I've noticed on this forum and others multiple daily posts requesting advice on building gaming computers. Nearly the same questions are posted repeatedly, which is understandable. Most people are building computers in order to play the latest games at medium to high settings with good frame rates, and want to spend between $700 and up.

This post is intended to summarize advice that I and others have repeatedly given recently, and imho seems to represent the consensus opinion of most knowledgeable posters. It's for all potential system builders who fit into the 700 and up price range category above, as well as for myself so I can just reference this info in other posts rather than frequently retyping it. I'm sure there will be dissenting opinions, and please feel free to post them in
response.

Any combo of any of the items on the list below should be compatible, and produce a system capable of playing any current game on medium high (Crysis) to very high (Age of Conan) to max settings (virtually every other game).

If posters think this is useful, it could be redone and updated every few weeks as prices change and new products come out.

A couple notes first:

Dual or Quad Core CPU?: No simple answer. The dual cores are cheaper. If your primary goal is gaming, dual cores outperform the quads because they'll usually overclock higher and because current games don't take advantage of the extra cores. If you multi-task or do lots of video/photo editing, then the quad will likely be better. If you don't want to update your computer for several years and want to be 'future-proof', then go quad core.

RAID 0: Though many swear by setting up two hard drives in RAID 0 to increase performance, many articles suggest the real world performance
improvement is not worth the added expense, complexity, and drive failure rate. My advice would be to stick with one big drive in this price range.

SLI: Unless you intend to play games on a very large monitor (24 inches and up) at very high settings and resolutions (1920X1200 and up), SLI does not offer enough improvement in gaming performance to justify the cost in the opinion of most. It's usually not a great upgrade pathway either. The best single-card solution you can afford will usually give you the most bang for your buck (especially with the GTX260 and 280 GPU's being released later this month).

Nvidia Chipsets: If you're not intending to use 2 GPU's in SLI (for
reasons as discussed above), there's no reason to buy a motherboard with an Nvidia chipset (such as 650i, 780i, 790i). Those chipsets have been plagued by more instability and problems than the recent intel chipsets (like P35, X48). If you're intent on doing SLI GPU's, then you're stuck with an nvidia chipset board however. BTW, this is another reason not to go with SLI.

New GPU Release: The Nvidia and ATI new families of GPU's are being released within the next few weeks. If you want the fastest GPU you can get that won't need to be upgraded for quite a while, delay your build until they come out. Otherwise, consider getting a EVGA or BFG
brand GPU, since they offer the option of a 'trade-up' upgrade for 90-100 days after purchase, just in case you change your mind.

Nehalem: This is the name of the next Intel CPU family coming out the end of '08, which will reportedly outperform today's best Core 2 family chips by 20-50%. Unfortunately, Nehalem is a physically larger chip and will require a new socket - thus, you'll need a new motherboard in order to upgrade. Keep this in mind before you drop 2-300 bucks on a new motherboard today.

"Future-Proofing": Many people want to build a 'future-proof' system that will allow them to play the newest games at high to max settings for 3-4 years. Unfortunately, this is probably impossible since that length of time is an eternity in computing terms. IMHO, a better strategy is to build a mid-to-high end system every 1-2 years. Often, you'll be able to recycle the case and PSU, sometimes even the HD or motherboard. For example, today for $1000-1400 you can build a system that'll play all games on high to max settings for the next 1-2 years, and you'll get more bang for your buck than blowing 3k on a bleeding edge system that'll be underperforming within 2 years. This way you'll always have a high-performing, cost-effective system. (And building computers is fun!)

Overclocking: Even if you've never done it before, it's so easy and the performance gain so large with the new 45nm Core 2 Duo chips that it'd be a shame not to at least consider doing it. There are fairly simple primers and guides you can read in the overclocking section of this board and others that'll walk you thru it.

OK, here goes. I didn't list prices because they change daily and differ among various sites.

The idea here is to mix and match components below from different categories depending on your personal preference and budget. I left AMD out of this game so that every part on the list is compatible with every other part (also - I'm not an Intel fanboy, but the truth is AMD is lagging far behind Intel in overall performance at this point in time). This means you can choose any kind of combo you want (example: mid-range CPU, low-end RAM, high-end GPU, low-end Motherboard) and still be ok. You should be capable of selecting components below and ending up with a system ranging in price from around $750 and up. Any system made up of components from the categories below should perform at a relatively high level and run most games and at mid-to-high settings, as well as perform solidly at video/photo editing, web, email, cd burning, etc etc.

