I_Like_Swordchucks
08-23-2007, 12:27 PM
Welcome to I_Like_Swordchucks' system builder guide!
First of all these are merely my suggestions. As there are price ranges with everything, and not everybody has one of these specific budgets I'm highlighting, there can be stretchiness in and among them. I see a lot of people asking whats good and whats not, so here's my take on value for money.
Second of all, I am not a fanboy. I do not prefer ATi over nVidia, Intel over AMD, or what have you. I believe in the product itself. In some situations I prefer nVidia, in some I prefer Intel, but I do believe there are occasional logical choices over the competitive counterpart.
Finally, these are all about PCs. I have never used a Mac, I do not have an opinion on a Mac, therefore I know nothing about them. I have, however, studied PCs intensively and built two of my own systems and one for my girlfriend to date.
I will be outlining the primary components for each PC. This includes the processor, motherboard, RAM, video card, hard drive, optical drive, case and the power supply. Monitors, keyboards, and mice are all at the buyer's discretion, and any other component is generally optional (such as network and sound being included on the motherboard). I'll be including prices I'll get from on-line stores to show how cheap the system can be.
To start:
The Budget Build
Not everybody can afford an expensive computer, c'est la vie. However, it is totally possible to get an effective computer that can handle almost anything you throw at it while still maintaining a good budget. Don't expect to game at super high resolutions or get massive framerates with all the eyecandy turned on, but it won't be all that bad either. An important feature of any budget build is to maintain upgradeability. In other words, its wiser to get the lower end of the current generation of hardware than the higher end of the previous generation. This way if you want to upgrade a specific part, you don't have to worry about upgrading everything else as well.
Processor: In all honesty, getting single core CPU right now is probably a bad idea. But dual core CPUs have become quite affordable. For this choice, the most affordable dual core CPU is the Athlon 64 X2 3800+ which can be found for around $65 at various retailers. Any more than $70, and you're getting ripped.
Motherboard: So there's a couple of things we want. First of all, we want an AM2 socket (to be compatible with our processor). Second, we want a PCI-E x16 slot to give us some flexibility with the video card. An affordable option is the MSI K9N6SGM-V motherboard. MSI is a respected brand name, so you won't be getting a crappy no-name brand, and it also has Geforce 6100 integrated graphics. I wouldn't suggest gaming on that, but you've already got Vista compatibility. You can find this board for around $50.
RAM: Okay, I'm going to stretch a little with the RAM. I don't believe anybody should go with less than 2 GB, no matter what the recommended specs for programs say. You will always notice a dramatic improvement in system performance by going from 1 to 2 GB, and our goal here is to be able to run anything for cheap money. We need DDR2 due to our board specs, but we're going to go for affordability rather than speed. You can buy a pack of 2x1GB Crucial DDR2 667 for around $75, and Crucial, while not high end, is at least respectable.
Video: Our onboard graphics will give us Vista compatibility as well as decent video playback, etc, but its unsuitable for gaming. This is still a budget built so we don't want to spend excessive amounts of money, but being able to play, say, Oblivion on 1024x760 would still be a plus. In this scenario I have to opt for nVidia's Geforce 7300GT, preferably from either eVGA or BFG. Lifetime warranties, step up programs, and a superior performance to the Radeon x1300 series makes this desirable. No DX10 support, but in all honesty this is a budget build so we aren't going to be playing Crysis on high res anyway, and budget DX10 cards suck all kinds of ass. You can find this card for between $60 and $65. Make sure you're getting the 256MB version, because 128MB just isn't enough nowadays.
Hard Drive: We're not looking for performance here, we want space per dollar. SATA is the standard for our mother board, and you can find the Western Digital Caviar SE 160GB for approximately $50. Lots of room to play around, and a respectable brand name.
Optical Drive: Again we want functionality and not speed. We want to be able to burn DVDs and CDs without paying through the nose, right? ASUS 18x DVDR/RW can be found for just under $30, and it has lightscribe capabilities as well! Score!
Case: Really an unimportant choice in this build. The motherboard is mATX so is small enough to fit in just about any case, and none of the parts run hot enough to need excellent cooling. A Rosewill steel case can be had for $20 with a rear fan and a lot more stylish looking than the cheapo beige cases you see on most budget builds.
