As requested by Superbeefy2050, I did an alternate version of the PC hardware posted earlier aiming at a $1000 budget. He also asked for a $1500 version, but it's pretty easy to see how this would scale up. 8 GB RAM instead of 4, bigger HD, dual HDs, and/or a slightly faster processor (they quickly grow more expensive beyond the one I selected) would be how to fill out that extra $500. There's only one model better video card than the one I selected. It's $200 more expensive, with questionable performance boosts, as the computer reads it as two separate cards in SLI. I find SLI and Crossfire right now simply aren't worth the cost per meager performance gains, not to mention how few games truly support the additional power.

Alternatively, that $500 could be spent on a really nice monitor and gaming quality keyboard and mouse. You wouldn't believe the number of high quality branded expensive mice there are out there. I'm personally using a five button, dual scroll wheel laser mouse. I spent a whole $1 for it, because I found it at Goodwill. ;) Price by weight FTW.


Without further ado, the hardware lists:

Processor:
Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 2.66GHz Processor
There are higher clock speed Core2Duos, and there are also Quad core processors and the Core2Extreme line, but for dollar value and power, this model fits nicely. Remember that your average Core2Duo overclocks very nicely if that's what you're in to.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115029
Cost: $189.99


Motherboard:
ASUS P5N-D ATX Motherboard
2 PCI-E 2.0 x16 slots, 8 GB RAM max, LGA 775 processor slot and a few other nice touches make this a great motherboard for this rig that leaves future room for expansion.
In addition, it also has a really kickass looking Northbridge heatsink.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131232
Cost: $139.99


RAM:
G.SKILL 2GB DDR2 x2
8 GB would properly set this category up for satisfaction for future releases, but 4 GB is perfectly fine for any modern game (yes, including Crysis). An extra 4 GB will only cost you $70 today, let alone far less whenever that 8 GB game comes along.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231119
Cost: $39.99 x2 = $79.98


Video card:
XFX PVT98FYDF9 GeForce 9800 GTX 512MB
This is the star of the show here. The Geforce 9800 GTX is the current top of the line videocard for Nvidia- the only more advanced model beyond this one is the 9800 GX2- essentially two videocards built into one. I was tempted to go with the 1 GB Vram PALiT Geforce 9600 GT at first, but the 9800 has 256 processing streams to the 9600 GT's 64, so the trade-off wouldn't be worth it. If you're looking to save a bit of money on this build though, it's an option.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150287
Cost: $329,99


Hard drive:
Western Digital Caviar SE 320GB Hard Drive
This is also an easily upgradeable category, this hardware component was filled in last simply to match the budget remainder of the other parts. 320 GB is a huge amount for most things, honestly, and is simply added two with a second hard drive or replaced. Note if you plan on upgrading this category it's better to have two HDs at a slightly smaller size than one huge one after 500 GB or so, because the bigger the disk size the less stability. It's not too big a drop, but it's enough that it's better to avoid it.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136098
Cost: $69.99


Optical drive:
LITE-ON Black 20X DVD±RW Burner
Not much to say here. A Lightscribe drive is an option for a bit more, but those are slower and require special discs to create the image. Not worth bothering in my opinion. Another option is a Blu-Ray player, which go for around $130. These cannot burn however, and burnable drives go for $280 at the cheapest.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106228
Cost: $23.99


Power Supply:
CORSAIR CMPSU 650W Power Supply
This is a good quality, dependable power supply for what we've got here. It suits all the needs of this build. Note that if you upgrade to the Geforce 9800 GX2, you might require something a bit stronger, seeing as that's two videocards in one.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005
Cost: $99.99 after rebate

Case:
COOLER MASTER Centurion ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Large, roomy, well ventilated and well cooled. It has a nice sleek appearance and a nice form. Two USB ports, plus mic and headphone plugs in the front. This is actually my personal case of choice.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119104
Cost: $49.99


The total final cost: $983.91