Prices from msy.com.au as at 2011-11-11.
- AM3 x4 965: $138
- 8GB KIT 1333 DDR3 TRANSCEND/G.SKILL: $40
- AsRock 880GM-LE Motherboard: $67
- 1GB ATI 6870 Powercolor GPU: $170
- HITACHI DESKTAR 1TB: $104 (note: HDD prices are really high right now, may want to use a spare)
- Thermaltake Wing V3 Case: $73
TOTAL: $592.00
Mouse, keyboard, monitor, speakers to taste. For bonus awesome hook up your big TV using a HDMI cable instead of buying a monitor
Note: does not include operating system, but you can get Windows 7 OEM for about $90 or so if you buy it with the PC from MSY. Doesn't include DVD drive, either, but they're cheap and I barely ever use mine.
Oh, and this was done on the spur of the moment using parts that I've used for other machines recently (so I know they will probably work well together). You can probably cut a fair bit of fat from that number, especially if you can find a spare 500gb HDD somewhere.