Help an ignorant build a new PC?

[Delta-1138]

I've got a bit of money on hand, and a copy of Battlefield 3 on pre-order. I also have an extremely outdated laptop, and nothing else.

I'm looking to build a new beast of a machine from the ground up, but beyond picking the hardware with the biggest numbers on the end I don't have a clue how to construct a beyond decent compatible machine.

To set a baseline, can someone give me an idea of what I'd need - and how much everything would be to buy - to handle the Witcher 2 on highest graphical settings? Then onto Battlefield...

 

[Worgen]

well if your a complete novice to it then I wouldnt build it myself. Unless you know someone who can build it for you, I would look for a local small computer shop and have them build a nice machine for you, that way not only do you get a good computer but you can slowly start to learn how to upgrade it until your comfortable enough to really build your own

 

[Dissolve]

If you don't know what to buy, I highly recommend that you find a friend who can help you select hardware and assemble the PC in person. 90% of the time, I can guarantee that you will have an issue, and that issue will require troubleshooting. It can be very rewarding to build a computer, but you absolutely will pay more to build it yourself (over buying a pre-built gaming rig).

For a $1000-1500 budget, I'd suggest looking into these components:
AMD Phenome II x6 (For budgets under $2000, Intel just isn't worth it.)
ASUS MB (I really enjoy my M4A89GTD, but any under the M4A series is decent.)
Radeon 6000 series or Nvidia around 560ti (Get a beefy graphics card and it will last)
~650W-750W Power Supply (Don't believe anyone if they tell you that you need more wattage than that. Quality>Wattage)
ALWAYS check to see what RAM is compatible with your MB for smoothest operation.
Buy between 6-8GB of ram. (4x2gb or 2x4gb is quite zippy)

I could build a functional rig for about $800, but it requires more shopping around, and wouldn't last as long as the above.

MOST IMPORTANTLY: Buy all components from the same company (ex. NewEgg) and assemble immediately upon arrival as you will need every last minute of those 30-day warranties to build, troubleshoot, and check for long-term stability.