Because I must (prices from Newegg):
[blockquote]
* EVGA 780i SLI FTW Intel Motherboard
$219.99
* Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.83GHz Quad-Core Processor
$279.99 Free Shipping
* 4GB PC2-6400 DDR2 1066MHz ram
(Crucial Ballistix, Kingston ValueRam)
$99.99 (1x4Gb Kingston)
$113.98 (4x1Gb Crucial)
* 1 x NVidia GTX280 1GB - OR - ATI 4870 1GB graphics card
NVidia: $459.99-$324.99
ATI: $261.99-$239.99
* 1 x 250GB 7200RPM SATA HD
(Seagate, Western Digital)
$74.99
* 1 x 500GB 7200RPM SATA HD
(Seagate, Western Digital)
$99.99
* Antec Sonata III desktop case
(no price here...get the case you want)
* Zalman CPU Cooler
$74.99
* 850W Antec power supply
$249.99
* 1 x Dell 3008FPW-HC 30" LCD - OR - 2 x Dell 2001FP 20.1" LCD monitors
30": $1,339.00
2x20.1": $658.00
* Windows XP 32bit
Ubuntu is free?
[/blockquote]
So, at the low end, an even $2k, plus case and OS.