I've been thinking the past few days about building an ultimate gaming rig, i've looked at all the dfferent components and checked the prices and it seems to be quite reasonable. Also the prospect of having 2 hardrives and 2 graphics cards seems to be just awesome! I'm looking to make a machine that handles Crysis with ease.

Has anyone else had such a venture? Is it cost effective and can an absolute rookie even attempt to build a computer on his own without damaging all the expensive stuff that goes in the box?

It's been a long time since i properly played games on the PC and with the new games pushing hardware to its limits i don't think i can resist. So let me know what experiences you have had and if anyone has an ultimate gaming rig which they built themselves and how it compares to just going to a shop and buying an all in 1.

I also asked my computer programmer uncle about my venture and he said building a computer isn't cost effective anymore but i'm going to ignore him.

If your heart is content with your decision, go for it.
NO PRESSURE....
JUST DON'T SCREW UP LIKE I DID!!!

EDIT: lol, I'm just playing around. 

If your in dire need of help,
get a hold of ssj12 (a moderator),
he's the champion when it comes to this type of biznatch.

Is building a gaming rig worth it?

Depends.
Even sub-$200 mid-range Video cards these days provide way more raw power than the GPU of an PS3 or Xbox. However the total of buying all other components (mobo HDD RAM CPU etc) does add up making it more costly than a Console for gaming purposes.
But then again a PC can do waaaay more than a console so that point is kinda moot.

I don't think any current configuration can play Crysis on High wish ease. That game is on another level in terms of being able to run it smoothly.
What other games are you wanting to play for PC?  Also it would help if you state your budget toward the build.

Yes, building a rig can be worth it. You have a couple huge advantages over the big guys: a) it's cheaper b) you can use quality parts for every component. As to advantage b, most of the big guys use top of the line components for the big stuff (graphics card, processor, etc.) but use cheap fans, cases, and power supply units.

That said, anyone who has built a few computers has had problems at least once. If that motherboard you ordered smokes during the burn-in, it's you that has to ship the part back and wait for the replacement.

depends how big a "absolute rookie" you are. I say you leave it to your local computer store experts. Yes, you might have to pay a little extra, but you don't have to run into the rest of breaking it.

Personally I think your biggest enemy is static electricity. ;)

cost? not really
but having a fully customizable PC is priceless

It's worth it but only if you shop.

If I would find the exact computer I'm willing to make, for sale already built, I would buy that. The only reason I would make one is so I could put whatever hardware I would want into it.

What do you call ultimate? theres the cost effective $120 9600gt*2 Sli combo that absolutely eats any console today. The further north you go from 8800gt the worse it gets.

I would say, if you're getting a pc today get the 9600gt sli when its 120 or less on newegg. If not the new graphics cards will be out this quarter so may as well wait for it.

Give us some specs , and price.