$500 pc

Lots of compromises at that price point. Assuming you don't need an OS:

PowerColor AX5770 1GBD5-H Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
$119.99

Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
$69.99

AMD Athlon II X4 635 Propus 2.9GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor ADX635WFGIBOX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
$97.99

ASRock M3A770DE AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
$59.99

CORSAIR Builder Series CMPSU-500CX 500W ATX12V v2.3 Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
$59.99

OCZ Flex II 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3FXT1600LV4GK
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
$49.99

LITE-ON Black 8X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA Internal Blu-ray Disc Combo Model iHES208-08 LightScribe Support
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
$49.99

Total: $508, but there are a lot of rebates in there.

I went with a solution that could grow a little. There are two more RAM slots, so you can go to 8 MB later. It's a Crossfire board, so you can add another 5770 later.

If you don't care about quad core, go with the Phenom II X2 555 for $8 less -- which, coincidentally, would put you right at $500.

Thanks for the reply i really dont need a bluray player. and the quad core isnt better at gaming than the tri core athlon. also you didnt suggest a hard drive.

I change to

AMD Athlon II X3 455 3.3 Ghz

Antec Three Hundered

Samsung SH-S233L DVD-RW

to add a

Western Digital Black Caviar 500GB

Who needs a hard drive when you've got all that other great stuff? Eh -- I need more coffee. 8-)

The quad is just to get some more life out of the processor, although you might be able to unlock the fourth core on the X3 if you need more umph. Good luck!

first mistake is $70 for a case that could go towards a GPU.

$500 is a sweet spot build actually:

Athlon II X3 450 $80
AS Rock 880: $60
WD 500GB: $40
4GB DDR3-1333: $42
cheap DVD burner: $18
Xigmatek 500W 80+ Bronze: $45
Rosewill Destroyer: $50
GTX 460: $160 (if gaming at 1680x1050 or less,get the 768 model, at 1920x1080, get the 1GB SE model)

total cost $500

I have a public wishlist on Newegg called "Tweaked SBM500" that is based on the last $500 SBM machine. It is very similar to the build ScrewySqrl posted. The ASRock 880G is currently Out of Stock, but should be back on 1/17. The GPU in it is a 768GB GTX460.

The Asus Direct CU Top GTX 460 (768mb) is $140 which is all you need if not getting a new monitor anytime soon.

OK so this thing is built now. but i have one question

why to i turn only 42 FPS in Crysis VS close to 50 with a HD4850