Antec 300: $59.95
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042&cm_re=antec_300-_-11-129-042-_-Product">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product .aspx?Item=N82E16811129042&cm_re=
antec_300-_-11-129-042-_-Product</a>
(You can find this elsewere for cheaper, but I'm lazy. Great case with excessive amounts of airflow.)
Scythe Slip Stream 1900rpm 120mm: $8.99 x2= $17.98
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185060&cm_re=slip_stream-_-35-185-060-_-Product">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product .aspx?Item=N82E16835185060&cm_re=
slip_stream-_-35-185-060-_-Product</a>
(The case comes with two fans, use them as the exhaust, you can add 3 more.)
Scythe Slip Stream 1200rpm 120mm: $8.99
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185058&cm_re=slip_stream-_-35-185-058-_-Product">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product .aspx?Item=N82E16835185058&cm_re=
slip_stream-_-35-185-058-_-Product</a>
(Since you run out of connecting pins on the motherboard, you need to run one fan via a 4-pin molex, so put this one on the bottom front of the case. It will run 100% 24/7 this way, but at 1200rpm, it's nice and quiet.)
Samsung 1TB F1 7200RPM: $84.99 x4= $339.96
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152102&cm_re=1TB-_-22-152-102-_-Product">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product .aspx?Item=N82E16822152102&cm_re=
1TB-_-22-152-102-_-Product</a>
(Run them in raid5 for high performance storage.)
Seagate 7200.10 80GB: 34.99
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148231">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product .aspx?Item=N82E16822148231</a>
(For your OS. The 7200.10 drives are damned near industructable, while the 7200.11 line had a high failure rate.)
Intel i7 920: $279.99
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202&cm_re=i7_920-_-19-115-202-_-Product">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product .aspx?Item=N82E16819115202&cm_re=
i7_920-_-19-115-202-_-Product</a>
(You could go for the i7 860 and a LGA1156 MOBO, costing less and giving equal performance (more in some cases), but fuck it. Unless you plan on doing some mad overclocking, the stock heatsink will be fine.)
OCZ 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800): $109.99
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227477&cm_re=6GB-_-20-227-477-_-Product">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product .aspx?Item=N82E16820227477&cm_re=
6GB-_-20-227-477-_-Product</a>
(I honestly doubt you're even using 6GB other than a Windows pagefile...)
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit: $109.99
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754&cm_re=windows_7_home-_-32-116-754-_-Product">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product .aspx?Item=N82E16832116754&cm_re=
windows_7_home-_-32-116-754-_-Product </a>
(64 is a must, however, home premium works just fine. Hope that new comp had a upgrade to Win7 option.)
Foxconn Bloodrage X58 GTI: $214.99
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186169&cm_re=bloodrage-_-13-186-169-_-Product">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product .aspx?Item=N82E16813186169&cm_re=
bloodrage-_-13-186-169-_-Product</a>
(The best board on the market, made by the best company. Go for the GTI edition, as the nomral one hast has a NB waterblock, and in reality, cooling the NB is unneeded. The only flaw of this board is that it has only 3 DIMMs, allowing for 6GB, unless you're willing to shell out $100 a peice for 4GB DDR3 DIMMs, however, it's a monster overclocker, and is THE BEST memory overclocker, and even comes with discrete audio.)
XFX ATi 5870 1GB: $389.99
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150443&cm_re=5870-_-14-150-443-_-Product">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product .aspx?Item=N82E16814150443&cm_re=
5870-_-14-150-443-_-Product</a>
(1GB is fine for most users, GTA4 is the only mainstream game that uses more than 1GB anyways, which you won't on your 22" monitor. I doubt you're a extreme photoshop or CUDA developer, so 1GB will do. The 5870x2 is supposedly going to be released before the end of this month, and the 5870 is supposedly going to take a nosedive in price. XFX also has the best warranty policy.)
OCZ modular 600W: $79.99
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341017">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product .aspx?Item=N82E16817341017</a>
(Great modular PSU, though not so great if you want to SLI/CrossFire, which then the 700W would work.)
LG 22X DVD burner: $27.99
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136167">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product .aspx?Item=N82E16827136167</a>
Samsung 23" 2048x1152 2343BWX: $180.09
<a href="http://www.ncixus.com/products/?sku=42752&vpn=LS23MYZKFVA%2FZC&manufacture=Samsung&promoid=1059">http://www.ncixus.com/products/?sku=4 2752&vpn=LS23MYZKFVA%2FZC&man ufacture=Samsung&promoid=1059</a>
(Best TN panel other than a 30" 2560x1600.)
