about to build a new computer but am a bit tossed on a few choices....?

Question

first off is AMD vs. Intell iv read that Intell is clearly ahead of the game but is better for applications other then gaming.... AMD is the better gaming choice as far as i understand...yes? no? ok so heres my idea of spec.
AMD Athlon 64 x2 6400+ dual core Socket AM2 ($209)

not sure whats the better MoBo (must be AM2) <-- big question. ($50-$150) (there is a Biostar NF520-A2 nForce 520 socket AM2 $70 but its a cheap POS)

Radeon x1550 512Mb 16x PCI Express video ) definitly up to advice

400 GB 7200RPM SATA 8MB cache (of couse this is always negotiable and the easiest thing to change for final build)

the rest is just preference after that but im gonna try to keep it within $500 by building it myself

If you built a gaming machine (or 10) give me some ideas on what better choices could be... thanks in advance :)

yeah i probly should have mentioned i have ram, towers, power supplys, moniter, keyboard, mouse, tower fan, and all the small cheaper parts that push up price... when i said $500 i ment 500ish ($500-700) in main components... just give me some ideas on MoBo and graphics card and tell me if i should consider a Intell instead just as the question insisted. As for pre-built thats just the cheapest junk in a box that runs on a specific processer. i can actully buy a prebuilt and get the very same processer cheaper then buying the processer alone (leave the shoppng part to me :)

im gonna give this one to kars because hes the only one who actully gave some info on MoBo and links to a complete build... everyone else just dodged the answer and talked smack for 2 points.

Answer 1

For a budget build, consider this:
http://arstechnica.com/guides/buyer/guide-200704.ars
If you already have a monitor, use the amount for a graphics card and processor.

For a gaming box, check this out:
http://arstechnica.com/guides/buyer/guide-200708.ars/3

Answer 2

Are you saying you want to keep the price of the total build under $500? If that is what you mean then you have about $46 left after the list of parts you show to spend on the case, power supply, operating system, memory, DVD-drive etc. I build sell and repair computers for a living and I dont even monkey with low-end $500 towers because I can't even buy the parts for what Dell sells them for because they buy their parts in such massive quantities they get their parts for 1/2 of what I pay for them. If you're building an exotic $2500 plus gaming tower thats one thing but if you're building a $500 tower to save money, forget it. Just look at what a $500 Dell tower has then see what the parts in it and the software would cost you to buy.

Answer 3

You have forgotten RAM - and an Operating System, Optical Drive, Case and power supply.

You will be lucky to keep the price under 500.
More like 900.

You will need at least 512 MB RAM for XP and a minimum of 1GB for Vista.
Do not get any more than 3GB of RAM, because XP and Vista will NOT RECOGNIZE 4GB.