Quote - I can offer some guidelines, but they are only my own personal opinion, as there is no "correct" configuration. The following is what I would look for if I was buying one personally:

(In the order you mentioned them):

1. Harddisk. Try and look for a Seagate Barracuda 7200.10. They're high quality, very durable and quite silent. They come in various sizes, depending on your wallet, but aren't much more expensive than other harddisks (Very important it's a 7200.10 and not 7200.9 for example, as it refers to a newer model with better construction).

Good luck with it! It's a jungle out there, I hope you get something you will be happy with!

The hard drive I currently have is a Maxtor 40 gig, 7200.  That much I remember. I'll be sure to ask for 7200.10 though.

I hope I get something that is durable. I'm tired of having computer issues,  LOL

Thanks everyone for the advice thus far.  I'm paying close attention.

Please keep the suggestions coming.  I'm going to start pricing it out at the end of the week when I have more time to dedicate to it.  I'm not leaping into anything until I get all of the facts this time around :)

When I do have something "put together", I'll post it back here and ask for input on it too, just to make sure, hehe

"It is good to see ourselves as others see us. Try as we may, we are never
able to know ourselves fully as we are, especially the evil side of us.
This we can do only if we are not angry with our critics but will take in good
heart whatever they might have to say." - Ghandi