OT: Climbing System Requirements and Specs

[Atrocities]

It seems that as technology improves, games improve. What once only required very basic system specs and requirements now requires virtually a new computer with each new game.

Gone are the requirements for a store bought computer, replaced by the need for such high cost video cards and processors as Geforce 7900 SLI's and P5 4.4 ghz CPU's.

Remember the day when a game only needed:
Minimum:
Pentium II 300-600 MHz (depends on video card), 64 MB RAM, Windows 95b/98/2000/ME/NT(SP4), 12 MB video card, DirectX-compatible sound card, 4x CD-ROM drive and 531 hard-disk space.

And this was considered TOP of the line in 2000. I can remember when video cards were only 4 megs and cost $400.00. What a world we live in now when your forced with each new game to upgrade your system to meet the minimum requirments in order to play the game without problems.

I often wonder if I could build my own dual Geforce 7900 GTX SLI system for less than the quoted $3,000.00 prices of such PC builders as Alien, Dell, Gateway, and so on.

What CPU, what mother board, what HD, what memorie, what what what would I have to buy that would work well with a system using dual Geforce 7900 SLI video cards? Would I have to have a monster power supply, oh yes, and what about cooling? God only knows that heat kills a PC faster than 5 year old with an screw driver and an evil disposition.