March 2013 - @$600-700 bucks (US-Midwest) for a new PC self-build

Will you need to purchase a operating system?

Here is a 4-core Amd build.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($98.24 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($79.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($41.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($72.04 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $600.21
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-04 20:59 EST-0500)


intel build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-2120 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($118.79 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($41.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.47 @ Compuvest)
Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $598.20
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-04 21:07 EST-0500)

Thank You, yes I will need to upgrade to Win8. I currently operate my desktop off of WinVistaHome and my laptop of Win7. I'm going to include a win7x64 for the new system. I am also hoping to add rather quickly a SSD drive and other odds and ends. Might I ask are the Radeon cards picked for price or because of bench-marking. I have never used ATI cards very much, primarily a GeForce user. Now for video I'd be willing to give the Radeon a shot if its for good reasons, but as I said more familiar and prefer the GeForce. for CPU I love the AMD, but I'm not stuck to it, which ever has a better price break and higher performance works for me. . . . again, thank you very much, appreciate it, the more input I get with solid build outs the better shot I'll have at making wiser choices at the register  

If your budget is $600-$700 then here is a great build. The only problem is that the 7870 XT is sold out everywhere. You may want to opt for the Ghz Edition which is cheaper here. $239.99 - $15 Rebate = $224.99 @Amazon http://amzn.to/YaSrlG

CPU: AMD FX-6200 3.8GHz 6-Core Processor ($134.99 @ Newegg) http://bit.ly/XnXrYx
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($74.99 @ Newegg) http://bit.ly/YLAMAV
Memory: Corsair 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.00 @ Amazon) http://amzn.to/Wrj8Iv
Storage: Hitachi 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg) http://bit.ly/XKSVlj
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card ($244.99 @ Amazon) http://amzn.to/11R8RrF
Case: Zalman Z5 ATX Mid Tower Case ($24.99 @ Newegg) http://bit.ly/WGORAo
Power Supply: CORSAIR Builder Series CX500 500W Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg) http://bit.ly/XUc5TP
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg) http://bit.ly/10a7UcF
Total: $645.25