PSU: Really, you don't need more than 400W for this build. Video card says 350W recommended, and a good rule of thumb is to go up another 50 for both safety and upgradeability. Please note however that you do not want to skimp here as a cheap brand is as likely to fry your computer as run it. Here, I'd go with the Thermaltake 400W PSU which can be found for around $40. 30a rating on the 12V rail gives the video card assurance you won't overrun the PSU, and Thermaltake is a respectable quality PSU.
In total:
CPU: Athlon 64 X2 3800+ AM2 - $65
Mobo: MSI K9N6SGM-V - $50
RAM: 2x1GB Crucial DDR2667 - $75
Video: eVGA Geforce 7300 GT 256 - $60
HD: WD Caviar SE 160GB - $50
Optical: ASUS 18x DVDR/RW - $30
Case: Rosewill R6425-P - $20
PSU: Thermaltake Litepower 400W - $40
Total: $390
After all other components and parts like the monitor and speakers are added, you're looking at about a $500 system.
The Mainstream Build
Next there are those of us who are willing to pay a little more so we can play our favorite games with the eye-candy on, but don't really care whether we get 40 or 80 fps while we're at it. Moreover, we're not quite willing to spend thousands of dollars on a computer that will be half that price in one year anyway. I fit into this category along with a significant portion of people. Here we're going bang for buck, to get the most performance out of mainly affordable parts, while still maintaining upgradeablity.
CPU: Really here its a tossup between the Intel Core 2 Duo e6600 and the Athlon X2 6000+. The choice falls down to one difference: overclocking. The overclocker should go with the e6600 by far, but since most of us are not overclockers, I'll go with the cheaper 6000+. It can be found for $170, but is one of AMD's best CPUs.
Motherboard: Okay we want a few things here. We want an AM2 socket, again, but we also want around 2 PCI-E x16 slots in case we want to upgrade to SLI/Crossfire later, and at least four RAM slots for RAM upgradeability. The ASUS M2A-MVP offers all of this at a reasonable price of about $85.
RAM: 2GB is still really all thats neccessary as of yet, but we want a little more oomph behind it. When you talk RAM and oomph, you should always think Corsair. 2x1GB Corsair XMS2 DDR2 800 offers excellent performance, as well as good potential for overclocking. $100 for some sweet memory isn't too bad.
Video: There is a lot of choice to be had here, but my personal recommendation is the Radeon x1950 Pro. Excellent price, amazing performance at 1280x1024 resolution, and native Crossfire that works much in the same way as SLI in case for future upgrades. nVidia's counterpart is the 7900 GS, which while a decent card, doesn't have the same image quality offered by the x1950 Pro. I'd recommend either the standard ATI version of the card, or get Sapphire's version as they are both one slot cards so the motherboard will easily fit two of them. Stick with the 256 MB version, as the 512 doesn't offer enough performance increase for the price. Still no DX10 card here, as the 8600 GTS costs upwards of $30 more and performs much worse. The x1950 Pro can be found for $150, sometimes as low as $140.
Hard Drive: Not much different here than in the budget, but here we go with the Western Digital Caviar SE16 250GB. $70 ish, lots of space, 16MB cache size, excellent reviews. If you're desperate for size, go up to the 400 or 500 MB versions, but you might find the extra space unneccessary unless you do a lot of downloading.
Optical Drive: Again, not much different. We want to be able to burn DVDs and CDs without paying through the nose, right? ASUS 18x DVDR/RW can be found for just under $30, and it has lightscribe capabilities as well! Sound familiar? You could also go for a drive with HD capability if you absolutely wanted it, but I would consider it wasted money as of yet.
Case: The case, however, has to be different. We're running faster equipment, we want more cooling. Our motherboard is also a full sized ATX, and we want to make sure we have enough space to add that second video card down the road. My choice is the Sunbeam Transformer Steel ATX case. Three fans, lots of space, and $70. Its got excellent airflow and keeps the internal machinery cool, and its amazing looking besides.
