Building a machine

[ceolstan]

I'm at the point where I'm thinking seriously of building over buying. I've done the research, starting at arstechnica.com, and then reading reviews at tomshardware.com. Part of my issue is domestic. My wonderful husband is an IT guy who hates working on computers at home. I mean, for him it is "work." He wants me to get a Dell deal and be done with it. He likes the whole Celeron package for about $400. I think that this system would be bad for gaming, even though I spend most of my time wordprocessing. In fact, even when I purchased my current system, it was a bit on the older technology side. I hate getting saddled with another dinosaur, so I don't want to have a celeron system. However, the hubby is very much unwilling to have a do-it-yourself project. I'd like to do it myself, perhaps with the assistance of some of the local undergrads who'd help out for the price of a home-cooked meal. :)

Currently, I'm looking at the budget box on the arstechnica website. I might want to make the following modifications:

• Motherboard: Asus A7N8X Deluxe
  Processor: AMD Athlon XP2600+
  Harddrive: 120 gig Western Digital (I have one now that is brand new and in the box)
  Mouse: MS Explorer Optical trackball (I love it. It saved me from carpal tunnel, and you will pry it from my cold, dead hands).<>
  [st]
  If I have any extra money, I'd like to put in a better video card than the 9100. However, I think that video might be something to add later, perhaps when I can afford a nicer monitor with a larger screen. Of course, if anyone has any wisdom to add, I'd appreciate it. I know I'm very much a newbie at this.
  
  But I'm excited by the prospect of owning a box where when I get tired of it or want the newer/faster mobo/chipset, all I have to do is swap out the parts instead of buy a whole new box!
  
  --ceolstan