1st Timer Needing Guidance

[FMango]

Hey, so, I've never built a rig before, but I really want to learn. My father, who posts around here a bunch, is going to oversee me putting it together, but I'm in charge of picking out and buying all the components and I have absolutely no idea where to even start.

Ideally, I'd like something that I won't have to worry about upgrading for the next 4-5 years or so (which I know is eons for computers...) I'm a pretty big gamer, but beyond that, I hope for it to be the central media hub for the house.

Approximate Purchase Date: Ideally in the next month, but I'd be willing to wait a couple if something hot is on the horizon.

Budget Range: $2000-2500. I'm pretty flexible on this, I'd much rather pay a little more now and not have to worry about upgrading anything for a while.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming

Parts Not Required: OS(Win7), Keyboard, Monitor, Speakers

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: I'm in WA, USA, so newegg, or any site without sales tax. (Not amazon)

Country of Origin: USA

Parts Preferences: None.

Overclocking: Probably not.

SLI or Crossfire: No preference

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: Beyond knowing the components in general terms, I have no idea the pros and cons of specific manufactures, chipsets, etc. So, if you are up to the challenge, I'd love to hear your advice. Thanks!

 

[dokod]

How much are you wanting to spend on the, Monitor, keyboard, OS and Speakers? I'm guessing $200 for the monitor and $100 for the OS, a $100 for the Keyboard (If you want a cool one!) and $100 for the speakers?

 

[dokod]

If you use this link,http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229222 as a reference to the parts you need, you can get a good idea of the cost. I would suggest getting better video cards though, maybe 2 6970's. That would keep your computer up to date for years. You could do with less RAM if you would like, but with that budget the sky is the limit. What games where you planning on running?

 

[FMango]

I've got a couple of nice monitors, and my uncle works for Microsoft, so the OS, and some nice peripherals are covered dirt cheap.

I figure whatever I build with this budget it is going to run pretty much everything now flawlessly, its more that I want it to be able to run games released in 2 years, and be able to handle whatever new stuff comes up in 4.

Is it generally pretty easy to just take the components of a prebuilt system and find the parts, potentially upgrade some, and build it? I really want the experience of building it myself.

 

[dokod]

O.k. If you are looking to make it last for years, you should get this motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131714
This way you could get a couple of 6990's or 690's. Do you prefer Nvidia or ATI?