I'm looking for advice as to what hardware would be best for
constructing a computer system which is to be used for 16 bit/44.1 Khz
and possibly 24/96 audio. I am an experienced sound technician who
plans to do content creation (as I now do) and not merely make mix
CDs.

Most commercial PC's seem to be designed to run AOL, MSIE and
Microsoft Word. Most of the computing forums I've seen seem to
concentrate on hardware experimentation or gaming equipment. I would
like to know what kind of hardware - motherboards, sound interfaces,
power supplies, hard drives, CD and DVD burners, system cooling
devices, etc. that audio professionals and serious amateurs recommend
(or steer clear of). I know that good equipment isn't cheap. Just the
same, I do have to live within a moderate budget (i.e. I won't be
buying an Echo Layla, even though it's an excellent sound interface
which I have had occasion to use).

Also, are there any web sites, on-line forums, articles, reviews or
other resources that you would recommend?

Thank you in advance.