PSU: Okay, we want approximately a 500W power supply for this system, but we also want to make sure we've got enough juice if we ever have the funds to add in a second x1950 Pro. Therefore, I'd suggest getting at least a 600W PSU just to keep yourself upgradeable and not risking frying your mobo. Apevia ATX-AS600W-GN has 38a on the 12v rail, making sure you've got enough juice for crossfire, and its heavy duty enough that you don't have to worry about getting s deep fried system. For it you're looking at about $90, but it is definitely worth it.
In total:
CPU: Athlon 64 X2 6000+ AM2 - $170
Mobo: ASUS M2A-MVP - $85
RAM: 2x1GB Corsair XMS2 DDR2 800 - $100
Video: Sapphire Radeon x1950 Pro 256MB - $150
HD: WD Caviar SE16 250GB - $70
Optical: ASUS 18x DVDR/RW - $30
Case: Sunbeam Transformer - $70
PSU: Apevia ATX-AS600W-GN - $90
Total: $765
After the monitor and such are added (recommending a 19" LCD for 1280x1024 res) you're talking a $1000 system, and excellent performance for that price.
High End Build
Other people like to really push the limits. They want wide screen, massive resolutions with high fps, insane rendering times. They want performance, and are willing to spend a few extra dollars to do so. I'm not going to list just the most expensive parts here, because any idiot can go the the store and ask for the most expensive build they can get. I'll be talking about a price for performance, without spending unneccessary money (8800 Ultra, I'm looking at you).
CPU: I apologize to all the AMD fanboys, but your favorite manufacturer just doesn't cut it with the high end anymore. However, I never really understood the neccessity in getting Intel's extreme processors when you can get one for nearly the same performance for half the price. In such, I'll be supporting the Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700. Four cores of raw power to be had for $560. It makes me sad to think though that just the cpu costs more than the entire budget build put together.
Motherboard: There's a bit of choice between offerings by both ASUS and MSI, but in the end I have to settle with enthusiast board of choice, the Asus Striker Extreme. It's future proofed for CPUs with a 1333 FSB, its SLI capable, it is very overclockable (an important feature for any enthusiast), and its a decent price. We're talking about $250 here, but an awesome board at that.
RAM: Unless you plan on running 64-bit versions of Windows, I'd still keep with 2GB at the moment. The motherboard can accept more, but until its needed, who cares? For this system we're going to consider OCZ Platinum, 2x1GB, DDR2 1066. Fast, powerful, overclockable, and most importantly: SLI certified. Thats right, this memory will have no trouble keeping up with dual 8800 GTXs if you ever want to use it. $155 up front.
Video: 8800 GTX, end of story.Get it again from either eVGA or BFG for that lifetime warranty, and the version you get is up to you. Even a GTX at stock speeds is among the fastest video cards out there, and you can get some decently overclocked versions for not much more. ATi doesn't offer any card that can even remotely compete, and the 8800 Ultra isn't a whole lot of a better performance for a lot more money. For this card, you're thinking about $550 to spend. Unless you intend on running at 2560x2048 resolutions, one card is enough. You can SLI later when more demanding games come out.
Hard Drive: The enthusiast card of choice is the Western Digital Raptor. Not as big as the slower hard drives, but a blazingly fast read and write speed. the 150GB version of this card can be found for $250. You can always get a second cheap hard drive for storage if you need more space.
Optical: You've got two choice, you can spend $500 and get a Blu-ray compatible burner, or you could not. I would choose not to and get a SATA interface DVD burner for around $40, and wait for prices to fall dramatically before getting the Blu-Ray. But thats me.
Case: While the case in the mid-range would also work, we've got a quad core CPU here that we want to overclock. We want massive cooling. Personal choice would be the Thermaltake Armor case. So much space, excellent air flow, four fans, lots of expansion bays. Maybe its even worth the $140 bucks it would cost to get it.
PSU: Here is one place we cannot skimp on the PSU. This system needs a beast, preferably capable of handling potentially two 8800 GTX cards. The best choice for this would be the Enermax Galaxy 1000W PSU, but its a hefty $330 and will kill your electric bill. For $100 less, the Thermaltake W0131RU 850W is also capable of mounting two 8800 GTXs without much problem so it wins the award for PSU of choice. Its got 96a on the 12V rail. Damn! Its certified by nVidia as being SLI capable, so we don't have to worry about it burning out.
