What part of performance would you give up first

[Irs2k3]

I voted ( virtually) for sound because nowadays all the mobos have onboard sound, so you can forget about buying a sound card and buy it later.
Also sound does not influence performance.
I know onboard sound uses clock cycles but it is not dramatic.
The thing I would absolutely not compromise on is the quality of components because it may cost you more to get quality, but in the long run you will save money.

i would compromise on sound too, the others are important to performance.