When you’re buying a computer there are a couple of things to consider.  Do you want a Mac or a PC, how much do you want to spend, do you want to build it yourself?

I wanted to build my new computer myself, because it allows me to spend more money on parts I care about, while saving money on parts I don’t.  Also, building a computer saves substantially when putting premium components into your case.  I couldn’t compete with Dell or HP when it comes to building the $200 internet browsing computer you can get at Best Buy.  But I can compete when it comes to putting some serious gaming performance into a relatively cost-effective computer.

Also, because I’m building my own computer that pretty much makes me a PC, because I can’t put OSX on a custom built system.

Part One: Let’s Go Shopping

Shopping is a little bit more fun for the custom PC builder.  It’s actually the only kind of shopping I like to do.  I went to Newegg with the express purpose of buying the components for a custom PC build. I had debated building now versus waiting until StarCraft 2 came out, but then I realized SC2 isn’t going to push the limits of any system I was going to build.

My 2 main objectives were price and performance.  I wanted to come in at a price point that was in the same ballpark as my last computer build (from almost 3 years ago, wow!) while getting a large amount of performance out of the setup.  That price was $1183.33 shipped.

The performance aspect comes pretty easy because of the processor I chose (Intel’s Core i7) because of the overclockability of it.

The parts list follows.

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