I've been thinking of building a new pc over the last couple of months. I want to build up a new system that doesn't have to
be the top of the line "hot rig" but at the same time I want to get at least 2 to 3 years use out of the system. So the question is
what would you guys suggest? I'll be building the system myself.I figure my budget is about 1200 to 1500 max U.S.
Thanks in advance

Kampf

Something to read before spending all that money.

http://www.techradar.com/news/computing/pc/can-a-300-gaming-pc-compare-to-a-3000-one-1071338

I spent about $700 on mine, $900 if you include the new monitor and I couldn't be happier.
Save that money and upgrade the video card in 2 years.
Do some reading at Toms Hardware for components. With that you can pretty much build it on paper and then shop it out.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html

I'm looking at building something around the same price in a few weeks.

There are so many options it isn't a simple matter to give options. Read up and do some research and give us some specs to work with.

To give you an idea, you might want an i5 or equivalent quad core system and a proper motherboard to pair it with, the best GPU you can afford (see Tom's HW for best-bang-for-your-buck suggestions), at least 4GB DDR3 RAM -- 8GB DDR3 1600MHz if possible (for OC headroom, plus 8GB is sweet and cheap), a nice CPU cooler compatible with your selection, and a nice hefty reliable PSU -- suggest at least 600W for headroom. You don't want to skimp on PSU as it powers everything on your system. Get Windows 7 64-bit too if you don't have it yet.

I am guessing you can re-use your current monitor, hard drive, keyboard, mouse, and speakers so any money saved there can go towards the CPU or GPU. Don't forget to check if your case has adequate airflow, if not, you might want to get a new case too. An Antec 300 is one of the best cheap cases I've found.

If you have more cash after all this, might want to see about getting a 128GB or greater SSD, for improved speeds.

Hope that helps!

I couldn't help but notice that all three games in the compare-o article were also console games. Makes my build even trickier now as I was going to go all out! Very interesting.

I found the tech radar article to be rather misleading in a number of ways (not least in that they were not actually able to build a rig, even by their own part prices, for 300 pounds!).

In the final analysis, the article can be summarized as "why pay more for what you won't even notice?"
To a certain extent, I agree. There's no point in paying for a CPU/GPU combination that will render @ 140 fps when you can get one for a lot less that will render @ 55 fps as the gaming experience will be indistinguishable. Similarly, I agree that if one is not looking for the differences 4XAA and 8XAA are not that different.
On the other hand, the author's methodology can hardly be termed scientific and his conclusions seem to be written more for entertainment than as real purchasing guidance: "socks were blown off when the truth was revealed! YAY!"
What one doesn't notice on a one-time exposure can quickly become difficult to ignore after a week.

Personally, when reading the article I thought back to my own upgrade (see components in sig) of around the same time last year (wanted a new rig that has to last me 3-4 years). I spent about $1200 all in. My prior rig could be termed to be a $300 rig (E8400+ 4850s in crossfire + the usual assortment of components). Did I notice a performance difference after the upgrade? OH HELL YEAH! from eye candy to load times to game-play smoothness, it was a whole different experience.

Since your build is going to last you the next 3 years, choose your parts with an eye to upgrading potential halfway down the road.

I spent over 2 Gs on mine when i add up all the parts.. lol..

why spend so much on overkill? because in 6 years it wont be overkill.

my old system lasted 6 years, and can still play todays games with no problems, but its age was showing itself as the drivers and software for the critical components were no longer being updated.

Thanks for all the replies guys. So far I'm looking at intel I-5 2500k, asus p8z68 gen3 mb, windows 7 64 bit. I haven't decided on how much memory to get maybe 8 gig ddr3 cosair. I'm kinda up in the air if I want to plop down big money on a evga gtx 580 gpu or if i could find a cheaper nvidia card that would suffice with good performance what do you guys think?

Also it seems that the asus P8z68 has built in sound card anybody have experience with using this particular sound card. I always thought on board anything = crap.

To finish up I'm looking at seagate 1 Tb 7200 rpm sata drive, cosair PS 750 watt,and last but not least any recommendations on a good case?

Here's something else i ran across whilst doing research for my system.If i run my system totally stock and don't overclock it and
have good case cooling wouldn't i be able to just get by using the cpu fan that comes with the chip?

Kampf

Good cases are CoolerMaster HAF models; the 912Plus, 922 or 932Advanced will be good choices. Pick one that suits your budget. I built a donor system in a 912 and found it nice to work with. My own case is a Silverstone FT02B-W, but that's a different budget.

Onboard sound has come a long way and should be fine, so that you can save money on this and put it towards the graphics card. You can always decide to get a soundcard later on. The recommendation of a specific soundcard will depend on the hardware you will be using it with. (Headset, headphones, PC speakers, receiver, home cinema set, etc.)