Looking to upgrade? Read this first, **best of the best list**

[V.Striker]

I have some ideas that I think would better help out some of you out there that are interested in piecing together or upgrading a gaming rig.

1.  AMD has a reputation for being more suited for gaming than Intel (Intel is better suited for office work) and you can get a comparable CPU for quite a bit less.  *Note: this is what I hear; I cannot provide actual, factual statistics.
AMD also has a patch on their website for helping their dual-core processors work better with games.  It's called the dual-core optimizer.
2.  I would go with a BFG vid card over PNY.  I think they are better made GPUs.  The XFX ones are pretty good according to one of my co-workers but, I've never tried one.
3.  Although Vegan's recommendation of Corsair memory is good, Corsair is one of the top, you can save some cash and still get good reliable high speed RAM if you go with Patriot.
4.  I know that brands like Razor and Logitech have some pretty fancy mice out there but, I've found that going with a nice $20 - $30 Microsoft laser mouse does the trick pretty well.  You don't need any additional drivers and you don't get any skipping when you need to move the mouse quickly.  Sometimes keeping it simple works best.

[SCE_1]

this is a  good place for parts http://sonexpc.com/

[Solarpowered]

Ok, as you might know, my computer isn't exactly top of the line.

Well, I'm looking to spend 600-700 on computer + monitor + OS, so bear with me here:

CPU:
AMD Athlon II X4 630
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103704&CMP
$97

Motherboard:
Gigabyte GA-770TA-UD3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128419&CMP
$93

Memory:
Crucial 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR3-1333
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148194&CMP
$60

GPU:
XFX Radeon HD 5670
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150466&CMP
$90

HD:
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD3200AAJS 320GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136098
$48

CD:
Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118032
$22

PSU:
Diablotek DA Series PSDA500 500W ATX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817822008
$36

Case:
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042
$60

Total: $506

So now I need to spend under 194 dollars on an OS and a monitor, given that the GPU doesn't support VGA.

Thinking of this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
$100

But that leaves under 100 for the monitor.

[sTicky]

www.pricegrabber.com for parts (saved me about 200$ on my build)

as far as ati graphics, sapphire is the way to go. i researched it alot, and found that sapphire is ati primary manufacturer aswell as being the highest clock speeds out of the box.

[Solarpowered]

Sapphire is ugly for the black case.

Yes, the aesthetic value of the card matters for me.