Leon writes, "I want to build a gaming computer. I want the best parts to go into my computer. What do you suggest?"

Well, I suppose it's that time again - time to list the best damn parts you can put into your gaming computer! I always have fun doing this list and imagining what type of gaming computer I might have. Ah ... dream ...

Oh, right, where was I?

Processor

Intel Core i7-975 Extreme. A quad-core 3.33GHz processor with 8MB of cache, it's still the fastest consumer processor on the market. There's just not much competition at the top.

Motherboard

The EVGA X58 SLI Classified Motherboard is the one you want to get your hands on. With support for Intel's Core i7-975 processor, this motherboard comes packed with a multitude of features, including support for 3xSLI, on-board Raid, Hyperthreading, and 24GB of DDR3 RAM.

RAM

6GB of OCZ Blade PC15000 1866MHz DDR3 Memory will cover you for now. In the future, you'll want to upgrade to 8GB or more.

Hard Drives

For your main system and memory swap file, we recommend the OCZ Vertex EX Series Solid State Drive. This baby is still the fastest on the market, and will make memory swapping much less painful than it is on a regular hard drive. Just keep in mind that if you keep the swap file on this disk, you risk significantly lowering its expected lifespan.

For general storage needs, the Seagate Barracuda LP Hard Drive, with 2TB of storage in a single drive, fits the bill. While you could get better performance out of multiple hard drives (for instance, by splitting up your games, movies, music, and applications over several disks), having everything on one drive makes installation less complicated. Personally, I'd recommend going with several smaller hard drives and setting up a RAID system, but that's just my personal preference.

Optical Drive

The Pioneer BDR-203 Blu-ray Disc Burner has 8X BD-R, 2X BD-RE, 8X BD-ROM, 16X DVD+R, 8X DVD+RW, 16X DVD-R capabilities, and can also burn CDs. Hey, what more do you need in an optical drive?

Video Cards

Three BFG GeForce GTX 280 Video Card - OC2 Edition cards will smoke any game out there right now. With a total of 3GB of video memory and enough processing power to put the Playstation 3 to shame, you'll be set for the foreseeable future.

Power Supply

The Thermaltake Toughpower 1200-Watt Power Supply will work for this system. With a power hungry CPU and three power hungry video cards, you're going to need a lot of Watts and Amps in order to keep your system running. Just don't forget that for most of the 1000+ Watt power supplies, you'll need a 240 Amp outlet (a much different outlet than the standard 120 Amp outlets common in most homes).

Computer Case

Silverstone TJ10B-WESA Temjin Full-Tower ATX Case isn't the stylish case you'd want for a gaming computer of this caliber, but it will get the job done. My personal opinion is simple: if you're going to build a gaming computer like this, you might as well get a cheaper computer case, then send it off to be completely customized with your own logo and paint job. It'll cost a ton of money, but it'll be unique and worth it in the end.

Everything Else

For the keyboard, we continue to recommend the Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard. It has all of the features you need in a gaming keyboard: backlit keys, macro keys, and a small LCD screen to show you the time/weather/music. It's just simply the best gaming keyboard we've ever used.

For the mouse, we still like the Microsoft SideWinder USB Gaming Mouse. While we've used the various other gaming devices on the market, this mouse still edges out the Logitech gaming mouse. While it's not wireless, we don't mind not having to remember to recharge the unit every 6 hours.

As for the monitors, we've went with two Samsung T260HD Touch of Color 26" Widescreen LCD Monitor. With full 1080p HDTV support built into each monitor, you'll be able to game on one monitor while you have your favorite movie or TV show playing on the other one. to be fair, 30" was a nice idea, but it turns out to be a real pain in the neck (literally) for any extensive amount of gaming. Hopefully, by shaving down the size - but maintaining the resolution - we'll be able to save our necks but still enjoy top of the line visuals.

Do you have a question you need answered? E-mail me! lordkat@gmail.com

Be safe,
Jason