My custom PC:

CPU - Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700 Quad Core Processor LGA775 Kentsfield 2.66GHZ 1066FSB 8MB Retail Box - $573.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...l&promoid=1065

Motherboard - ASUS P5K ATX LGA775 P35 DDR2 2PCI-E16 3PCI 1PCI-E1 SATA2 Sound GBLAN 1394 Motherboard - $147.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...S&promoid=1065

RAM - Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400C4 2GB 2X1GB PC2-6400 DDR2-800 CL 4-4-4-12 240PIN Dual Channel Memory - $94.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...R&promoid=1065

BFG GeForce 8800GTS OC2 580MHZ 320MB 1.7GHZ GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDTV HDCP DIRECTX10 Video Card - $309.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...s&promoid=1065

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 160GB Hard Drive SATA2 7200RPM 11MS 8MB Cache 5YR MFR Warranty - $59.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...e&promoid=1065

Mushkin HP-580 580W ATX 12V 20/24PIN SLI Certified ATX Power Supply 120MM LED Fan Active PFC - $88.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...N&promoid=1065

Coolermaster GeminII Copper Aluminum 6 Heatpipe Cooler 2X120MM LGA775 Socket AM2 S939 S940 S754 - $28.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...R&promoid=1065

Antec Sonata III Black ATX 16IN Quiet Case 3X5.25 2X3.5 4X3.5IN 500W 120MM Fan - $119.98
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...C&promoid=1065

Logitech Cordless Internet Pro Desktop Black Internet Keyboard & Optical Mouse USB OEM (Single Pack) - $32.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...h&promoid=1065

Total: $1457.90

You can get some pretty serious hardware with $1500!