getting ready to build new computer will be mach 3 only

I am getting ready to a build a mach 3 only computer. i will be running windows xp pro as i have that available. my machine is built and running but my current computer keeps hanging up, so i want something new that i can start fresh with. pretty much all the mother boards now have on board video, is it necessary to still run a seperate video card? right now i'm thinking that i want an intel chip. is there any benefit to running a dual core? also with ram being so cheap now and most boards capable of running 8 gigs of ram is there a reason to run so much? running the parallel port is a really basic function that can be handled in dos, so it really looks like there doesn't need to be a bunch of ram needed. i was planning on running two gigs as i think thats the smallest i can get right now. again looking for ideas here and am looking forward to seeing the responses.