Logitech G51 5.1 audio: 144.99
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121012">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product .aspx?Item=N82E16836121012</a>
(Very popular, easy, efficient, and sexy 5.1 sound system that's actually affordable.)
Logitech G5 mouse: $52.99
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104076&cm_re=g5-_-26-104-076-_-Product">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product .aspx?Item=N82E16826104076&cm_re=
g5-_-26-104-076-_-Product</a>
(I have it, it's decently comfortable, but the only reason I like it is for the on the fly DPI switching. It also has weights if it's too light for you, I put in as much as I could.)
Logitech G11 keyboard:$63.99
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126009&cm_re=g11-_-23-126-009-_-Product">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product .aspx?Item=N82E16823126009&cm_re=
g11-_-23-126-009-_-Product</a>
(Buying the G15 or anything higher is a waste, please don't.)
Case: $59.95
Fans: $26.97
HDDs: $374.96
CPU: $279.99
RAM: $109.99
OS: $144.99
MOBO: $214.99
GPU: $389.99
PSU: $79.99
DVD: $27.99
Monitor: $180.09
Audio: $144.99
Mouse: $52.99
Keyboard: $63.99
Total cost: $2,249.88 USD or 2,438.96 AUD
So, there we have it, $2,438.96 Australian dollars for just about the perfect PC. Includes the best graphics card in the market, a hearty RAID5, speakers (though I'm going to assume you're a audiophile, and you could easily get better), a great 23" monitor at a non-standard (consequently, higher) resolution, a good mouse and a good keyboard. Also uses a decent air cooling setup (which is all you need except for extreme overclocking, which I assume you don't do) that's decently silent, which makes it so you don't have to rely on a questionable at best liquid cooling system (are you using a filter, anti-septic additive etc. in your liquid cooling?).
A little DIY can get you a long way.
It would only take a few hours to build.
Is it too late for a refund on your clunker?
compactcheez
I'm going to use USD simply to make searching simpler. There are great sites globally, but I'm not going to search them all.
Thermaltake Armor LCS: $159.00
<a href="http://www.aerocooler.com/shop.cart?action=ITEM&prod_id=CATTVE2BWS">http://www.aerocooler.com/shop.cart?a ction=ITEM&prod_id=CATTVE2BWS</a>
(While the liquid cooling it has likely doesn't allow for much overclockin headroom, as a i7 requres dual 120mm and a GTX 285 also needs a dual 120mm, unless you're fine boiling water off of them, it's a decent case and rad system for the price.)
Samsung 1TB F1 7200RPM: $84.99
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152102&cm_re=1TB-_-22-152-102-_-Product">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product .aspx?Item=N82E16822152102&cm_re=
1TB-_-22-152-102-_-Product</a>
(Don't hate on Samsung, they make great drives. I only regret not buying more of these.)
Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB 7200RPM:$119.99 x2= $239.98
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148337">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product .aspx?Item=N82E16822148337</a>
(Beware all 1.5TB drives, as they all had high failure rates)
BFG Nvidia GTX 285 2GB: $384.99
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143193&cm_re=gtx_285-_-14-143-193-_-Product">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product .aspx?Item=N82E16814143193&cm_re=
gtx_285-_-14-143-193-_-Product</a>
(A GTX 285 2GB was a horrid choice, as for the same price you could have nearly gotten 2 4890 2GB, or waited and bought a 5870.)
ASUS Rampage II Extreme LGA X58: $359.99
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131352&cm_re=ASUS_Rampage_II_Extreme-_-13-131-352-_-Product">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product .aspx?Item=N82E16813131352&cm_re=
ASUS_Rampage_II_Extreme-_-13-131-352-
_-Product</a>
Intel i7 920: $279.99
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202&cm_re=i7_920-_-19-115-202-_-Product">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product .aspx?Item=N82E16819115202&cm_re=
i7_920-_-19-115-202-_-Product</a>
(There are places in the states, such as Frys, were they can be pickd up for $200, there may be a shop in Australia offering an equilavent deal.)
OCZ Obsidian 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800): $109.99 x2= $219.98
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227477&cm_re=6GB-_-20-227-477-_-Product">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product .aspx?Item=N82E16820227477&cm_re=
6GB-_-20-227-477-_-Product</a>
(Don't bother with a 12GB set, as going for two of the same 6GB sets works perfectly fine while costing less.)
