Je2pa: I don't think you will be able to build a decent system for only $1K. Here's why:
Monitor: Cheap (17") will be $200; Moderate (19") will be $300; Nice (17" LCD) will be $500
Mainboard: Cheap will be $100; Lots of features will be $150
CPU: Athlon XP 2200+ will be $175 - $200 (OEM)
Heatsink / fan assembly: Cheap (aluminum) will be $35; Solid copper high performance will be $50
RAM: PC2100 DDR 256 MB will be $60; PC2700 DDR 512 MB (2 sticks) will be $125
Case: Cheap (generic / plastic) will be $40; Decent will be $80, Modded (windows, etc.) will be $125
Power Supply: Only get a good ($60) to excellent ($90 and up) power supply!!!!
Videocard: Cheap (Geforce3/4 low Ti range) will be $125; Decent will be $200; Excellent will be $300
Speakers: Forget cheap ($15), decent 2.1 system will be $50; nice 4.1 will be $150
Hard drive: 40 GB with 2 MB buffer will be $80; 100 GB with 8 MB buffer will be $130
CD/RW drive: Cheap 24X will be $50; decent 32X will be $70; fastest 48X will be $100
DVD or CD-ROM drive: Cheap will be $30, decent will be $50
Sound Card: Cheap will be $30 (forget it); decent will be $50, excellent will be $85
Extra PCI cards (Ethernet, etc.): figure on $20 to $40 per card
Removeable storage: Floppy will be $10, Zip 100 will be $35
As you can see, we are talking more like $1100 for even the cheapest system. You will be closer to the $1500 mark for something decent, and $2000 for an excellent system. If you are serious about this project, I suggest you allocate some more money, and go for a $1500 system. Otherwise, I recommend that you purchase a pre-configured system using a slower CPU (Athlon XP 2000+) to save a few bucks. It's hard to beat the price of some manufacturers, since they get those volume discounts. Maybe you can buy that pre-configured system and start modding the case (window, neon or cold cathode light, fans, etc.), learning more and preparing yourself for another system that you build yourself next year when more money is available......
