideWinder Force Feedback Wheel USB