Wow, it's almost difficult to spec out a $3k machine anymore.

Remember, you really see diminishing returns on things. In other words, you aren't going to get 6x better computer than one you pay $500 for. So if money is really a concern, you're much better off with a cheap machine, or even a laptop.

Are you a hardcore high-end PC gamer? If not, this rig is much more than you need. If so, what games are you playing?

I just rebuilt mine this summer, I just looked up the purchase, it was $650. Granted I had a monitor, case, keyboard, mouse, and video card that I re-used from a previous machine. I went with AMD Phenom x4, 4gb RAM.

Where are you getting your prices? Once you know the product, you can use http://pricewatch.com to see the best possible price. The vast majority of the time I get close enough to the best price from http://newegg.com to make buying everything there more convenient. They're also a great source for reviews and large images of the products you're looking at buying.

Hope this helps, and I'd advice against spending $3k on a PC unless you're living on it. Take it from someone with five computers running right now who spends 12+ hours a day on the damn things

H.