Btw...
I've got my semi-new computer up and running, and it seems to be performing substantially better than my previous setup. I swapped most of the components out, keeping only the case, power supply, and my 320gb HD. So far, so good. The quad-cores really help with software that can take advantage of them (like DPP), and the extra memory really makes stuff work a lot smoother.
Some observations if you haven't built a computer in a while...
1) Installing hardware keeps getting easier. The new Socket 775 design is loads better than the last few generations of Intel and AMD CPU sockets. It still isn't perfect, but inserting the CPU and the heatsink/fan is a lot easier than on my last system. SATA has made drive installations a lot less knuckle bruising, since there is more space for the cables, and they go in so much easier.
2) Getting the system to actually work once everything is installing continues to get harder. My memory required perfect manual timings to get things to work without errors, which is a royal pain. Windows XP pre-SP2 can only see 131gb, so my hard-drives were missing until I installed the service pack, which scared the crud out of me. Driver support continues to get more confusing as there are now 4 different types of consumer drivers, Windows XP, Windows XP/64-bit, Windows Vista, Windows Vista/64-bit. It is like Windows 3.11->95 all over again.
3) Newegg.com continues to be a great computer parts retailer. Of course, it is a huge benefit to be less than a day's UPS from their warehouse in NJ.
