For your intended use, you really don't need a powerful machine. 
Tigerdirect.com always has some deals with rebates (they stand behind 
the rebates and I've never had a problem) going on combo packages. I 
would look for a motherboard with onboard video and audio with provision 
for AGP or PCI express video cards in case you wanted to upgrade in the 
future. A Celeron 2.93 (for now it seems to be the most prolific for 
best net price) CPU with heat sink/fan along with 512MB of RAM would 
suffice for your use. You should be able to buy it as a combo package 
for about $150 plus shipping. You might even consider buying a package 
deal including a case and just figure that the case power supply is 
either expendable or a future backup. Normally the PS in cheap cases are 
only worth what you pay for them, a few dollars, if that.

There are many places to buy cases without power supplies. You might 
want to primarily consider cost including shipping. The cheapest cases 
are flimsy, but for home use without abuse, they will suffice. Make sure 
they will handle the drives you will be using as well as a little room 
(bays) for future expansion. Also, make sure the motherboard will fit in 
the case without any problems since sometimes the case design and added 
components on the motherboard can conflict. Reviews from other buyers 
are handy to avoid this type of problem.

A clean install of XP would be the best way to go. If you have any data 
you want to save off the hard drive, save it first. XP will then 
recognize the new set up and configure itself properly. You will need to 
reactivate it with Microsoft.  I've not run into any problems doing that 
with most instances being automatic and only a couple of times having to 
explain the upgrade to a real person.

Have fun with the build. You might want to research computer building 
sites with pictures on the Internet and print out the one you like best. 
Do the build one step at a time with frequent start up tests. It is 
easier to correct any build problems along the way than waiting to the 
end. I have always found that attaching the wires from the case to the 
motherboard for power LED, hard drive LED, speaker, etc. were not hard 
but almost always wrong the first time. If you have a problem with 
these, just turn them 180 degrees (reverse polarity). Some day 
motherboard manufacturers might include close up pictures of these 
connections in the assembly instructions.

Tom Mayer

Stephen R Stanfield wrote:
> Hello All, Thanx for response to last post, but I think it is time to 
> build one.  I just purchased an Ultra 500 W X-Finity Power Supply.  
> Hard drive is 1 1/2 yrs old so i plan on re-using that along with CD 
> drive and floppy drive.  I use this mainly for searching internet, 
> small business programs and emailing friends.  I am leaning towards 
> Core 2 Duo.  I don't think I can re-use memory.  Is bundling mb and 
> cpu good idea? If so, what cpu to choose?  Which case?  Most of the 
> cases I have seen @ Tiger Direct have power supplies with them, which 
> I don't need.  I would appreciate some suggestions.  I am anxiously 
> looking forward to attempting this task.
> Thanx
> stephen r stanfield
>
>              
>

         PCBUILD maintains hundreds of useful files for download
                     visit our download web page at:
                  http://freepctech.com/downloads.shtml