I'm thinking about building a "killer" system that won't be obsolete in two years like every other damn PC I've ever bought.

Of course I'm been a cheap bastard in the past so I got what I asked for.

But let's say I have about $2000 to put into this.

What should I really get? Including some method of backing stuff up, including some good speakers and decent 3d graphic (I play some games). Interested in ideas.

Well 2 years ago this would have been difficult, but the fact is that software has sort of "topped out" in terms of CPU power requirements. If you get a 1GHZ system with 128MB of RAM, you can handle anything except maybe high-end digital editing.

Minimum of 2 USB ports. My Compaq has two in front and one in back included with the NVIDIA card.

Include a DVD/CD player.
Include a seperate CD-R writer for backups from your hard drive, making "backup copies" of CDs, storing digital pictures.
Internet camera (the one that sits on top of your monitor).
Buy a cheap (under $99) 1/2 megapixel digital camera to play with.
At least a 17" monitor.

Stay away from Packard Bell, Hewlett Packard (I have had friends tell me service is in the bottom). Compaq is a maybe due to some financial difficulties, although I am a satisfied Compaq User. Dell might be the most expensive but has largely maintained their customer service reputation.

Any printer with dual cartridges and a dot pitch of 1440 would be good for printing images. DO NOT buy a Compaq printer. They are essentially Lexmark printers with a cute little redesign which means you can only buy Compaq printer cartridges (not available in most stores). Buy Epson, HP, or Lexmark.

I have some of that stuff
 

I have the digital camera and the printer, so I'm home free there,

One question, do you think those internet cameras are really worthwhile? Do you use one?

Re: I have some of that stuff
 

Its a bit of a toy. It's really only useful if you know someone else who has one. A short while ago you could troll the Internet and chat with people. However, there is so much weirdness out there, this is harder to do today. Still, it is good as an attached digital camera and mine came with some neat demo software that lets you shoot hoops or pop bubbles drawn on the screen by simply moving your hands. Also, the price is better than digital cameras since storage is taken care of. I did a quick and dirty portrait of myself for a publication using one.

Some of these cameras can be used via internet or through the modem as a standard videophone. This makes them compatible with the videophones used by some businesses.

Just got a new box myself here
 

I wanted a new PC, so I bought a Dell from the Dell Factory Outlet with a heck of a deal.

It was a good buy from them, and I had a successful buy from them with my old Optiplex PII-450 (which is now the Diginexus Oracle Names Server).

I got a 1Ghz PIII with 256MB SDRAM, 20GB HD, 12X DVD, SB Live!, GeForce2 MX with 32MB RAM, and a 17" monitor for $1239 SHIPPED. I am adding on a CD-RW drive for about $135, and using my digital camera as a web cam, and buying a nice net card for $25 or so. I'll be running Windows 2000 Professional and Linux on it, and will add a 80GB 7200RPM HD when they come down in price.

All in all, Dell offers a way better deal than anyone else because that warranty is their factory warranty. Therefore, I bought one.

http://www.austin360.com/dell is the site. I am glad I didn't spring for the Inspiron 8000 now :)

That's cool. What wound up happening is that I "inherited" a p3-750 with 256MB of RAM and a Voodoo 3 and WinME. This is fast enough for now. I can run all of what I want to run, which means right now Mozilla, Eudora, The Sims, Age of Empires, Unreal Tournament and NHL 2001.

You should re-read these posts. Very nostalgic.