I had everything picked out, along with what hardware I've managed to accumulate, such as CDR drives ands assorted other goodies, including a full size server case and a 450 watt P/S.

500 bucks would have done the trick very easily.

Trouble is, that 500 went for other things.

Like steering and suspension repair on my truck when I hit an 'alligator' on the way home from work late one night. That was almost half of it right there.

(for you poor unenlightened folk, an 'alligator' is truck driver speak for those huge pieces of truck tires that litter the highways, more so during hot weather. Damned hard to see at ten in the evening, especially if you started work at 6 that morning.)