I felt that $1600 is a very reasonable budget for a Mid-Budget System. It beats the sub-1000 computers by quite a bit but does not take on the systems past $2000. It can be used as a workstation or a gaming rig, although a gamer might want to dish out an extra 100 bucks for a better video card. This is a total systems solution. Including every component you would need ( monitor and even keyboard / mice ). I tried to leave some money left over for shipping and handling but I would recommend some components purchased locally, specifically the monitor ( shipping is just ridiculous ) keyboard, and mouse, maybe even the NIC