This thread is exactly what I've been looking for, so thanks in advance for putting all this together.
I was looking at your Standard Gaming Rig section, and I noticed the prices had already changed. So here's how fast the prices have dropped in the 8 months since you posted this. I put the new prices next to the old prices for comparison. I guess I'm using this post as some public note-taking...
I) Standard Gaming Box
A basic mid-range build for gamers of all shapes and sizes. This setup will play 99% of modern games at max settings.
CPU: Athlon II X3 440 - $87 $75
MOBO: Asus M4A77TD - $85 $80
GPU: Powercolor Radeon HD 4850 (for 1680x1050 and below) - $100 (out of stock); ASUS Radeon HD 5770 (for 1920x1080 to 1920x1200) - $160 $150
RAM: 4GB G.Skill Ripjaws Series DDR3-1600 - $105 $75
PSU: Corsair CMPSU-450VX 450W - $65 $75 (wtf?)
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB - $56 $55
DVD: Samsung SATA DVD Burner - $20 (same price)
CASE: Cooler Master Centurion 5 - $55 (same price)
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium - $105 $100
TOTAL: The Radeon 4850 is no longer available, but since March, that Radeon 5770 rig has fallen from $738 to $685.
Hmmm........... that's really really tempting. You say that can play 99% of games on max settings?
So I saved up a grand that I wanted to throw into a laptop, but everybody I've talked to on the internet and out in the real world have all recommended getting a desktop for gaming and then a cheap laptop for portability. And yeah these prices are ridiculous. I guess I'm gonna make the jump and build my first desktop. By the next time I really really need a laptop (shouldn't be until March), I'll just grab some sort of netboke or notebook or notbook or whatever the new 2011 craze is. And since I can save so much money from dodging the laptop tax, I guess I can get a much nicer monitor.
I'm gonna do a little more research and then maybe come back with some questions.
Essay Pro