In total:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700 - $560
Mobo: Asus Striker Extreme - $250
RAM: 2x1GB Corsair XMS2 DDR2 800 - $155
Video: eVGA Geforce 8800 GTX KO - $550
HD: WD Raptor X 150GB - $250
Optical: Plextor DVDR/RW - $40
Case: Thermaltake Armor - $140
PSU: Thermaltake 850W - $240
In total: $2185
To get a suitable monitor/speaker/keyboard/mouse for this computer takes you up to just udner $2500, with an uber system. Add in another blob of RAM, another 8800 GTX, and a second Raptor to go into RAID and you've got a $3500 system that will run the newest games in highest resolutions with all eye candy on and still give you more than 50 fps. Note that the more expensive a computer is though, the more money has to be spent for any noticeable performance gain. How much performance gain? I've included a couple of approximated benchmarks taken from similar systems to give a general idea. 3DMark focuses more on gaming performance, while PCMark focuses more on general performance.
3DMark06 (approx)
Budget - 2100
Mainstream - 5200
High End - 13500
3DMark05 (approx)
Budget - 3600
Mainstream - 12000
High End - 17000
PCMark05 (approx)
Budget - 4300
Mainstream - 6800
High End - 9500
In closing, there are price ranges I've left out. For instance, you can get a system for about $1200 ($1500 with all accessories) with excellent performance by using an 8800 GTS 320 MB, a better PSU, and a better mobo in the mainstream system and see a nice performance increase. Also, if you were solely gaming and didn't want to spend $2500, you could always tack a beast of a video card like the 8800 GTS or GTX to the budget build. I can guarentee that you see a gaming perforance superiority over the mid-range at higher resolutions, but the system would be less stable and perform far slower in other tasks. If you've got any questions or comments, feel free to leave them. In fact, if you want to show your own builds, thats okay too.
My personal real life build:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo e6600
Motherboard: Asus P5VD2-MX SE
RAM: 2x1GB Kingston DDR2 667
Video: ATi Radeon x1950 Pro
Hard Drive: 2x200GB Seagate Barracuda
Case: Masker Mid-Tower Case
PSU: Apevia 520W
Sound: CL Soundblaster Audigy
Monitor: LG1919S 19" LCD
First of all these are merely my suggestions. As there are price ranges with everything, and not everybody has one of these specific budgets I'm highlighting, there can be stretchiness in and among them. I see a lot of people asking whats good and whats not, so here's my take on value for money.
Second of all, I am not a fanboy. I do not prefer ATi over nVidia, Intel over AMD, or what have you. I believe in the product itself. In some situations I prefer nVidia, in some I prefer Intel, but I do believe there are occasional logical choices over the competitive counterpart.
Finally, these are all about PCs. I have never used a Mac, I do not have an opinion on a Mac, therefore I know nothing about them. I have, however, studied PCs intensively and built two of my own systems and one for my girlfriend to date.
I will be outlining the primary components for each PC. This includes the processor, motherboard, RAM, video card, hard drive, optical drive, case and the power supply. Monitors, keyboards, and mice are all at the buyer's discretion, and any other component is generally optional (such as network and sound being included on the motherboard). I'll be including prices I'll get from on-line stores to show how cheap the system can be.
To start:
The Budget Build
Not everybody can afford an expensive computer, c'est la vie. However, it is totally possible to get an effective computer that can handle almost anything you throw at it while still maintaining a good budget. Don't expect to game at super high resolutions or get massive framerates with all the eyecandy turned on, but it won't be all that bad either. An important feature of any budget build is to maintain upgradeability. In other words, its wiser to get the lower end of the current generation of hardware than the higher end of the previous generation. This way if you want to upgrade a specific part, you don't have to worry about upgrading everything else as well.
Processor: In all honesty, getting single core CPU right now is probably a bad idea. But dual core CPUs have become quite affordable. For this choice, the most affordable dual core CPU is the Athlon 64 X2 3800+ which can be found for around $65 at various retailers. Any more than $70, and you're getting ripped.
Motherboard: So there's a couple of things we want. First of all, we want an AM2 socket (to be compatible with our processor). Second, we want a PCI-E x16 slot to give us some flexibility with the video card. An affordable option is the MSI K9N6SGM-V motherboard. MSI is a respected brand name, so you won't be getting a crappy no-name brand, and it also has Geforce 6100 integrated graphics. I wouldn't suggest gaming on that, but you've already got Vista compatibility. You can find this board for around $50.
