Probably the question that needs to be ask and answered is just what do you use the computer for?  Usually the tasks you do on the computer will dictate the hardware required.

Yes, and why not consider the AMD Phenom II x6 1100T instead?  I picked mine up for $208 AUD... and was just $11 more than the 1065T at the time.  There's only .3ghz difference between them [3.3ghz over 3.0ghz] but it would be the better option to overclocking later on for that extra bit of oomph.  Also, the 1100T can reach 3.7 in 'PowerBoost' mode... where [in layman's terms] the unit draws on the lesser worked or unused cores to temporarily increase overall CPU speed during resource intensive periods.

While various benchmarks suggest the i7 6 core CPU's are superior in speed, I have read others that suggest the AMD 6 cores more than hold their own against their Intel equivalents... and I certainly have no complaints when my rig [with Win 7 on SSD] boots to a fully functional screen in around 24 - 26 seconds from the moment I hit the power button. 

Also, I recommend going with a more recent 990 chipset [as opposed to a 700 - 800 series] mobo that supports AM3+, SATA3 and USB3 to maximise hardware potential and newer drive technologies.  Oh and you don't have to go with an ATI graphics card if you go AMD.  I have a Nvidia GTX560OC in mine and I've had great service from it.

Anyhow, all the best with it, whatever you choose.

I've been thinking about similar setups for my next build, and since price is a serious issue, I'm going for an AMD setup. If you are considering going the AMD route as well, I would recommend waiting a month, just in case the new FX CPUs prove to be sufficiently better than the Phenom.

Oh i dunno, my Black Edition AMD Phonom II x6 1100T is no slouch. combined with a 2nd generation SSD and 16Gb of 1600Ghz RAM it's pretty zippy.  Sure, Intel is noted to be the superior CPU, but I have no complaints and am quite delighted with my AMD beasty.

I had considered that when buying mine a couple of months ago, but apart from needing something more immediate, I received some advice suggesting that I'd probably be better off waiting for the 2nd gen FX units, not just price-wise but more to take advantage of any 2nd gen improvements to the new architecture. 

My first Phenom dual core was not as good as its Phenom II equivalent, for example, so I took heed and will wait a couple of years to see how the FX's shape up.  Knowing AMD, I'm sure they will do admirably.  While many tout Intel CPU's to be the better of the two, I've had AMD processors for the last 7 - 8 years now and I have never been disappointed with the performance of any of those I've purchased... and it's not like I haven't had Intel comparisons to go by.

There was a time when I did a bit of work on kitty's i7 Intel machine, and to be honest, I didn't see any great leaps in performance over my Phenom II x4 920 @ 3.0Ghz.  There may have been some minimal differences here and there, but none that convinced me to spend more than I had to when I bought my next CPU.  I could have got an i7 960 x4 @3.2 for $340.00 AUD or an i7 990X x6 @ 3.46 for $590.AUD, but I paid just $208 [same store] for my 1100T @ 3.3Ghz.

Completely agree with all you've just said, Starkers (Reply #8). Prior to my present setup, I was running an Athlon 64 x2 5200 2.7Ghz (Brisbane), and it was doing fine for what I needed it to do. The only reason I replaced it was because I started having a problem where the computer would just shut off, and though I suspected it was probably the PSU I couldn't rule out other things, and didn't want to go through the whole process of elimination crap. So I got myself a nice new motherboard (my first ASUS), 4GB DDR3 1333, a Phenom II 555 and a new Antec 520w PSU, then I added a 6850 DirectCU, and more recently a 128GB C300 SSD for shits and giggles. I overclocked the 555 to 3.8Ghz pretty much straight away, and it's held up fine (gotta love Black Editions). Pretty much a new rig for less than £500 or so, and when I have all the parts for my next rig next year, I'll give this one to my bro so he can join me and my partner shooting zombies in the face (very therapeutic).

My next board will support Bulldozer, but like Starkers, I'll probably wait until they've got the architecture tweaked a little more. It took years before they got the most out of the K8/K10 architecture with the Phenom II, so I figure there's plenty of time before I'll need to upgrade again. Until then, a Phenom II 1090t will do me fine, and most games and programs still don't take advantage of multi-core processors so six cores should cover me nicely for what I use my computer for. I'd say I'd buy Intel if I had the money, but I probably wouldn't because I'd rather use the money I saved from going AMD to get another graphics card or something.

I was about to say that it'd be a first... somebody completely agreeing with me... then I remembered... it happened once before.

Yeah, I remember it well!  It was when the wicked side of me said: "Let's eat the last few slices of pizza, and the good side agreed wholeheartedly.

Anyhow, I digress [as always] and want to say that I too love Black editions.  I had an AMD Athlon x2 4600 Black Edition that was supposed to be clocked at 2.4 [factory] yet it ran at 2.8 out of the box.  My AMD Phenom II x4 920 Black Edition was supposed to be clocked at 2.8Ghz, but came out of the box doing just under 3.0ghz... and I had a mate O/C it to 3.2.  It was suggested that my 920 was in fact a 940 and incorrectly packaged... whatever, I only paid for a 920. My 1100T is also a Black Edition... was supposed to be 3.3Ghz and came out of the box at 3.3Ghz.  Missed out on the extra this time.  Oh well, can't win 'em all.

I'm the only person I know who has one.  Every body else is mostly running older AMD's or Intel's, and a handful running i7's or i5's.  My niece, who I rent the house from, has an old AMD Athlon dual core, and when she saw how fast my rig starts the other day, she went: "Holy fucking dooley, geez that's fast." and then she went on the be amazed even more at the speed of basic tasks and operations

I'd been cleaning up my drives and there was about 49 gigs worth in my recycle bin.  When Ccleaner emptied it in 20ish seconds [give or take] using Gutmann 35 pass mode, her jaw dropped in disbelief. I imagine, though, the SSD would have had some bearing on that as well.   She reckoned that her machine takes anything up to a couple of hours to accomplish even half that, so now she wants me to build her a machine just like mine

Yeah, I saw earlier with the seller I use, a 2500K for $217 AUD.  Now that's a big come down from what they were even 3 months ago, and would have been in my budget range had it been that price when I needed to build.  The 2600K is currently selling at S324.

The budget for my new PC won't be approved until mid 2012, so I'll probably be getting the second generation Bulldozer, which comes with a new socket. For me, the real money saver will be the video card. The 5850 has performed well up until now, so unless they invent DirectX 12 and make it mandatory by then, I should be fine with it for a few more years. Heck, I managed with a x1950 until april.

Out of curiosity, I looked at the price for an i7 processor, and it would seem that around here it's about 100 dollars more than the price mentioned for the 2600K. Even the 2500K is more expensive. This is why I love AMD, they know I can't afford to buy a new PC, but want one anyway  

Whatever.

By the way how are you building so many new systems when shops around my area are closing due to no business in this bad economy?

Glad at least one of you ran out of piss...........

My dad's bigger than your dad......