dream machine?

You have a hard drive (8MB cache?) and a GF4 4600, keep those. Don't waste money upgrading the GPU at least. Not yet.

With $1500 I would first look at what you're going to use the computer for and what monitor you currently have. If you have a lame monitor I would set aside a chunk of cash for a nice monitor. At this point a 19" is a must and larger if you can afford it.

I think the A7N8X is pretty good. Use the onboard sound if you can--it's equivalent to the Audigy (not Audigy2 though), and use the onboard LAN.

Get 2 sticks of memory. Half a gig is fine (2x256MB), don't go less than that. If you're doing 3d rendering you could consider a gig. Don't buy generic memory.

Save the $10 and don't get a floppy unless you have an absolute need for one.

Buy a lite-on cd-rw since they're cheap, reliable, fast, and popular.

A DVD-rom is nice, but in all honesty I have barely used it for reading DVDs. Within a couple months of watching DVDs on my computer I went out and built an entertainment center. The industry still doesn't release games on DVD and it's been almost 5 years.

For the processor: I would base this on whether you need a monitor or not. You definitely shouldn't go out and buy the top of the line processor though. The premium is too much. How about an AMD XP2700+? You could also get a 1700+ and overclock it. check newegg.com for prices, or shop around pricewatch.com using resellerratings.com to make sure you aren't buying from a crappy vendor.

I like antec cases. Get a 400W powersupply, or a 350W at least. Don't buy a generic PSU unless you know what you're doing and understand the specs perfectly. An Antec or Enermax PSU is recommended. No matter what, get a decent case though since it's a lot more enjoyable to work with.

Get WinXP Pro.

<font color=red>
<A HREF="http://kevan.org/brain.cgi?dhlucke" target="_new">The French are being described as cheese-eating surrender monkeys.</A></font color=red>

I've never been one who likes to say wait for the next gen stuff, but I may have to go back on that right now.

I say sock most of that cash into a kick ass case (a big antec or chieftec), and a NICE monitor. Keep the video, and then when Athlon64 comes out, get one of those, a gig of DDR, new mobo, and if you can afford it, a twin for that hard drive you already have.

Your case and monitor will last through the next 5 computer upgrades at least.

Some day I'll be rich and famous for inventing a device that allows you to stab people in the face over the internet.