RAM: Okay, I'm going to stretch a little with the RAM. I don't believe anybody should go with less than 2 GB, no matter what the recommended specs for programs say. You will always notice a dramatic improvement in system performance by going from 1 to 2 GB, and our goal here is to be able to run anything for cheap money. We need DDR2 due to our board specs, but we're going to go for affordability rather than speed. You can buy a pack of 2x1GB Crucial DDR2 667 for around $75, and Crucial, while not high end, is at least respectable.
Video: Our onboard graphics will give us Vista compatibility as well as decent video playback, etc, but its unsuitable for gaming. This is still a budget built so we don't want to spend excessive amounts of money, but being able to play, say, Oblivion on 1024x760 would still be a plus. In this scenario I have to opt for nVidia's Geforce 7300GT, preferably from either eVGA or BFG. Lifetime warranties, step up programs, and a superior performance to the Radeon x1300 series makes this desirable. No DX10 support, but in all honesty this is a budget build so we aren't going to be playing Crysis on high res anyway, and budget DX10 cards suck all kinds of ass. You can find this card for between $60 and $65. Make sure you're getting the 256MB version, because 128MB just isn't enough nowadays.
Hard Drive: We're not looking for performance here, we want space per dollar. SATA is the standard for our mother board, and you can find the Western Digital Caviar SE 160GB for approximately $50. Lots of room to play around, and a respectable brand name.
Optical Drive: Again we want functionality and not speed. We want to be able to burn DVDs and CDs without paying through the nose, right? ASUS 18x DVDR/RW can be found for just under $30, and it has lightscribe capabilities as well! Score!
Case: Really an unimportant choice in this build. The motherboard is mATX so is small enough to fit in just about any case, and none of the parts run hot enough to need excellent cooling. A Rosewill steel case can be had for $20 with a rear fan and a lot more stylish looking than the cheapo beige cases you see on most budget builds.
PSU: Really, you don't need more than 400W for this build. Video card says 350W recommended, and a good rule of thumb is to go up another 50 for both safety and upgradeability. Please note however that you do not want to skimp here as a cheap brand is as likely to fry your computer as run it. Here, I'd go with the Thermaltake 400W PSU which can be found for around $40. 30a rating on the 12V rail gives the video card assurance you won't overrun the PSU, and Thermaltake is a respectable quality PSU.
In total:
CPU: Athlon 64 X2 3800+ AM2 - $65
Mobo: MSI K9N6SGM-V - $50
RAM: 2x1GB Crucial DDR2667 - $75
Video: eVGA Geforce 7300 GT 256 - $60
HD: WD Caviar SE 160GB - $50
Optical: ASUS 18x DVDR/RW - $30
Case: Rosewill R6425-P - $20
PSU: Thermaltake Litepower 400W - $40
Total: $390
After all other components and parts like the monitor and speakers are added, you're looking at about a $500 system.
The Mainstream Build
Next there are those of us who are willing to pay a little more so we can play our favorite games with the eye-candy on, but don't really care whether we get 40 or 80 fps while we're at it. Moreover, we're not quite willing to spend thousands of dollars on a computer that will be half that price in one year anyway. I fit into this category along with a significant portion of people. Here we're going bang for buck, to get the most performance out of mainly affordable parts, while still maintaining upgradeablity.
CPU: Really here its a tossup between the Intel Core 2 Duo e6600 and the Athlon X2 6000+. The choice falls down to one difference: overclocking. The overclocker should go with the e6600 by far, but since most of us are not overclockers, I'll go with the cheaper 6000+. It can be found for $170, but is one of AMD's best CPUs.
Motherboard: Okay we want a few things here. We want an AM2 socket, again, but we also want around 2 PCI-E x16 slots in case we want to upgrade to SLI/Crossfire later, and at least four RAM slots for RAM upgradeability. The ASUS M2A-MVP offers all of this at a reasonable price of about $85.