CPU:

Value/Low-End: For those on a very, very tight budget only
Intel Pentium E2160 Allendale 1.8GHz 1MB L2 Cache
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819116036
Intel Pentium E2200 Allendale 2.2GHz 1MB L2 Cache
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819116063
If you're on a very tight budget, then you could consider these CPU's. They
overclock well. However, the E7200 below is only currently about $50 more, and will almost double the CPU performance of your system.

Mid-Range (best price/performance ratio):
Core 2 Duo E7200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115052
Runs cool, overclocks extremely well, great price.
Core 2 Duo E8400
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115037
Also runs cool and overclocks extremely well, in fact most will probably be able to overclock this slightly higher than the E7200. If you're not overclocking at all, then this is your choice, since at stock it runs 3.0GHz vs. 2.5GHz for the E7200.
Core 2 Quad Q6600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115017
Probably the best overclocker of the quad cores, though the 45nm Q9300 is close.

High-End (overkill for most, but good choices if you're not overclocking and
want the fastest stock CPU's, or have money to burn/want bragging rights)
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz 6MB L2 Cache
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115036
The fastest dual core chip available. The E8400 above however performs just about as well stock and overclocks just about as well also however.
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 Yorkfield 2.66GHz 12MB L2 Cache
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115042
Great quad chip, overclocked or not. The Quad Q9300 chip listed below performs almost as well for 80-100 dollars less however.
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 Yorkfield 2.5GHz 6MB L2 Cache
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115043

Motherboard:

All of the below will support the latest CPU's and GPU's

Low End: (this is still a good performer, overclocks pretty well, fewer bells
and whistles)
GIGABYTE GA-P31-S3G LGA 775 Intel P31 ATX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128077

Mid-Range: (best price/performance ratio, overclock very well, have everything
most people want/need)
GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128337
DFI BloodIron P35-T2RL LGA 775 Intel P35
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813136038
ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813127030
EVGA 123-YW-E175-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 750i FTW SLI
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813188026
I would only go with this last one if you're determined to go with 2XGPU's in SLI, since the Intel chipsets are more stable. However, as pointed out by many, this is likely the best chipset of the Nvidia's (supporting SLI).

High-End: (overkill for most, overclock very well, lots of bells and
whistles, crossfire or SLI capable)
ASUS RAMPAGE FORMULA LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131284
GIGABYTE GA-X48-DS4 LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128336
XFX MB-N780-ISH9 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813141005
This last board above is only for those who decided they must run 2 X GPU in SLI. Otherwise, stick with one of the first two boards, as
they will probably be more likely to run trouble-free.

RAM:

Get at least 2 X 1 gig, preferably 2 X 2 gigs. Go with DDR2, either 800 (fine
for most) or 1066 (more expensive, only if doing very aggressive overclocking).
Look for RAM with low timings (5-5-5-15 for example). Lower voltage (1.8 for
example) tends to be better as well. A couple good choices below:

Two Gigs (2 X 1gig sticks) of RAM:
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231098
GeIL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820144062

Four Gigs (2 X 2gig sticks) of RAM, midrange (best price/performance
ratio):
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231122[/L]
CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820145184[/L]
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231145
this last choice is for those who want more headroom for aggressive overclocking of the CPU at about the same price as the others above. If you don't plan to overclock, you're better off with DDR2 800 RAM(one of the first two above)

Four Gigs, high-end, DDR2 1066 for aggressive overclocking (there's no point
in DDR3 RAM right now - maybe when we update this thread next time?):
CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820145197
mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820146785

Power Supply:
Don't skimp on this. If you want to overclock, you might get by with less, but
to be safe most will recommend at least a 500W unit from a good company. Corsair, Antec, PC Power and Cooling, and Thermatake are good brands. If you plan to upgrade to one of the newest GPU's coming out just around the corner, according to Nvidia you'll want a PSU with at least 550W.

