thanks for the replies, very informative and appreciated. seems that in this crazy technical world we live in that things are in a constant state of change. been also considering purchasing a new Dell system; however read on some other forums that they have begun using less than the best components. so.......still thinking I will build my own system.

question: is it possible to build a server system under Windows 7 and set up a secondary thin client (display, mouse and keyboard only)?