Hey Cheffy,
Thank you for visiting the Microsoft Genuine Advantage Forum. The purpose of this forum is the support of Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) program. Your question is off topic. Cheffy what operating system are you planning on installing? What will your computer be used for mainly? This would be two very important questions you need to address. You can try posting your questions in the Discussions in Windows XP General: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/newsgroups/reader.mspx?dg=microsoft.public.windowsxp.general&lang=en&cr=US . It appears you are seeking guidance for hardware solution in aggerate with software applications and user application so this forum may not be able to help you.
If you should have other non-WGA questions please visit our other communities for helpful information here: http://www.microsoft.com/atwork/community.mspx . Thank you for visiting the forum.
Stephen Holm, MS