One current bargain is this Antec case
with quality 500W PSU included for around $130:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129024

Low-end/budget (two pretty good quality PSU's for the price):
SeaSonic SS-500ES ATX12V/V2.2, EPS12V/V2.91, 500W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] _-17151040
Thermaltake Purepower W0100RU 500W ATX 12V 2.0
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817153052

Mid-Range, two excellent choices:
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply 100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139005
PC Power & Cooling S61EPS 610W Continuous @ 40°C EPS12V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817703005

High-End (overkill on the PSU never hurt anything):
If you're going high-end, I don't know of any reason not to simply get the most powerful PC Power and Cooling or Corsair brand PSU you can afford. It's hard to go wrong. If you're going SLI, go to the Nvidia website and make sure the PSU you choose is certified for the SLI setup you plan to run.
Examples:
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139006
PC Power & Cooling T12W 1200W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817703012

GPU:
Keep in mind the next generation GPU release over the next few weeks.

Lower End - Can still play games on mid to high settings however:
EVGA 512-P2-N757-TR GeForce 8600 GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130290
SAPPHIRE 100226L Radeon HD 3850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102715

Mid-Range - Best Values Currently, can play all games on high to max settings:
8800GT 512MB or the 8800GTS 512MB. Examples below:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130318
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814127325[/L]

High-End:
Currently this is comprised of the 8800GTX ultra, 9800GTX, and the 9800GX2.
These are not recommended currently however since in less than 2 weeks the new GPU's will be released that will blow these away, and the prices on these will drop. If you want to take a peep at the fastest GPU on the planet (if only for the next two weeks), here it is:
EVGA 01G-P3-N892-A3 GeForce 9800 GX2 SC 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130353

Case:
Personal preference. Pick one with space for at least a couple 120mm fans for good airflow (and don't forget to buy an
extra 120 mm fan if the case only comes with one). Quality brands include
CoolerMaster and Antec. Lian Li is generally considered the cream of the high end. There's so many good choices, I only listed one in each category that I know from personal experience are very good:

Lower-end:
Rosewill R5604-TBK 0.8mm SECC Screw-less Dual 120mm Fans ATX Mid Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811147033
A surprisingly solid case at this price level.

Mid-Range:
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119137
Very popular. Good air circulation and construction.

High-End:
LIAN LI PC-A10B Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811112122
Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129021
This one's very popular with some overclockers b/c of all the fans, though I've personally never been convinced tons of fans is the answer to ideal case airflow.

Hard Drive:
How many gigs you get depends on what you're doing with your computer. For gaming, 250gigs is plenty, but if you want plenty of storage for music, video editing/files, etc go for 500gigs or more. The Western Digital AAKS series and Seagate 7200.11 series are good choices. Good examples below:
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136218
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822148288

High-End: (much more expensive per gig, but the fastest HD you can buy)
Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000GLFS 300GB 10000 RPM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136260

DVD Drive:
Get an SATA one at this point - easier to install. I like this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827151153
because it's quiet and speedy.

CPU Cooler:
Even if you're not overclocking, and aftermarket CPU cooler is a good idea. If you're overclocking, it's really a must.
This most effective on the market:
XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835233003
The xigmatek is great, but very large and too tall for some mid-size cases.
Smaller and stil very good is this one:
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835186134
IMHO, water-cooling these days is not necessary b/c the CPU's run so much cooler and the aircoolers like the one's above have gotten so much better. You don't really want to try to overclock to 5.0GHz do you?:-)

Operating System:
Take your pick. Since SP1 came out, I'd recommend Vista to take advantage of DX10 for the newest games. If you still cling to XP like a security blanket, so be it. Either will cost you about 80-100 bucks at newegg.

Monitor:
Imho, the sweet spot currently is the 22'' widescreen LCD, in terms of
price/screen real estate ratio. If you can afford a 24'', go for it - that's
what I have and I love it.
Acer AL2216Wbd Black 22" 5ms Widescreen LCD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6824009094

Happy building! More importantly, happy gaming!

