Dude, buy a Dell.

[minger]

Great site, used it as a guide to build my pc, but...I'm very disappointed. I spent just under $1,000. I spent a lot time picking out the parts and problems solving I ran some benchmark programs on my pc and got a score of 850--after overclocking.
I didn't overclock my friends computer, but his Dell Inspiron 530 ($950) did get a comparable score even without overclocking: 780.
I'm not sure of his specs, but he does have the core 2 duo e4400.
I don't see the reason for wasting the time building a pc--at least in my case. I haven't seen any benefits--other than a gain in knowledge--but do see the drawbacks of lack of tech support.
AMD x2 6000
m2n32-sli mobo
a-data 2gb ddr2 800, dual channel RAM
foxconn fv-n76tm2dt-r3 7600GT
seagate barracuda 320 gb, 16mb cache, HDD
samsung dvd-r/rw x18.

[Jamie Nixx]

I have found overall (and i have been building pc's for over 3 years) that they are actually cheaper than the equivalent Dell's or HP pc's out there.

In the UK i can build a Quad core system, with SLI 8800GTS's and 4GB of ram ect for about £1000, now to buy a computer of that spec from Dell or even Alienware would cost over £2000.

Plus dell use generic crappy components in their pc's, if you build it yourself your getting quality (if you buy from the right brands).

Hammer time now, ANY core 2 duo is going to out perform an AMD cpu. That is why your friend probably got that score so close to yours.

Plus, if you overclock certain parts of your computer i.e ram, GPU, this can actually give you a lower score on benchmarking programs.