It's not hard, if you got the time you can easily build your own system. It isn't always easy but it's worth it When you get done, you will become your own tech support.
I've been building my own systems for 15 years.
Three things stopping me:
$$$
Knowledge (Will this motherboard work with this processor and case, etc.)
Time
I got 5.1 surround speakers from Newegg.com and they were very fast and reliable. Any reccommendations of any other sites known for this stuff would be really helpful. Newegg doesn't really tell of compatibilities of it's products -I have to read the reviews to get that.
FYI: I'm looking to build a gaming system that will also work well for mods of games. I'm wanting to make an updated Battlestar Galactica game using the Freespace 2 source code.