Your links aren't working.

nice links! except not. They dont work

Thanks. Links should work now.

let me make this clear to you.how high would the CPU OC is not depend on their starting speed.it all depend on quality of the component you use in your setup.but consider the quality is the same,the CPU with higher speed at stock which means they are running on a higher multiplier.so look at it this way:
E8400 9x333=3Ghz
E7200 9.5x266=2.53Ghz
the CPU with lower multiplier will need higher FSB to run at the same speed compare to the other one.So:
E8400 9x400=3.6ghz
E7200 9.5x379=3.6Ghz

you see?in the figure above,in theory you will be "easier" to get to 3.6Ghz with E7200 than E8400 since its got a higher multiplier.hence the slower chip will need a mobo that is capable of very high FSB to achieve then same speed.

the main different between the E7200 and E8400 is the L2 cache size and FSB differents.but as proved by reviews 1066 is enough for C2D processor at any speed.and to be honest the performance different will not be noticable.

and for the CPU cooler you would want to get teh Xiggy because its value for money is unbeatable given its performance level.and it all really depend on your OC and budget.size doesnt really matter,i dont think anyone will sacrafice OC ability for the case and generally you want a well ventilated case such as the Antec 900 or the new 1200 if you fancy abit of watercooling later on.

and about the graphics card you would want the cheapest 8800GTS G92 avialable because they are all reference card with their own sticker on it and sell it at different price according to brand name.

RAID 0 i have to say its very hard to spot the difference in everyday use.you will able to tell the difference if you transfer large files from one to another or load up windows after you have stuffed it with lots of service and programs on startup.and hard drive failure is a good point to mention BUT does 1 single hard drive GUARRANTEED it will run for say like 2 years with out break down?generally yes.but if the batch you got thats got alot of inferior drive, then would your setup last longer with 1 drive than 2 drives in RAID 0 before it fail?answer is it doesnt.thats why i always have a back up large drive act as a storage for every single movie or music i download.and even if the main drive(s) fail it wouldnt matter to me.that why everytime i do a windows reinstall i got technically nothing to back up other than some bookmarks

if you can get a 750W PSU and it will guarranteed you last 3,4 years before you need a upgrade to cope with the powerful component inside but only IF it doesnt fail because of quality reasons.and about which memory you should go for,it really depend on which CPU you choose.if its the E8xxx you go for and want to OC to pretty high speed you would want to get memory that stated to run at 1066mhz.but in general 800MHZ will do you justice,always run the FSB:memory at 1:1 ratio.

i would go for a Asus mobo and Gigabyte mobo over the others.SLI dont bring you much performance increase,9600GT SLI is exception.in fact thats give better scale then even the top dog 9800GX2.

Vista is the mainstream OS now even though XP is whats more "powerful" since it runs less junk by default.but in Vista you get better graphics before of DX10 support.i would go for vista but i do have XP on my other PC!lol

TIRED!!!WRITING ALL THAT!LOL

Pretty nice list!
One thing i will not on is the video card section. I think if someone has a $700 budget they might not be able to aford a 8800gt/gts. Maybe we can add a lower cost card? Somthing like a 3850 or 9600gso.

Hey, this topic is a great idea! I'd just like to add my thoughts on the lower-end. I hope you don't mind.

CPU:
Budget Dual Core: Pentium E2160
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819116036
In comparison to the other chips listed in this thread, the L2 cache kills it, but you cannot complain for the price. The E2160 boasts very good overclocking, like most of the Core 2 series. If you're looking for a low end chip that can overclock well, this is a great choice.

Motherboard:
All of the motherboards mentioned in the original post were P35 chipset motherboards. As good as they are, we have our own alternative on the low-end. The P31 chipset!
The P31 has less RAM slots and an older ICH7 controller on the motherboard, but is still a very strong overclocker. A great choice for 32-bit OS users. I've heard of difficulty getting all 4 RAM slots to work at the same time.
GIGABYTE GA-P31-S3G
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128077
GIGABYTE GA-EP31-DS3L
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128334


RAM:
I believe that there is very little difference between RAM module companies, in general. I'd avoid the COMPLETELY obscure companies, but if they've been around for a while then it should run at the suggested spec.
SUPER TALENT 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2-800 [Great reviews, seems to OC decently.]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820609027
pqi POWER Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2-800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820141337
Transcend 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2-800 [favorable reviews, some say it overclocks well]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820208353

Power Supply:
I completely agree. Love your power supply. Do not let your power supply be your weak point. If you buy a fast computer with a bad power supply, it's like getting a sports car and never changing the oil and putting regular gasoline in. I'd trust a quality 500W PSU with any single card system on the market, however.
SeaSonic SS-500ES [It's a Seasonic (high quality) and a bit cheaper than your options.]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817151040


GPU:
If you're looking at the lower end, refer to this little hierarchy of value GPUs.
(higher is better)
8800GTS G92 (~$200)
8800GT (~$160)
9600GT (~$130)
3850 (~$120)
9600GSO-8800GS (~$120)

Great post modode! I did a similar post, if you want any information or want to do something with multiple builds (low,mid,high) PM me and we can work on a guide to keep updated.