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W: $119.99
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product .aspx?Item=N82E16817139006</a>
(Some people will recommend somehting like a 1200 watt power supply, but they're a bunch of idiots, as you could actually run this system with a 550 watt, and the 750 watt will allow for SLI/CrossFire with overclocking headroom)
Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit OEM: $189.99
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116762&cm_re=windows_7_ultimate-_-32-116-762-_-Product">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product .aspx?Item=N82E16832116762&cm_re=
windows_7_ultimate-_-32-116-762-_-Pro duct</a>
Any random DVD burner: $30
Lets just assume a handful of cables: $20
Lets assume a few extra fans/screws/LEDs/cathodes/thermal paste etc.: $50
Case: $159.00
HDDs: $324.97
GPU: $384.99
MOBO: $359.99
CPU: $279.99
RAM: $219.98
PSU: $119.99
OS: $189.99
Misc.: $100
Total cost: $2,133.90
As reported by X-Rates.com;
1.00 USD = 0.922475 AUD
$2,133.90/0.922475= $2,313.23
$2,313.33
And chances are, you already have a OS from your last computer, you already have a DVD burner, and you had all the cords/screws, keyboard (the only reason to use a gaming keyboard is for hotkeys, and even then, most people don't use them), mouse (gaming mice are a complete waste. I miss my old mouse, fuck this thing) etc., saving $290 USD or $314 AUD from the estimated cost.
Did it come with the 22" monitor and the 5.1 sound setup? Lets even assume you got a keyboard and mouse too.
If so...
IF:
1650x1050 resolution: $149.99
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005132&cm_re=22%22-_-24-005-132-_-Product">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product .aspx?Item=N82E16824005132&cm_re=
22%22-_-24-005-132-_-Product</a>
1920x1080 resolution: $179.99
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824160047&cm_re=22%22-_-24-160-047-_-Product">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product .aspx?Item=N82E16824160047&cm_re=
22%22-_-24-160-047-_-Product</a>
(Though for $180.09, you can pick up the Samsung 23" 2048x1152 2343BWX, which NCIX.com likes to sell it for cheaper than anyone else, despite being a Canadian company. <a href="http://www.ncixus.com/products/?sku=42752&vpn=LS23MYZKFVA%2FZC&manufacture=Samsung&promoid=1059">http://www.ncixus.com/products/?sku=4 2752&vpn=LS23MYZKFVA%2FZC&man ufacture=Samsung&promoid=1059</a>)
Logitech G51 5.1: 144.99
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121012">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product .aspx?Item=N82E16836121012</a>
(Very popular, easy, efficient, and sexy 5.1 sound system that's actually affordable.)
Logitech G5 mouse: $52.99
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104076&cm_re=g5-_-26-104-076-_-Product">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product .aspx?Item=N82E16826104076&cm_re=
g5-_-26-104-076-_-Product</a>
(I have it, it's decently comfortable, but the only reason I like it is for the on the fly DPI switching. It also has weights if it's too light for you, I put in as much as I could.)
Logitech G11 keyboard:$63.99
<a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126009&cm_re=g11-_-23-126-009-_-Product">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product .aspx?Item=N82E16823126009&cm_re=
g11-_-23-126-009-_-Product</a>
(Buying the G15 or anything higher is a waste, please don't.)
Total original cost: $2,133.90
Monitor: $179.99
Speakers: $144.99
Mouse: $52.99
Keyboard: $63.99
New cost: $2,565.86
New cost in AUD: $2,781.50 AUD
And, just to try and justify how much you paid even more...
Taxes/enviromental fees etc. $200
Time for local shop to assemble the whole damned thing: $200
Cost to ship the whole damned thing back to Australia from U.S.A.: $300
Extreme cost (with all the shit you don't need): $3,481.50 AUD
Adding any damned cost I can think off, I still can't even see $3,500 AUD...
If I'm missing anything, let me know.
Jazza (Updated )
haha thanks for doing the research and all, but have you contemplate that i dont care and i love my computer?
plus you cant just convert costs. stuffs more expensiver here with markup and shipping and crap. and stll? i dont care :)
plus, in a national ecenomic recession it's better spending money in my own contry and supporting local businees with great service then scouting international sites for the oposite.
so whats your goal, trying to make me regret buying my computer? lol. i'm rather impatient and i dont care if i spend a little extra to pick up all the parts and be using it the next day.
i dont mean any offence. i'm sure you'd have a great computer. i hope you enjoy your time on it. :-)