Poon said:
Should I wait a little longer and try to get more cash saved? I don't want to end up with a mediocre pc that is going to be outdated quickly.
Mediocre? No, my friend, the computer we're looking at is far from mediocrity. It will run pretty much any game on the market right now with max settings. You can expect it to last 2 years easily.
Now, I'm gonna give you a very useful tip for computer building: unless there are major technological changes coming very soon, the
"should I wait and get something better?" question is pointless. Don't ever ask it. Why? Because no matter
when you buy, six months after that there'll be new, better technology for essentially the same price.
As for budget, $1000 is enough to build a great computer. In my opinion the "right" amount to pay for a computer (that you're building) is around $1200. That budget encompasses the computer parts that give you more bang for your buck, as they say. Spending significantly more than $1200 is a matter of luxury.
Would it be inappropriate to ask you how much you spent on your pc?
Not at all. However mine is a special case, since I live in Mexico. The computer industry here is severely lagging behind the US, which means "new" parts (like Conroes) cost a fortune here.
What I did was buying the essential parts of my computer (CPU, motherboard, RAM and video card) with a reseller that lives near the US border. He bought at US prices and charged me around 15% extra. I still got way better prices than in local stores. The rest I bought locally, though (I paid around $100 for my Raidmax Sagitta case).
What was the total price I paid? Almost 14,000 pesos, which are around US$1,270. Ouch. I know. In the US that would've costed around $950 (at the time I purchased it).