So here is the first dream rig to get us rolling, Maximum PC's September 2012:
CPU: Intel 3.1GHz Xeon E5-2687W
Motherboard: Asus P9X79 WS
RAM: 64GB Corsair Dominator Platinum DRR3/2133
GPUs: 2x EVGA Hydro Copper Geforce GTX690
SSDs: 2x OCZ Vertex 4 512GB
HDDs: 3x 4TB HGST Ultrastar 7K4000
Case: Silverstone TJ11
Paint Job: Smooth Creations
Keyboard: Corsair Vengeance K90
Speakers: Audioengine 5+
Mouse: Cyborg R.A.T. 7 Albino
PSU: Corsair AX1200i
Monitor: 2x Dell U3011
Cooling: Various
OS: Windows 7 Professional
Total Cost: $14,482
Observations:
-12TB hard drive space sounds amazing, and something I will look into. I could finally download close to all roms ever up to the 128-bit era and still have plenty of room to spare.
-I've no doubt their chosen case is a dream functionally, but it looks like a cheap Apple knockoff. Come on guys, there HAS to be a better looking case out there that does as good of a job!
-Paint job also seems very competent, but the color scheme they picked is lame.
-Never heard of Audioengine speakers. I used to be into Klipsch in the early 2000's, then I switched to Logitech when they overcame Klipsch, and now I don't know. I'll check them out I guess.
-Mouse looks rad. Gotta try.
-Same goes for the clicky.
-For PSU I've been using Enermax since Tokyo circa 2005-2006, and currently rock their previous gen top-of-the-line Revolution model at 1,200-watts. I guess they must be comparable, but now Enermax has a new top-of-the-line model, so I'd look into that before going with Corsair.
-I am stumped of what to say about the monitors. It's the same issue I see across the entire PC world: why stick with 30 inches at a time when you can easily get upwards of 42? Sure, the higher resolution is cool, but aren't there any bigger screens with higher resolutions? And besides, even the dual-GTX 960s seem to begin to sweat with dual- or triple-2560x1600 screen setups when we are talking Crysis on full detail, so gaming-wise your screen setup makes little sense. Go for one or more HUGE 1080p screens, I say, like I do, and then add a smaller 2560x1600 screen for Windows use if you must -- which if you have 2 or 3 1080p screens you really wouldn't need. I mean you can't even properly watch Blu-ray discs on a 2560 screen, so I guess web-browsing and work stuff is all such screens are good for. And is that a screen to choose for an ultimate gaming machine? (And if it's not a gaming machine why the dual 960s? They are next to useless for everything else.)
-As for liquid cooling, I understand why it's in there, but for my part I am going to load my case with all the fans it can take (and it's a huge Thermaltake Armor+ so it can take loads) once I get the second 960, and hope for the best. My case can be installed with LCS, but I've never done this installation before, so if I can get by without it, at least until I build a new machine (for which I'll probably buy a case with LCS preinstalled), that's what I'll do.
-And finally, why 7 Professional and not Ultimate?