Pretty good?  My PC back then had a 2.02 GHz processor, 512 MB of ram, and a 64 MB GPU.  And I was still playing games up till around 2004/5 on that.

how much is this gear going to cost him? i'm also interested in building a computer but it sounds like it's a pretty expensive en devour.

how much did your systems cost you and how good is it relative to what is available now at the same cost?

 Not sure, but he seems to want high end.

I could work out a chump box for you if you tell me aprox how much you want to spend.

You don't need to spend anywhere near what this guy's spending, and your rig could be comparable to his system on many levels.

He just wants bleeding-edge I guess.

yeah I' am going a little crazy. I just want to be a little future proof. For myself its gonna be around 2,000 - 2,500. But im doing it with time and not all at once. Im gonna say 5 months to get it operating 7 months to get it where i want it to be.

That is a load of money for a MoBo. Premium board by current standards, but only for those requiring 3x SLI. Not much point in 3x SLI unless you're pushing 2560x1600 resolutions.

Rather than using three slower cards, most would rather just use two faster ones. Fewer connectors, fewer compatibility issues, less power consumption, etc. Unless you just want to use three cards just because (8800GTX/9800GTX is outdated).

If you're doing a new max spec build, 3x SLI should really only be reserved for 3x GTX280 and GTX260Core216.

Total overkill for 1680x1050 output.

If you don't have all your components today to do your build (when starting with an all-new build), it is always better to wait until you have the money in hand to buy everything at once and immediately do the build. Take advantage of those vendor package deals.

That's barring any special temporary deals since prices still go up after special promos are over.

But holding off on buying will ensure that you don't buy components you can't immediately use before they drop in price. That will save you money.

Card-wise, today you are better off buying the GTX260 Core 216. The difference in performance between that and the GTX280 doesn't justify the price difference, since prices didn't exactly drop when the Core 216 hit vendors.

Case is pretty important since like the PSU, it may well be the only component you end up reusing if you keep it for years. Or you could be one of those guys who has a stack of cases sitting in the closet that are no longer being used and should have been recycled.

If size is an issue (too small), I'd recommend the Antec 1200 for 3x SLI configs. You could probably do just as well with the Antec 900, which is easy to work with and has plenty of space for two dual slot VGA cards with good circulation and cooling, but... the 1200, has even more internal space.

Granted, it doesn't look like a UFO about to take off from your desk (or floor), it still has plenty of pretty spinning LED fans for those who like bling. And you can swap them out for other colors if that's your thing.

Dude you have me set on the GTX 280 now O_O  mwaahahahahhaha . Did i mention I'am crazy. I will do three way sli with them MWAHHAHAHA

Three of those will set you back at least $1200. Powered by no less than a good 1200w PSU. Budget accordingly.

At that point, you may as well add a 2560x1600 monitor to make it worth having such a set up.

I had a 1200w psu in mind.  And im not ridiculously crazy. Will buy one.....then work on the rest of the system. Add the 2 others with time. Get it up and running for a while first, then do the crazy upgrade.  I want to get a phase unit to cool my pc, but I'am worried about condensation and well ....i do want to make this badboy good after time....I need something to tie me off until then and i have a feeling Air is not gonna cut. Water cooling i guess is what im gonna have to do. Now this scares me....I know almost nothing about it, and i now the liquid doesn't harm the internals but still.....any good water? im looking for around a 120 to 220 price range.....maybe more if i think it's worth it.

I had a nice fan setup in mind but just the more i think about it....the more i think im gonna need air. All of these things create massive heat....

What CPU and how much are you planning on OCing it?

Tough to say right now since it's not clear how prices of current Core 2 Quad and Extremes will be effected by the availability of Nehalem, but what were you leaning towards?

The best water cooling solutions unfortunately, are not bought as kits. They are assembled from parts bought individually and is a skill set all of its own. WC solutions made with hand picked components will definitely go over the $250 range, which is why it's important to know what your cooling needs are.

With a good air cooler in a case with excellent circulation and airflow, it's not out of the question to safely overclock a CPU to over 3.5ghz. QX6700 can be OCed to 4.1ghz on air at 1.735v at 74 degrees stable under load.

So, for most applications, it's not necessary to use a WC solution. In some cases (for many of the inexpensive kits) they actually perform the same or even worse than the best air coolers.