[linux-audio-user] AMD64 question

Greetings: Not long ago I mentioned that a student had traded an MSI mobo (socket 939) for some lessons. I'm ready to start building a system around that board, and I have some questions for this list: 1) I can get a new AMD64 Athlon 3800 2.4 GHz for (US) $145. Is the Athlon 64 a good chip for audio work, and is that a good price ? It's the best listed on Pricewatch. 2) Recommended case/power supply ? 3) The MSI box says it includes an nVidia nForce3 chipset, which I assume means that there's an audio/video chipset on the mobo. I'll probably disable the audio, and I have a gForce AGP video card to put in the machine. Question: Am I better off using the integrated video or should I use my card instead ? (Btw, I use the kernel nv driver, not nVidia's binary driver). 4) I assume I'll have to buy new RAM. What should I buy ? 5) The CPU includes a fan, but should I get something more powerful ? 6) How can I best reduce the noise from this system ? 7) Am I correct to assume that this system runs in a 32-bit more as well as the 64-bit ? How do I determine which mode I'll run in ? This system will replace my ancient desktop machine, so also I need to know if there are any precautions or warnings re: running Linux audio software on it. The distro of choice will be Debian Etch a la Demudi 1.3.0. Sorry for all the questions, I'm completely new to the 64-bit game. As always, any & all advice will be vastly appreciated. :) Best regards, dp