SirEbrum

Ryan if have a Newegg account check this out.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.239582&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL082009&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL082009-_-AMDbundle-_-L0A-_-Combo239582

Cocknuck beat me too it, as I was coming to place the same URL here for Ryan after getting that ad this morning.  Very nice configuration Ryan! 

Same here, as I've been building PC's for over two decades and love every minute of it.  It's all about what you want out of it.  Is it for business, gaming, browsing & email, or even a Home Theater PC?  Each has specific parts meant for it...i.e. you wouldn't necessarily SLI or Crossfire a couple of video boards for a business system, but if you want a great Gamer PC...

And it's all about budget, bargains, etc.  Watch Dealnews.com if you have time and patience, as I nabbed a couple of 1.5TB drives from Dell for 200 and free shipping about 2 months ago.  Their working great in my little ReadyNAS box, which is what I needed them for.  Two weeks ago I picked up an Intel Quad-Core Q9550 for my desktop system for $169 from MicroCenter, but you have to pick it up.  For some strange reason, they currently have the absolute lowest prices on Intel proc's, to include the i7-920 for $199.  It's all about keeping your eye out for a great bargain when it arrives.

Yep, putting your own stuff together is the best.  Again, the best of luck in whatever you choose.

i found a pc in a shop nearby that a buddy of mine works at, specs are as follows

amd athlon 64x2 5600+ 2.8GHz

2GB ram

geforce 7950gt 512mb

120GB harddrive sata 3bb/s

dvd reader drive and a dvd writer drive

biostar motherboard...i think the model is tforce 550

500watt power supply

fresh install of xp pro with service pack 3...comes with cd and everything, all driver disks and all.

they want 975 for it...is this a fair deal? or what would be a fair deal for this? i dont want to get ripped off. lol

Ryan...wow...I'm sorry to say you're getting bent over if you lay down $1000 on this one.  You'll be sorry.  I spent 10 minutes on NewEgg and threw together the following:

  ASUS M4A79 Deluxe AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

  AMD Phenom II X4 945 Deneb 3.0GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor

  CORSAIR XMS2 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)

  Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31500341AS 1.5TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s

  SAPPHIRE 100258-1GHDMI Radeon HD 4850 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.

  Thermaltake V9 Black Edition ATX Computer Gaming Chassis

  Seventeam ST-650ZAF 650W ATX 12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

  Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit

And all of this is less than $890.  PLEASE NOTE: This was just a very random pull of compatible parts, some "Bundle Deals", and although I'm not recommending some of these pieces, this "example" system would work and KICK ASS over what your "buddy" is selling you.

Sorry, but I just don't like to see anyone being taken advantage of...

There are so many "Budget PC" or "$800 Gamer PC" articles out there, check the major tech sites before you go any further. 

Naturally, this is assuming that you are going to build the PC yourself.  It's a breeze, take your time, and you'll save $$$.

Best of luck!