RAM: 2GB is still really all thats neccessary as of yet, but we want a little more oomph behind it. When you talk RAM and oomph, you should always think Corsair. 2x1GB Corsair XMS2 DDR2 800 offers excellent performance, as well as good potential for overclocking. $100 for some sweet memory isn't too bad.
Video: There is a lot of choice to be had here, but my personal recommendation is the Radeon x1950 Pro. Excellent price, amazing performance at 1280x1024 resolution, and native Crossfire that works much in the same way as SLI in case for future upgrades. nVidia's counterpart is the 7900 GS, which while a decent card, doesn't have the same image quality offered by the x1950 Pro. I'd recommend either the standard ATI version of the card, or get Sapphire's version as they are both one slot cards so the motherboard will easily fit two of them. Stick with the 256 MB version, as the 512 doesn't offer enough performance increase for the price. Still no DX10 card here, as the 8600 GTS costs upwards of $30 more and performs much worse. The x1950 Pro can be found for $150, sometimes as low as $140.
Hard Drive: Not much different here than in the budget, but here we go with the Western Digital Caviar SE16 250GB. $70 ish, lots of space, 16MB cache size, excellent reviews. If you're desperate for size, go up to the 400 or 500 MB versions, but you might find the extra space unneccessary unless you do a lot of downloading.
Optical Drive: Again, not much different. We want to be able to burn DVDs and CDs without paying through the nose, right? ASUS 18x DVDR/RW can be found for just under $30, and it has lightscribe capabilities as well! Sound familiar? You could also go for a drive with HD capability if you absolutely wanted it, but I would consider it wasted money as of yet.
Case: The case, however, has to be different. We're running faster equipment, we want more cooling. Our motherboard is also a full sized ATX, and we want to make sure we have enough space to add that second video card down the road. My choice is the Sunbeam Transformer Steel ATX case. Three fans, lots of space, and $70. Its got excellent airflow and keeps the internal machinery cool, and its amazing looking besides.
PSU: Okay, we want approximately a 500W power supply for this system, but we also want to make sure we've got enough juice if we ever have the funds to add in a second x1950 Pro. Therefore, I'd suggest getting at least a 600W PSU just to keep yourself upgradeable and not risking frying your mobo. Apevia ATX-AS600W-GN has 38a on the 12v rail, making sure you've got enough juice for crossfire, and its heavy duty enough that you don't have to worry about getting s deep fried system. For it you're looking at about $90, but it is definitely worth it.
In total:
CPU: Athlon 64 X2 6000+ AM2 - $170
Mobo: ASUS M2A-MVP - $85
RAM: 2x1GB Corsair XMS2 DDR2 800 - $100
Video: Sapphire Radeon x1950 Pro 256MB - $150
HD: WD Caviar SE16 250GB - $70
Optical: ASUS 18x DVDR/RW - $30
Case: Sunbeam Transformer - $70
PSU: Apevia ATX-AS600W-GN - $90
Total: $765
After the monitor and such are added (recommending a 19" LCD for 1280x1024 res) you're talking a $1000 system, and excellent performance for that price.
High End Build
Other people like to really push the limits. They want wide screen, massive resolutions with high fps, insane rendering times. They want performance, and are willing to spend a few extra dollars to do so. I'm not going to list just the most expensive parts here, because any idiot can go the the store and ask for the most expensive build they can get. I'll be talking about a price for performance, without spending unneccessary money (8800 Ultra, I'm looking at you).
CPU: I apologize to all the AMD fanboys, but your favorite manufacturer just doesn't cut it with the high end anymore. However, I never really understood the neccessity in getting Intel's extreme processors when you can get one for nearly the same performance for half the price. In such, I'll be supporting the Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700. Four cores of raw power to be had for $560. It makes me sad to think though that just the cpu costs more than the entire budget build put together.
Motherboard: There's a bit of choice between offerings by both ASUS and MSI, but in the end I have to settle with enthusiast board of choice, the Asus Striker Extreme. It's future proofed for CPUs with a 1333 FSB, its SLI capable, it is very overclockable (an important feature for any enthusiast), and its a decent price. We're talking about $250 here, but an awesome board at that.
