Any suggested improvements are welcome.

CPU - AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Dual Core
RAM - 1GB PC5300 DDR2
Main Hardrive - WD Raptor SATA 10000 RPM - 74 Gig
Storage - Maxtor DiamondMax 10 SATA - 250 GB

Should I consider an Intel dual core instead?

 

id consider the Core 2 Duo that just came out, so far from what ive been reading they're doing better than the athlon 64s in many ways

 

are you getting the AM2 chip?

 

2 gigs of ram

 

What is the system for???

Your missing the video card- which is probably the most expensive component.

 

ya , more money too i beleive.


As for video card, I'm looking at the ATI x1600 Pro 512MB

 

system will be used for web surfing, casual gaming, office applications, and casual video and photo editing.

 

Perfect for what you want to do, my setup is very similar.

By the way, dont get the 1600 pro, get the 1600XT, the price is similar, but the XT is much better

 

also get a good power supply otherwise all of the money you spent will be worthless.

 

for video editing, 2 gigs of ram is definatley needed, not to mention future gaming

 

You guys think that CPU has enough horsepower? or should I kick it up a notch?

 

For what you're doing, its plenty of power. My AMD X2 is complete overkill for today's stuff. If you want to upgrade to a Duo Core, I'd wait until there are games/programs that will actually use it.

 

At least two gigs of RAM and if you have money to spare, add an additional gig. Are you planning on upgrading to Vista in the near future with that rig?