I tried to make a post as well in the other Homebuilt System forum, but it went with 0 replies.
Any shot that I could get in with helping this guide?

Shadow and Sanji - feel free to copy/paste the OP I wrote above and edit in different builds if you like. If the three of us could then keep it updated and perhaps get it stickied, I think it'd make a pretty good reference.

very nice job, hope it gets stickied guys

UPDATED June 15!!

I will post them here- then let's do a new post with just the builds. We will decide on the best ones from what us three post.

The Budget Build: ~ $500 (Price as shipped $503.12)
CPU: Intel Core2Duo E2180 2.0GHz
Motherboard: ASUS P5KPL-VM (Intel G31 chipset)
RAM: G.Skill 2GB DDR2-800 5-5-5-12
Hard Drive: 250GB WD Sata2
Optical Drive: Lite-On SATA 20X burner w/ Nero
Case: Antec NSK4480B case w/ 380W PSU
OS: Windows XP Home
Input Devices: MS keyboard and Mouse
Video: On the motherboard because this is a budget build.

This system is good for: Web surfing, e-mail, basic digital photography or a machine for parents/grandparents
This system is bad for: playing games

==============================================
Middle Budget Build: Goal $800- Acutal Price- $791.69 shipped before rebates of $40

CPU: Intel Core2Duo E7200
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L
RAM: OCZ Platinum Revision 2 2GB DDR2-800 ($20 MIR) $22 RAM !
Video: SAPPHIRE 100225L Radeon HD 3870 512MB ($20 MIR)
Case: Antec Sonta III
Keyboard/Mouse: MS stuff
OS: Vista Home Prem
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500AAKS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB
Optical Drive: SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD Burner SATA
Thermal Compound: Arctic Cooling MX 2
============================================
Mid-Range Build: ~ $1,000 Currently: $991.91 shipped before $30 MIRs
CPU: Intel Core2Duo E8400
Motherboard: MSI P45 Neo-F
RAM: G.Skill 4GB DDR2-800 4-4-4-12
Hard Drive: 500GB Seagate 500GB 32MB cache
Optical Drive: Samsung 20X DVD burner SATA
Case:Antec P182 (Combo on Newegg to save $50 with E8400 and this case)
Power Supply: PC Power and Cooling 610W ($10 MIR)
OS: Windows Vista Home Prem
Video Card: EVGA 512-P3-N800-AR GeForce 8800 GT 512MB (for the trade-up program) ($20 MIR)
Arctic Cooling MX-2 compound

Good all around system.
Bad: Won't play Crysis maxed out
============================================
High Middle Range Build: ~$2000 Currently: $2042.19 shipped before rebates

CPU: Intel Core2Duo Q9450 Quad
Motherboard: ASUS RAMPAGE FORMULA LGA 775 Intel X48
RAM: Patriot 4GB DDR2-800 4-4-4-12 x2 (8GB total)
Hard Drive: 500GB Seagate 32MB cache x2 (1TB total)
Optical Drive: LG Super Multi Blu-ray Disc Burner & HD DVD-ROM Drive Black SATA Model GGW-H20L
Case:Antec P182
Power Supply: PC Power and Cooling 610W
OS: Vista Ultimate 64-bit
Input Device: Logitech G15 and Logitech G5
Video Card: EVGA 512-P3-N800-AR GeForce 8800 GT 512MB (for the trade-up program)
Arctic Cooling MX-2 compound
============================================
High End: Budget- $10,000 (no not really but eh 8 core system though) $6,315.45 shipped (Don't really build this unless money is no object and you really love your power company)

CPU: Quad 2 Extreme QX9775 x 2
Motherboard: Skulltrail D5400XS
RAM:Crucial 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 FB-DIMM (DDR2-800)
Hard Drive: Seagate 1TB 32MB cache SATA II
Optical Drive:BluRay Burner
Case: Antec P190 (dual PSUs- 1.2kW total)
OS: Windows Vista Ultimate
Input Devices: Up to you
Video: eVGA 9800 GX2 x 2 (quad SLI)
Arctic Cooling MX-2 compound

Amazing system- 8 cores, 4 GPUs, HIGH END