Advice for new system - motherboards, processors, a power supply, case and ram...

[ftcnt]

I'm looking to buy a new computer and want to get some advice and opinions on motherboards, processors, a power supply, case and ram. It will be a home desktop pc. I'm going to be doing a lot of multi-tasking, running different programs at once like ms word, dreamweaver and statistics programs. I'd like it to be very quick so that I can switch between programs as my current machine is sluggish but it is very old. How much RAM should I be looking at and what type ? As well, what are some above average video cards that you would recommend? As for a power supply, how much juice do I need? I'd like to use my old CD drives & DVD drives but I want to get larger hard drive disks. At this point, I'd like to keep my system under 1000 USD. thanks for your help!

[maxrebo]

In general, check newegg for most parts, though you might find better deals on hard drives elsewhere.

For $1000, your setup should look something like:
CPU: Intel E6300
Motherboard:: anything with a P965 chipset
Power Supply: a 500+w from a reputable brand like Antec, Enermax, Fortron, Corsair, etc.
Ram: 2gb of ddr2 6400
Case: It largely depends on personal preference, though I like Antecs.
Video Card: Depending on how much gaming youre planning on doing, either the 8800GTS or X1950 Pro would do.
Hard drive: The new seagates and western digitals are fine.