MoreCooler.com: It's more cooler with the thing

Alright, it's about time for the old dual 400 MHz IBM tower to be replaced (I've had it for 5 years). While it is possible to play WC3 on it, it does slow down at times (and I'd like to eventually play SWG). Since it looks like I can afford a new one, anyone have any suggestions? I'd like to keep it under 2 grand if possible, and I'd like: 2.0+ GHz, 1+ GB RAM, 128+ MB Vid card, 'big' hard drive, 'fast' bus. Not sure what qualifies as 'big' this second for hard drives (I hear 200+ GB drives are now available), or what bus speed machines have these days.

Anyhow, just thought I'd ask. Thanks for any tips!

Dual AMD2400+ rig :) MB:$200, 2xprocs:$150ea,case:$100,1GB ram < $200, vid and hd- whatever you are willing to spend.. The 2400's are 2Ghz procs.

Dual processors won't do a gamer a bit of good. ^_^ As for AMD instead of Intel - eh, I dunno, it's six of one, half dozen of another. AMD is cheaper by a ridiculous amount, but they run like tiny suns (as Chris recently learned).

I was going to get a dual board, single proc. I'll upgrade later when cheaper, doing the same thing I did with my IBM machine.

As far as dual doesn't help gaming... it depends on the game. If the game is written well, then dual helps a great deal. Any Blizzard game is a good example, WC3 takes advantage of both my processors. A lot of games don't like dual procs, which I find rather silly. Hence the plan to start off with only 1 proc, but have the ability to upgrade later.

you're getting two fast gaming processors :)

I've never really had a problem with my dual setup with any games not working because it being dual.. most obviously don't use the 2nd proc, but I never had a problem because of it..

Hm... I guess I could do it myself. I've added a CPU, memory, PCI/AGP cards to my machine, but I've never built it from the case up.

NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER run an AMD machine without properly applied cooling compound, heatsink, and manufacturer-approved fan. Not even for a second to make sure it's working. I have had experience here...