[LAU] Current favourites for new hardware?

[Gordon J. C. Pearce MM3YEQ]

What are the current recommendations and "avoids" in motherboards and
graphics cards these days?

I'm currently using a Sempron 3400 with a completely shite Via
motherboard (slow, buggy onboard sound, slow, buggy onboard network,
pathetically slow onboard video since my NVidia card failed).  Are there
any particular chipsets to go for?

Gordon