[JimRune]

For about $1,000 you're not going to get much, unfortunately. An 8800GTX alone is close to $500.. If you really want the thing to last, you go with an 8800 Ultra.. Now that's getting to the $600 mark. Had you asked this a few months ago, I would have said the same about Intel's quad line, however their Q6600 is down to about $260 and it can be overclocked like a beast (assuming you get the G0 stepping)! You'd want 4GB of RAM with a quad and GTX or Ultra, might be able to get away with 2, not sure entirely. Mobo is at least $100, widescreen monitor is maybe $200, $100(?) with PSU of .. I dunno, 600W? Probably won't need a sound card with a quad. Bottom line is, if you want that PC to last for years, you're gonna have to spend big bucks now. $1,000 won't cut it when you have processing power doubling every 18 months!