High-Performance Gaming Configuration

Thermaltake Tsunami VA3000BWA Black Computer Case With Side Panel Window
Why put a screaming system in a dull box? This quality case by Thermaltake has a full window on the side panel to show off the goods inside, and some complementary blue lights to add some flash. The case was designed with the tweaker in mind, from an easy-open (but lockable) side panel, to quick-release expansion card fasteners. Since it's made out of aluminum (instead of steel), it's much easier to haul around, say, to your friend's house for a LAN party.

Learn more about cases.

Antec NeoPower 650 Blue 650W Power Supply
650 watts of solid Antec power will handle all but the most extreme systems. It supports Crossfire (dual graphics cards) and has a modular design, meaning you only have to plug in the cables you need to use. This power supply even has a blue light to complement our case's theme.

Learn more about power supplies.

ASUS P5E3 WS PRO ATX Intel Motherboard
Our animal needs an equally capable backbone to perform at its peak, and the ASUS P5E3 WS Pro will do just that. It supports the latest performance technologies like DDR3, PCI-E 2.0, Crossfire, and our 45nm processor. This board will help you perform a solid overclock, too, if you're into that sort of thing. The onboard sound is in a league of its own, boasting 8 channels and both analog and digital outputs. On top of all that, the I/O panel is full of all kinds of convenient ports including digital audio, eSATA, and dual gigabit Ethernet.

Learn more about motherboards.

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 2.5GHz LGA 775 95W Processor
Lightning is the only word to describe it. With the new 45nm technology, this quad-core screams. It will easily handle anything you throw at it, including the latest games, system-intensive applications, and video editing. In addition, the 1333mHz FSB keeps everything moving along nicely.

Learn more about processors.

Patriot Extreme Performance 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
Since our motherboard uses the DDR3 1333 memory standard, that's what we'll give it. 4GB should be plenty to get the job done, but there's always 2 more slots available if you choose to double up. Patriot is a very reputable brand known for their consistent manufacturing quality.

Learn more about system memory.

Western Digital Raptor X 150GB 3.5" SATA 1.5Gb/s Hard Drive
For this machine, we'll give it the fastest hard drive that will go in a desktop - the Raptor! Spinning at 10,000rpm, this hard drive seeks almost 40% faster than standard 7200rpm drives. That should keep waiting to a minimum while we're enjoying this robust machine. 150GB isn't a lot in the storage world, but it's plenty for a primary hard drive. Just install the operating system and your programs to this drive and keep your big multimedia files on a slower and less expensive secondary drive. The 1.5Gb/s interface is not an issue because hard drives still can't utilize that full transfer speed.

Learn more about hard drives.

Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
As a storage drive, this Western Digital should do the trick. 500GB is a lot of space, but if you run out, just snag another drive. Our motherboard supports up to 8.

Learn more about hard drives.

VisionTek Radeon HD 3870 900202 Video Card
DX10. 512MB 256-bit GDDR4. Radeon HD 3870 GPU. This card packs a powerful combination of specs that delivers unrivaled performance. It's CrossFire ready, so when you need to upgrade, just get a second card and the CrossFire link, and you've significantly improved your gaming experience. This card falls in a nice value compromise - it's not on the bleeding edge, but it'll still hang with the big guys, and it won't cost you an arm and a leg.

Learn more about graphics cards.

LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA
Having a DVD-RW is essential for data backup and efficiently transferring large files, not to mention burning any videos you create or edit on the computer. Lite-On is the brand I've trusted for the last 7 years, and they've never done me wrong.

Learn more about optical drives.

Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit
For this configuration, I recommend Vista Ultimate 64-bit to take advantage of everything Microsoft can offer. We haven't held back on the rest of the machine, so why hold back here? Amazon has free shipping on most software, so the link will take you there.

Learn more about operating systems.