Best gaming rig available?

Read this and fill in the blanks, then we can get going:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] ild-advice

There is no point in spec'ing out a build if you won't be able to do this until January. Do not buy the system in parts, buy it all at once, so you get the lowest price. Technology changes very fast, and by January the scene will be very different. Today's high end system will be kinda mid-high range in january. A $5000 system today will cost $3000 then.

The Fastest CPU you can afford.
The Best GPU you can afford.
And good parts for the rest of the system.

First of all, enough stuff is coming out between now and next January to make any current build useless (at least one full new generation of video cards, including Intel's Larrabee, possibly 32nm CPUs with up to 6 cores, faster, higher capacity DDR3 sticks, etc). However, for a current build, the fastest available would be a water cooled system with an i7 965 extreme, 2 GTX 295s (possibly 3 GTX 285s would be faster - either would be incredible), 12 gigs of really fast RAM, something like an Asus Rampage II Extreme mobo, a 30" monitor, and some really nice speakers. Even with that, I don't see a reasonable way to hit 15k, unless you blew a LOT on the speakers (which you could easily do, no doubt).

Realistically, though, you'd be better off getting a (still very high end) 2-4k system, and saving the extra. In a year or two, when the system starts to slow down, spend some of that money remaining for upgrades. Repeat cycle. This method will give you far better value, and also play anything you throw at it for quite a bit longer.

It makes no sense to spend two months pay on a computer. The ROI is about zero.

cjl's advice is sound. Here is a "Killer Gaming Rig" from just 10 months ago.
About the only thing on that list that would still be a recommendation is Windows Vista - and even THAT will change in the next six months.

Actually, you can still do that. There are LESS choices than there were 5 years ago as so many of the Boutique high performance PC builders have gone out of business or been gobbled up by larger companies (Alienware by Dell, Vodoo by HP, etc)
But you can still visit the Alienware, Falcon Northwest, MainGear and Vodoo websites to get an idea what the latest and greatest is right now.
You can also hop on some of the websites like CyberPower PC and do a "virtual build" picking parts from what they offer. You can google up the specs & reviews on the parts.

My point was that if you want to build an extreme gaming system, do it all at once when you are ready so that you get all the best hardware that is out at that time. Doing it over a time span of several months is a bad idea. In January new better GPU's will be out, new CPU's, likely a new chipset, faster ram, and likely better cooling solutions as well. There is always going to be a bigger badder system available just around the corner.

Here would be my version of today's Extreme gaming system, no price tag attached:
2x Dell 30" LCD Displays
3x GTX 285's
Intel i7 965 Extreme Edition
EVGA x58 Classified Motherboard
12gb 2000mhz Corsair Dominator GT Ram
2x Intel X25-E Extreme 64GB SSD's in Raid 0
2 WD Caviar Black 1TB drives in Raid 1
Cooler Master Aquagate Max Liquid cooling
Swiftech MCR320-QP Quiet Power Radiator
Swiftech Apogee GTZ with LGA-1366 Bracket CPU Block
COOLER MASTER Stacker 830 Evolution
PC Power & Cooling T12W 1200W PSU
Vista Ultimate 64

effluo if youve got that much dosh to spare, i wouldnt even bother considering a homebuild. get yourself off down to the alienware site (or alike) and price up the very best system with best add ons. i just did on alienware and it came to 6k which is still way under your budget, but yet the best bang for your buck...

I would have to agree with alot of members on this page.I made mistakes on building my first pc,That I have not got done yet.But my problem was that our familey poor.If I went out and got a new system I would not of had the money to buy it.So I had to buy one part at a time.And have made mistakes with the parts I have order.But lucky I found this website.And am very glad that I did.So listen to these ppl cause they sure know what there doing.Buy every thing at one time if you can.