Here are the specs for this power machine. They aren't all the absolute best, but they're pretty close:
AMD Setup:
CPU: AMD Athlon XP 2500+ Mobile (1.83 GHz) and do an easy overclock to 3200+ speeds!
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-7NNXP (nForce 2 chipset).
Intel Setup:
CPU: 2.8 GHz Pentium IV Prescott - 800 FSB.
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-8IPE1000 PRO-G
CPU Heatsink/Fan: Thermaltake Volcano 9 for AMD or Cooler Master Aero 4 CPU Cooler for Intel.
RAM: Two Crucial 256 MB PC3200 DDR DIMMs (or Kingston Hyper-X for a little more money)
Hard Drive: Hitachi Deskstar HDS722516x 160 GB, 8 MB cache, 7200 rpm hard drive.
Video Card: An ATI Radeon 9600 Pro card (or Radeon 9800 Pro if you can afford it).
Case: An Enermax or Antec case with an Enermax or Antec power supply at least 350 Watts (do *not* buy another brand 450 Watt thinking it's better than a 380 Watt Antec or Enermax).
Modem: 3Com/US Robotics External FaxModem Pro (USB/Serial).
AND/OR:
NIC: D-Link DFE-530TX PCI Ethernet card.
AND/OR:
Whatever Cable / DSL modem your carrier provides (and the NIC above).
Monitor: 19" Monitor with Sony Trinitron .24 dpi FD Trinitron tube - Sony CPD-E440
CD-ROM Drive: Lite-On 52x IDE CD-ROM Drive.
OR:
DVD-ROM Drive: Lite-On 16x DVD-ROM Drive (LTD-163).
AND:
CD Burner: Lite-On LTR-52327S - 52x write, 32x rewrite (or SOHC-5232K which also reads DVDs).
OR:
DVD Burner: Lite-On SOHW-812S - 4x write, 4x rewrite, 40x cd write, 24x cd rewrite or NuTech DDW-082
Sound Card: Creative Labs' Sound Blaster Audigy 2 (OEM version for lowest price) or Audigy 2 ZS for a little more money or onboard sound.
Speakers: Logitech Z-560 4.1 speaker setup
Backup: Iomega IDE Zip Drive (100 or 250 MB) or just a CD burner.
Floppy Drive: Teac 1.44.
Mouse: Microsoft IntelliMouse Optical.
Keyboard: Microsoft Natural Keyboard Elite USB or PS/2.
Inexpensive Printer:
For Best Photo Prints: Epson Stylus Photo 820
For Best Text Prints: HP Deskjet 5550.
Options:
Scanner: MicroTek Scanmaker 4800 Scanner.
Digital Camera: Canon PowerShot A70 / A75 / A80.
Digital Camcorder: Sony TRV33.
UPS: OptiUPS 650ES Battery Backup with Voltage Regulation.
Game Controller: Gravis Xterminator Force Feedback Game Pad.
Joystick: Microsoft SideWinder Force Feedback 2
Steering Wheel: Microsoft SideWinder Force Feedback Wheel USB