Building a computer is not hard. I built one about 7 months ago and I'm glad I did. The cost/performance ratio is far better than any computer you could buy from the store at practically any price point. I built my computer for about $900-1,000. Because my computer is a hackintosh, a computer you build and install Mac OS X on, it was much cheaper then buying a mac from the apple store. About $800 cheaper. Even if you install windows on your rig (which you most likely will) it will still be a better option then buying a prebuilt system. If you're not sure what parts to buy, you can ask around on the forums as many of us have built computers before.