I had the misfortune last year right around the end of October of having both my laptop and 360 die on me. So I decided to build a decent gaming PC, my specs are in my sig. I hear the intel chips are better suited for hardcore gaming so you might want to go that route but for me my rig has not given me any issues.
The main thought I wanted to throw in was that right now I'm pretty much bridging the gap between the last few years of this console generation and the upcoming one. I'll probably buy the next xbox a bit after it eventually comes out but in the meantime I don't feel like I'm missing out and I'm getting better graphical performance and usually paying a cheaper price. For example I pre-ordered NBA 2k13 from amazon for $26 and I don't think I've purchased a single game for my pc over $30.
I had never been a PC gamer before this build, purely consoles. But I don't feel like I'm missing out; on the contrary, I feel like I've given myself access to games that I wouldn't have played on consoles.
The best part about building from scratch is your capability to upgrade. A lot of times with store bought systems, it's difficult to upgrade because the motherboard is taylor made for that system's components. But there are lots of guys here who can give more experienced input on that.
Anyways, good look if you decide to join the club
