Thanks Barracuda for the in depth answer. I don't play PC games or anything else for that matter very often so I wasn't sure if the current games could take advantage of the multiple cores in current computer systems.
As far as repeating yourself, It's all good.
we have all done that at one point or another. Considering the complexity of the questions asked, it's easy to lose track of what was said.
I followed what others here in the forum have said when they have detailed their work in constructing their own computers. GT182 is one of them. Like you and your friends, he is happy with the quality build he ended up with. Like you said, I think you can get more quality components and have a better computer for what you would pay for a pre built unit. Linux seems to be the answer as far as finding a suitable alternative to Microsoft Windows in a computer build.
Thanks to the work you and others have done in Linux, people know they have a viable alternative to Windows.