Re: Build or 'out of the box'/'off the shelf'?

Here's my 2 cents -

1. The Intel Q6600 is about the best buy for the money at the moment. I upgraded to this CPU from a P4 1.6 six months ago.

2. Suggested improvements are -
a) up the RAM to 4GB (2 x 2GB RAM sticks - price is cheap presently and even though 32-bit XP Pro won't see all 4GB, it is not that much of a waste $-wise.
b) add a 3rd HD of say 250GB for the OS. Use the 2 x 640 hard-disks for data, and RAID them if the motherboard has on-board RAID. I use RAID 0 for the fastest performance, though there is no redundancy with RAID 0. You can back up to an external USB SATA drive.

3. I suppose it is possible to get it Out-of-the-box from Dell or someone else. Probably slightly cheaper too since thee companies buy in bulk.

4. I'd recommend build-your-own. It is quite simple once you know how. I started years ago, and have learnt the innards since....such that trouble-shooting in the middle of the night when a deadline is on in the morning is not much trouble these days. Gives me confidence in my machines knowing what is inside. Upgrading bits and pieces becomes easier and cheaper rather than buying a new machine everytime. Self satisfying too.

good luck!
Thomas Leong