Sweet Spot alternatives
As well-rounded as the Sweet Spot is, we have to consider potential alternatives just like with our other builds.

Processor
Let's be clear: Intel's quad-core processors perform better and draw less power overall than AMD's Phenoms, and that's why we keep selecting them for our primary configs. With that said, the Phenom X4 9850 Black Edition is cheap and holds its own against Intel's similarly priced Core 2 Quad Q6600. The Phenom also has an unlocked upper multiplier, which makes overclocking a snap. AMD's OverDrive utility even lets you run the Phenom's four cores at different speeds via independent multiplier controls.

We're snubbing the pricier Phenom X4 9950 here because we just don't see the value in paying $41 more for a mere 100MHz clock speed increase, especially when that clock boost adds 15W to the processor's TDP.

Motherboard
Asus' M3A78-T has the benefit of being one of the only AMD-based enthusiast mobos to sport the new SB750 south bridge. The SB750 doesn't do as much as we'd like on the storage front, but it has one killer feature we can't ignore: ACC. Short for Advanced Clock Calibration, ACC interfaces with unused pins on Phenom processors to tweak the chips for overclocking. And it works. Our Phenom X4 9850 sample hit 3GHz with ACC enabled, while it only managed 2.7GHz when we turned the feature off.

We didn't review this particular Asus motherboard, but it has a nice feature set, a third PCI Express x16 slot, and some good user reviews. It's available, too, whereas the Gigabyte 790GX mobo we reviewed earlier this month seems to be out of stock everywhere. We're not huge fans of the Gigabyte's Serial ATA port placement, anyway.

Graphics
If CrossFire profiles are available for the games you want to play, and if those games work well with multiple GPUs, dual Radeon HD 4850s will often deliver higher frame rates than the single 4870 in our primary sweet spot config. In fact, a Radeon HD 4850 CrossFire setup will often outperform Nvidia's pricier GeForce GTX 280. If you're willing to deal with the additional power draw, enclosure crowding, and potential game compatibility hassles associated with a dual-card setup, this is the one for you. You may want to beef up your case cooling, though; the 4850's single-slot cooler doesn't exhaust air outside the system, and dual-card configs can generate quite a bit of heat.

Storage
We don't expect you to trade our recommended 640GB drives for a speedier one that only has 300GB of capacity, but we do think Western Digital's 300GB VelociRaptor can nicely complement slower, higher-capacity drives. Thanks to its 10,000-RPM spindle speed and high-density platters, the latest Raptor delivers excellent performance with random I/O seek loads (not to mention impressively low response times), making it an ideal operating system and application drive.

Sound
Asus' Xonar D2 is a nice step up from the Xonar DX for audiophiles with a little more cash to spend. Both cards use essentially the same audio chip, so they have similar capabilities. However, the D2 features higher quality DACs and ADCs, LED-backlit ports, and comes with a truckload of extra cables. The D2 also has a standard PCI interface, but if you prefer PCI Express, you can opt for the D2X for a few bucks more.