I want to build a new machine...

[leptar]

I've been looking online and i want to build a new machine...

I used to build systems as i worked at a couple of Computer shops back in the early 90's... Last system I built was for myself was in 2003...

I haven't been keeping up with the technology as i changed fields...

So on that note i know many of you are in the field today and keep up with whats hot and whats not...

I have a low end Intel laptop and a high end AMD laptop both are under a year old.(which after playing with a high end Intel laptop makes the AMD laptop a joke)...

I was a huge AMD fanboy and still a little biased towards them but with all due respect I have been fiddling with AMD and Intel machines that are out there and all bloat ware aside i have not seen a single AMD machine snap thru applications without hiccuping during certain stages...

I want to build an Intel system...

Here is what i'm looking for...

Mother boards
Video cards
Memory
Besides $400+ CPU's which CPU under $250 would you consider..

I was ready to buy a barebones system and slap it together but i wanted some "real" input and not what some 13 yr old wrote imagining he/she had...

My son is 11 so he might want to do some computer gaming..
My wife might get back into photography..
Me i couldn't care less as long as i can log on and post/read S-B.com, check tides/weather, look up a schematic and order parts/tools and check email..

Thanks,
Paul..

I thought about a Mac as my wife's sister owns one as she did photo/video and website design... cost a pretty penny too..