RAM: Unless you plan on running 64-bit versions of Windows, I'd still keep with 2GB at the moment. The motherboard can accept more, but until its needed, who cares? For this system we're going to consider OCZ Platinum, 2x1GB, DDR2 1066. Fast, powerful, overclockable, and most importantly: SLI certified. Thats right, this memory will have no trouble keeping up with dual 8800 GTXs if you ever want to use it. $155 up front.
Video: 8800 GTX, end of story.Get it again from either eVGA or BFG for that lifetime warranty, and the version you get is up to you. Even a GTX at stock speeds is among the fastest video cards out there, and you can get some decently overclocked versions for not much more. ATi doesn't offer any card that can even remotely compete, and the 8800 Ultra isn't a whole lot of a better performance for a lot more money. For this card, you're thinking about $550 to spend. Unless you intend on running at 2560x2048 resolutions, one card is enough. You can SLI later when more demanding games come out.
Hard Drive: The enthusiast card of choice is the Western Digital Raptor. Not as big as the slower hard drives, but a blazingly fast read and write speed. the 150GB version of this card can be found for $250. You can always get a second cheap hard drive for storage if you need more space.
Optical: You've got two choice, you can spend $500 and get a Blu-ray compatible burner, or you could not. I would choose not to and get a SATA interface DVD burner for around $40, and wait for prices to fall dramatically before getting the Blu-Ray. But thats me.
Case: While the case in the mid-range would also work, we've got a quad core CPU here that we want to overclock. We want massive cooling. Personal choice would be the Thermaltake Armor case. So much space, excellent air flow, four fans, lots of expansion bays. Maybe its even worth the $140 bucks it would cost to get it.
PSU: Here is one place we cannot skimp on the PSU. This system needs a beast, preferably capable of handling potentially two 8800 GTX cards. The best choice for this would be the Enermax Galaxy 1000W PSU, but its a hefty $330 and will kill your electric bill. For $100 less, the Thermaltake W0131RU 850W is also capable of mounting two 8800 GTXs without much problem so it wins the award for PSU of choice. Its got 96a on the 12V rail. Damn! Its certified by nVidia as being SLI capable, so we don't have to worry about it burning out.
In total:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700 - $560
Mobo: Asus Striker Extreme - $250
RAM: 2x1GB Corsair XMS2 DDR2 800 - $155
Video: eVGA Geforce 8800 GTX KO - $550
HD: WD Raptor X 150GB - $250
Optical: Plextor DVDR/RW - $40
Case: Thermaltake Armor - $140
PSU: Thermaltake 850W - $240
In total: $2185
To get a suitable monitor/speaker/keyboard/mouse for this computer takes you up to just udner $2500, with an uber system. Add in another blob of RAM, another 8800 GTX, and a second Raptor to go into RAID and you've got a $3500 system that will run the newest games in highest resolutions with all eye candy on and still give you more than 50 fps. Note that the more expensive a computer is though, the more money has to be spent for any noticeable performance gain. How much performance gain? I've included a couple of approximated benchmarks taken from similar systems to give a general idea. 3DMark focuses more on gaming performance, while PCMark focuses more on general performance.
3DMark06 (approx)
Budget - 2100
Mainstream - 5200
High End - 13500
3DMark05 (approx)
Budget - 3600
Mainstream - 12000
High End - 17000
PCMark05 (approx)
Budget - 4300
Mainstream - 6800
High End - 9500
In closing, there are price ranges I've left out. For instance, you can get a system for about $1200 ($1500 with all accessories) with excellent performance by using an 8800 GTS 320 MB, a better PSU, and a better mobo in the mainstream system and see a nice performance increase. Also, if you were solely gaming and didn't want to spend $2500, you could always tack a beast of a video card like the 8800 GTS or GTX to the budget build. I can guarentee that you see a gaming perforance superiority over the mid-range at higher resolutions, but the system would be less stable and perform far slower in other tasks. If you've got any questions or comments, feel free to leave them. In fact, if you want to show your own builds, thats okay too.
My personal real life build:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo e6600
Motherboard: Asus P5VD2-MX SE
RAM: 2x1GB Kingston DDR2 667
Video: ATi Radeon x1950 Pro
Hard Drive: 2x200GB Seagate Barracuda
Case: Masker Mid-Tower Case
PSU: Apevia 520W
Sound: CL Soundblaster Audigy
Monitor: LG1919S 19" LCD