Hey all -

 I would like to build a new Rig... and i have  budget of $3,000. Could you give me some ideas as to what i should get... im a hard core gamer and would like to stick with intel...

 Thanks all

 3,000! I'm going on a limb here and saying your rich.

Well for processor get the Q9750 ~ $1,029

HDD -3 Velociraptors~ $900

Spend the rest on

Asus Rampage

8 Gb of DDR2 ( if vista 64 bit)

atleast 500 watt psu

either ati 4000 series or gtx 200 i think.

Even if I had $3000, I wouldn't waste money on a $1000+ CPU. The slight performance gain isn't worth it IMHO.

I'd go for the fastest dual or quad core Intel Core 2 CPU that isn't an Extreme.

The money saved is better spent on a bigger monitor --- say a 30" since you have such a nice budget --- IF you need a new monitor.

Do yourself a favor and get a really nice case (personally I love aluminum cases).

I agree with the RAM recommendation if you go with 64-bit, but if you are sticking with 32-bit XP, then 4GB is the most you will want to get.

I also agree with the video card recommendation...wait for new ones launching...or if you can't wait, consider the 9800 GX2.

Right, new Video Cars are launching in June and July.  You may want to wait.  And if you have a huge budget, you should still spend under $500 on the CPU, imo.  Use the extra cash for a bigger monitor, or even a Blu-ray Drive since they are less than $150 now.