Gaming rig $1,000 budget

[Dr. Vader]

First, you have to give us some important information, stated as follows:

What are you going to use the PC for?
Gaming, Gameplay Recording [Playclaw], Programming, Video/Picture Editing

How much is your budget?
1,000 USD

Are you willing to buy online?
Yes

Are you going to re-use any parts from an earlier build?
No

Do you need other peripherals like a monitor, keyboard and mouse, among others?
Monitor + Headset + Keyboard

Have you already bought any parts?
No

Do you have an Operating System (OS)?
Yes, Windows 7 Professional

Will you need any aftermarket cooling, such as a CPU\GPU cooler or a watercooling setup?
It depends on if I decide to OC my CPU (assume yes for CPU)

 

[Tmagic650]

What's wrong with the PC listed in your specs?

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

Hmm, check this out for starters:

• AMD Phenom II X4 Processor 955 Black Edition AM3 CPU - $144.99 + free shipping ($5 off with promo code TAKE5, ends 11/22)
• MSI 870-G45 AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - $69.99 + free shipping
• GeIL Black Dragon 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333 (PC3 10660) Dual-Channel Kit - $56.99 + free shipping
• ASUS EAH6850 DirectCU/2DIS/1GD5 Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity - $199.99 + $7.56 shipping
• Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB Desktop Hard Drive - $89 + free shipping
• Patriot Inferno 60 GB Internal Solid State Drive - $129.99 + free shipping
• XFX XXX Edition XPS-650W-BES ATX12V & EPS12V Power Supply - $88.24 + free shipping
• COOLER MASTER HAF 912 Mid-Tower Case - $59.99 + free shipping
• ASUS MS Series MS228H Black / Blue 21.5" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LED Backlight LCD Monitor - $144.99 + free shipping

Grand Total = ~$1000, shipping included, but without counting rebates and discounts.

The keyboard, CPU cooler et al is upto you (I recommend the Thermaltake Frio, Tuniq Tower 120 Extreme, and the Prolimatech Megahalems), and if you have problems with going over-budget, get this video card instead and drop down to a cheaper CPU like the X4 925. Also, you can forego the SSD if you feel it's unnecessary.