What Would you Build for $1500?!?

[Underground Shogun]

Looking for some advice on what are the best parts to build a new gaming computer for around $1500. I am building a computer for my brother, but he will mainly use it for school-work and gaming. Price range is about $1250 - $1500. Obviously I am not looking for the best that is out there, but perhaps some of you may know what has been proven to be a good buy from the past 3-6 months or so. I will be running XP Pro on it.

 

[Agentbolt]

Just build a basic C2D system

Core 2 Duo E4300/6300
2 Gigs DDR2-800 RAM
XP Pro
19-20 inch panel capable of displaying 1600x1200 resolution
8800GTS 640 MB (maybe a 1950XT if you're running XP, no DX10)
965P Motherboard (Gigabyte or Asus, maybe Foxconn)
~250 gig HDD

Other people can list specific parts if they want, but just look for the lowest prices on the highest rated parts in Newegg. My computer is a pretty good example of a 1500 dollar system these days. When you OC the processor it will really scream.

 

[jkresh]

does the $1500 include speakers/monitor/software.... as that has an impact on what the budget for the main hardware is? If $1500 is just for the box you can do allot, if you need to include software/monitor/speakers... then you are more limited).

 

[Underground Shogun]

The $1500 is for hardware only. I need everything including PS & Case. The only part I have right now is a 500GB Seagate SATA drive.

 

[asdfqwertyuiop]

ASUS P5B Deluxe LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $179
CORSAIR XMS2 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory - Retail 2*$99 = $198
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600 - Retail $311
EVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail $375
Antec P150 (inc PSU) $150

Total = $1215

Excluding HD (you've got it), OS and Monitor

You should get a 1600x1200 20" LCD.