Im going to be building a new computer. Or, I will have someone else be building it, ill just be getting the parts.
I don't want a true gaming computer. Those can run you a good 2000 bucks. What Im looking for is something midrange 1000-1500 dollar range.

My questions are:
What can I skimp on? Do I really need a super up-to-date graphics card? Do I need a super new processor? What am I looking at for a completely new Motherboard? And are SSDs REALLY a necessity now?

Also, I really have no idea what im talking about when I am talking processors or Graphics cards. I know a higher number is usually better, but i don't need a super overblown one. I want a graphics cards that works with the better AAA games but I don't need 1080p, I don't really need everything set to max. I'd like to be able to play the Witcher 3 on High with good FPS. That's pretty much it. Also the odd flight sim, which I have a joystick and such for.

I know.
Some people are going to ask, "why are you asking this here?".

I've seen Gogites/gogers give pretty meaningful and articulate answers to some of these questions before and for the most part this is a good forum to be a part of. AND THAT IS WHY YOU FAIL! Answer me these questions three!

Look at the specs for the game you want to play:
Recommended system requirements - Windows:
OS: 64-bit Windows 7 or 64-bit Windows 8 (8.1)
Processor: Intel CPU Core i7 3770 3.4 GHz / AMD CPU AMD FX-8350 4 GHz
Memory: RAM 8 GB
Graphics: Nvidia GPU GeForce GTX 770 / AMD GPU Radeon R9 290
Hard Drive: 35 GB of available space
DirectX: 11

I would aim for around that or better if thats the kind of game you want to play. To me I couldn't go back to HDD as primary drive, even a small SSD just to install the essentials will show you a vast improvement. Follow that up with as much RAM as you can get, its says 8gb, but 16gb at leats would be my recommendation.
Then graphics card, I have a gtx770 and it runs Dying Light in all its glory, so should be fine. Processor is a bit complicated, they all have different anacronyms and even speed (ghz) isn't always the main thing. I tend to just look at price on those and hope for the best. Likelihood is a new system will come with either Win10 installed, or the upgrade to Win10 - which is fine I suppose, lots of tracking on that OS. You might want to consider a dual boot or multiple SSD's for that. Also note, if you do get a new motherboard, get one (or a card) with USB 3.0 and 3.1 - 3.1 is quite a bit faster (for external drives for instance), and 3.0 is quite compatible at the moment.

So my order of preference:
SSD
RAM
Graphics card
Processor
Motherboard

As for graphics cards, get a GTX 970 or 980 or an R9 380 or 390, that'll suffice for just about anything, don't bother with the Titan or Fury.

SSDs are a godsend for speed, but so far, you're still paying for that with less storage space (that may change in a couple years).

You most likely don't need more than 8GB RAM for a gaming rig, though 16 might improve performance a bit and shouldn't cost too much, you'll definitely want more if you do video or graphics for a living.

The CPU and motherboard, however, I don't have enough of an idea to make a recommendation, though I would bet an i5 is a pretty good option (as compared to the higher-end i7 ones and lower-end i3 ones) if you're going with Intel. Though I run AMD myself, I don't actually know what's the most price-efficient options today, I don't really keep track.

400-500 GPU
300-400 CPU+mobo
150 750W PSU
100 2x 8GB RAM
200 HD+SSD 2TB / 250GB
150 Bells and whistles

That would be a high end PC right now. 1500-ish sounds about right. For a bit weaker components, you could get a lower high end for about 1200. Off the top of my head, and probably you could get components cheaper in the Americas.

AMD FX-8350 or higher (I am on Intel xeon right now, fyi)
good CPU fan from companies like Scythe, read reviews and mount options
16GiB or more of ECC unbuffered RAM (not registered!)
ASUS (important) motherboard with solid capacitors and good chipset
GPU to your liking
SolydK operating system with PlayonLinux
600+ watt Gold or Silver certified powersupply with 105c rated japanese capacitors and modular cables
Mechanical keyboard with Cherry MX Blue switches, no backlight, no fancy crap - just quality board, quality switches, with quality caps.
Zowie mouse
1 SSD for the OS, apps and games
2 HDD for storage and backups (no raids, just periodical rsync)
Btrfs FS on all disks

I'll probably I5 it. The problem is, I have an I5 on my laptop, and yea, it's pretty smooth, but try ANY sort of updating of windows are really installing anything and the system bogs down... BADLY. I just don't want to get stuck with an I5 that is cheap. I want an I5 that is a bargain.

Few links. . [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fggKnvIHzHQ]Two.

Im going through forums and finding that the 960 might be better for my budget. The 970 sounds incredible but at over 150 bucks...Ill go for the 960 right now, but ill make sure my Mobo is good for upgrading.

Ill come back to the Witcher 3 question then:
If anyone DOES have the GTX 960, how does it run on Witcher 3? And what manufacturer should i look at? Geforce? MSI? ASUS?

These numbers are going to drive me crazy.

You have gpuboss to compare. Keep in mind that hardware on DX11/OpenGL4.5 games might perform differently than DX9/OpenGL3.3.

For exact performance just do a google search with GPU type + witcher.

Manufacturer should ship the board with solid capacitors. The rest difference is the fan noise, reviews for specific piece on amazon, newegg might open up more.

Don't make the mistake I did a few years ago, I bought a really souped up nvidia 680 graphics card for about £400. It was a high quality card, but within months it was superceded by new models. Buy on the affordable range of the curve on graphics, then buy again in another year or so for the same aggregate price.

Yea, Ill go to the store, price something out and compare it all online before I give them the go ahead.
I didn't realize the difference in card makers was really personal opinion though lol.
This is what Im also trying to avoid. i don't want to splurge on something I really don't need right now.

Forgot to add that you should also keep an eye on GPU tact. Some models might have problems, so check reviews from regular people about noise and crashes.

The GPU/CPUboss sites are aggregation sites, so ignore the score and compare the actual benchmarks below.
But its nearly impossible without building your own preference and score table across various sites in the end.
Much luck!

I've played Witcher 3 on 1080p on high settings (minus the hair special effect) with good fps (has been a while, but I'd say 40-60 depending on the area) with a GTX 760 (factory overclocked). A GTX 960 is definately better (20% more powerful), but I'd recommend either getting a GTX 970, because it will last longer (it's 40% more powerful than a GTX 960 if I remember correctly)...

... or you should wait a bit. I've read on the German tomshardware site or so a few days ago that the new NVIDIA cards may be presented on friday.

Hmmm i built a mid-range gaming rig a couple years ago for $525, building it myself. Although someone tells me it's not clearly in the lower end now, even though games work just fine on it and i don't expect to be playing the latest titles.

I'd say pick a good DIY bundle, and then add a video card that suits your needs (this assumes you can use NewEgg, there are places they don't ship :( )

http://www.newegg.com/DIY-PC-SuperCombos/PromotionStore/ID-33?name=DIY-Super-Combos

Builds range from $250 to about $1000, add a $500-$700 video card and you should have a system! (A few of the later ones don't have cases so if you have a spare case or one to completely rebuild, then that's $50-$100 less to worry about). Just make sure you are getting a video card that won't be too taxing, or assume a 600+Watt power supply.