[Larry_OHF]

Let me try to keep my head out of the clouds and keep in mind you have a wife to get approval from on all this...

Originally posted by Stonewarrior: ...I was chatting with a friend and he mentioend he and his build computers. He mentioned they were able to build the follwing for $340.00...

What ZFR has already said is the reality of the situation in that $340 will not build you a computer worth anything game-wise if you are intending this to be a computer that will run games that you buy for the next (?) years. You mentioned that your wife will have a say in this, and I know from experience that the cheaper the cost, the less likely she will pitch a hissy.

My initial thoughts on what I would want include between 512 and 1024 of RAM and a minimum 80 gig hardrive.

Windows XP itself runs better when you have a gig of RAM, so any gaming you do would makes sense to have at least a gig, in other words, 1024 and up from there.

I have two hard drives in my system for a total of 120G. This is enough for me to enjoy for a long time, with no need to upgrade. I think 80 might be too tight for me and what I need HDD space for, so my advice to you would be to raise your minimum HDD size to 120G. You'll be happier with that, considering how much space NWN1 and 2 do and can take up.

As for the processor and motherboard I am somewhat clueless.

Then work backwards from what you know you need. Decide now on the HDD, the Vid Card, the Sound Card, the monitor, the case, etc...and then decide on how much money you have left. That will tell you what price range of cards to shop for, and which Processors they need...and of course the memory is already decided at a minimum of 1024G of whatever works on the board.

Make a list of the items you decide on, and then start shopping around for prices. Newegg and amazon.com are two great places to find great prices if you want to go that route, or try to find a shop in your area that sells over the counter parts (but not big chain stores).

I would want to build a system that is good for gaming (at this point all I play is NWN1 and the Baldur's Gate series) while not breaking the bank. Essentially I would want to build a suitable gaming system for as little as possible.

You may find your wife more easily convinced to let you buy one part every paycheck so as to not spend nearly $1000 at one time. That is the way I have had to do it...buy a part here and there over time so as to not let her realize the grand total of the sum of its parts.