[Zxian]

With two thousand, you can get yourself a pretty tricked out system.

My recommendations:

Athlon64 3200+
1 GB PC3200 RAM (decent Brand)
7200 RPM HD
ATI X700/X800 Video Card

Just make sure that you get a power supply that can handle all of that and more (450W or more).

As for sound cards, I don't know all that much about them. SoundBlaster is a good brand that I've heard many good reviews.

If you're really hardcore, go for a CRT monitor. They have better response times and generally look better than LCDs, but at the price of space. Although a good 19" LCD monitor will rack up a nice price tag nowadays... your choice.

If you're even more hardcore, look into either the Raptor HDs or a RAID configuration. More pricey, but an increase in performance.

Logitech Mouse and Keyboard - MX500/MX510 are really excellent mice. They fit the hand really well and have the highest resolution of any optical mice out there (save the MX1000).

Logitech Speakers - They're the best 5.1 speakers out there. You don't need to go with the 400W system, that's just extreme.


If you're talking about USD, then you should have plenty to spare after you're done with all of that.

Just make sure that you find a good company to buy parts from. Don't buy retail, since you're going to be paying retail prices.

Cheers!


EDIT - I hadn't seen your previous post... As a student in university, I can say that having a laptop makes life a whole lot nicer. If you're doing anything science/engineering related, then I would definately recommend getting a low-end laptop and then a mid-range desktop instead of just a high-end desktop. The mobile computing is really nice to have.