Hello, everyone. I just subscribed to this list, and am writing in hopes of 
getting some advice. I'm preparing to buy a new computer

, one that I hope will last me for at least as long as my current system 
has. The last computer I got was

in 2002, and it is still more or less functional, but I'm wanting to get

something that is not only more up-to-date, but also more responsive. I do

a lot of work with audio files , mostly mp3 and midi. I also do a lot of 
web

browsing, word processing, and I play a lot of text-based games both on and 
off line. I've been trying to do my homework with regards to parts to 
include in my dream system. I've decided that even though it might be a 
little more expensive, I'd rather "hand

pick" every aspect of my new system to insure

that I know exactly what I'm getting and also to insure maximum 
compatibility with the latest version of JFW professional version.

My goals for this system, in order of importance, are maximum stability, 
maximum responsiveness and as much future proofing as possible. I'm 
prepared to spend up to $3500 to get everything as nice as possible, but 
naturally, if I could spend less, that would be really great. For numerous 
reasons, I'm not planning to upgrade to Windows Vista quite yet; I'm 
planning to run my new computer using Windows XP media center edition for a 
year or so. Never-the-less, I'd like this new computer to be completely 
ready for vista whenever I am.

With all that being said, I was hoping that I could get advice from members 
of this list with regards to my final parts checklist.

I'm planning to purchase all my parts from newegg.com some time next month, 
and then get the

system assembled by an "expert" in my local area.

Basicly, what I'm hoping to attain from this forum is guidance in making

sure that I haven't picked out any blatently incompatible parts, or that I 
haven't

overlooked anything. My primary questions at this point pertain to choosing 
the most stable motherboard and video card to meet my needs. As much 
research as I've done over the past couple of months, there are still a lot 
of things that I don't fully understand. All I know is that I have no plans 
to overclock my system,

especially since JFW can't access the bios, so I would have to rely on 
someone with better vision to do all the playing around, and nobody I

know would even have the slightest clue how to do any of that stuff. 
Further more, I have absolutely no clue what a rade is or what its function 
would be. I essencially want somebody to be able to put my system together, 
I install JFW, and then everything will work together as harmoniously as 
possible. I've got it narrowed down between 2 motherboards: the ABIT AB9 
QuadGT and the Intel D975XBX2KR. I'm leaning towards the Abit board only 
because it supports quad core processors, which tells me that if I ever 
decide I need to upgrade again in a few years, I will be able to do so 
without having to buy another motherboard.

Has anyone had any experiences with either of these motherboards or ones 
that are comparable? Which of them is more likely to be compatible with 
Jaws?

As I've already indicated in my introduction,, I'm looking for maximum 
stability and responsiveness. So, if anyone could provide feedback with 
regards to which of these two motherboards might be best suited for my 
needs, I would really appreciate it.

My other concern, which is probably more relevant to JFW stability is 
choosing the most appropriate video card.Does anyone have any 
recommendations regarding any brands or models of video cards that work 
really well with the latest version of JAWS

Professional 8.0? Are there any brands/models of video cards I should make 
sure to avoid? Is ATI or Nvidia more compatible with JFW at this point? 
Should I get

a dx10 capable card, or can I get by with a significantly less expensive

option?

These are the only questions that I can think of at the moment, but I'd 
really appreciate any

and all feedback people might be able to provide.

This new system is going to be a huge investment for me, so I want to make

sure I'm only spending what is strictly necessary to build the best PC I

can.

Thank you all in advance for any assistance you can provide, and I hope 
that everyone is having a really great day!

Missy


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