Need advice on building Computer

All right, I have $3400 and want to make a high end, high performance gaming computer. I only want a hd between 80-120 GB serial ata. The newest nvidia GeForce 6800 ultra 256 mb agp8x video card. I want 5.1 surround sound but don't know from who. 1 gb of memory. A 17" in monitor, but don't know if i should use an lcd monitor or an crt one. I'm afraid of blurring with the lcd ones. My BIGGESTconcern is the processor. Which is better in games intel's p4 EEs or Amd's Athlon64 fx-53 with the 939 mobo. i'm not much a fan for upgrading myself. I just want the computer to last a few years until the games outpace it.

 

from what i understand the amd fx is build for high end graphics, so i guess if your going to be gamming the fx is where its at. it also has a 1600fsb on it which is the fastest out there

 

Ok. Firstly, I would stay away from the 6800's. They are buggy, and it is still unknown what sort of problems are going to plague the card. If I were you, I would get a less expensive either 9800 pro or XT or a 5900 card, wait for the cards to become stable and drop in price, and then just switch in a new graphics card, not hard to do and will avoid a lot of nights of trying to figure out why a game isn't working and how to fix it. Also, with that amount of money, I would go for a CRT since in my opinion they are much better for gaming, and go at least 19 inches since you have the funds. Also, you will probably want to look at spending a good amount on a good case and lots of cooling since this system will probably peel the paint from any nearby walls. ^_^