want to build my first system-need advice

[cromedome]

hi everyone
i am new to computer building and i want some advice. i have been doing some research on the web and have a basic idea of what i want. first of all i know i want an amd t-bird cpu 1 gig,but i am not sure about the motherboard? seems abit and asus socket a boards are a good bet. this is going to be a home system used by my family. my son is a gamer so i will need a decent video card. i like to listen to music so i will need a good sound card and speakers. i have a sony digital 8 camcorder that will do still pics,it needs a 1394 firewire connection. also,i want a full tower case,cd burner,dvd. i am in no hurry to build my system and i want to take my time and try not to screw it up. i have a concern with vendors and have been checking them out on resellers ratings.com. like i said, this is my first system build and need help with compatability and setting it up.so i can use all the help and information i can get.

[Polymorphus]

The best advice would probably be to stick with name brands, such as Asus and Abit that you have mentioned. AMD CPU's do have some compatability issues, though AMD has recommended hardware for use with their CPU's on their web page. With all that you plan on having in the system, a descent PSU would be worthy investment, such as a 300w. Creative's Soundblaster Live Soundcard range is a good bet (I have the cheaper model Soundblaster Live Value card and it does a good enough job for me). I have them matched with a 4 point surround Cambridge Soundworks speaker set, with the sub woofer, very good quality sound. (I think you can get a standard 2 speaker and sub woofer set also). A GeForce graphics card or better would be the way to go, though I tend to stear away from the latest and greatest gear, cause my pocket isn't all that deep. As for the burner, I like Yamaha and Plextor CD Writers, once again depending on how much you plan on spending, some of the Plextor CD Writers can get expensive, so a Yamaha drive might be better. SCSI drives cost more, and don't write any faster than IDE drives, they are however more stable than IDE drives, and you can still use the PC while writing to a SCSI drive (But once again more cost is needed in a SCSI card). DVD drives are something I haven't looked into, yet, so I can't make that call. You may want to invest in a Hardware decoder card for the DVD drive if it doesn't come with one. Im not sure how good the latest graphics cards are DVD playback, so you might not?

[LawyerRon]

The Epox and MSI motherboards are cheaper and also come very highly recommended.