Yup, they can be, especially when it comes to PC's and components... software too. Some of it is caused by our 10% GST (Goods and Services Tax... VAT elsewhere). Some of it is the result of shipping and import duties, etc.... and part of it is the Oz dollar being weaker against the greenback in recent times.  Howver, a greater part of the problem is wholesale profiteeering... the failure/refusal of local suppliers to pass on savings (due to manufacturer price cuts/the Oz dollar improving, etc) to the consumer.

Many people here blame the stores, and while some of the larger ones certainly are guilty of excess profiteering, many smaller stores are up against it because their pricing is governed more by their suppliers pricing than their own.  I have a friend who owns his own PC store, and he tells me that his markup (just to stay in business) is often below 10%.... sometimes 5%, while his fatcat suppliers are getting rich on markups anywhere between 50%  and  80% +.... as is evidenced by a nearby dealer/supplier who lives in a 9 bedroom mansion with tennis court, huge inground pool and a lockup garage bigger than 3 of my houses put together, not to mention his Bentley, Aston Martin and Bugatti, reportedly worth 1.2 mill.  Stinks, don't it!!!

Mine is everything money, cos we get nothing else... covers food, rent, utilities, clothing, etc, etc.  Fortunately, we don't have the expense of running a car nor expensive social lives, and cos I never go out dining, clubbing or pubbing, etc, I don't need the apparel to go with it, just a few garments for around the house, if/when I go down the street to the shops.  In fact, I haven't bought new clothes in about 5 years... and we live cheap but still eat well on no-name food brands so once in a while we can spend a bit on on our PC's.... which to me is better value than pissing it up down the pub.

Like my son said years ago when he was getting 5 bucks pocket money and his mates were getting $20 or more, I'm tighter than a fishes arse, so yeah, being buggered up with arthritis/limited mobility has its advantages... provides for a more a frugal lifestyle that allows us to indulge in the one passion we do enjoy, our puters.  OK, so my upgrade didn't... couldn't go as far as the i7 I'd have liked, but I'm extremely happy with what I've got, it rocks my world.

Me either!  Had my former bank sending me regular letters trying to tempt me into one, so I gave 'em the flick.  These days we operate on cash or a debit card or go without... a simple formula that works.  To me, credit is like an anchor to a drowning man, so if we have to save and go without for a few months to get a PC upgrade/major purchase, then so be it.

Starkers , I do consider myself very lucky indeed, in law enforcement here you can  retire in uniform after 20 years regardless of age, i was 45, but the main reason was my wife having MS and her health declining, my commute then was 26 miles, now i work 2 miles, and can leave my job if needed at home (only reason i have that dreaded cell phone) on another note, its amazing what you can learn from people that live in other countries and societies here on WC, i have always wanted to go there, but that is out of the question with my wifes MS, the flight would be too long, especially from Boston, oh and you mentioned clothing, well i am the same way LOL, i never go out and buy clothes, i wear my t shirts and jeans till they just about wear paper thin or fall off whichever comes first

Same here... the only items of clothing I've bought in recent years is underwear.  I've still got jeans, tee shits and shorts I've had for 10 years or more, one pair of shoes for about the same time, cos most of the time I get around in a pair of el-cheapo sandals... oh, I do have a couple of new pairs of shorts but I got those for Xmas, so I'll be right for another 10 years cos fashion and keeping up with the times is so unimportant to me.

Yup, I lead a no-frills lifestyle, except for my PC, but I'm happy and don't feel like I'm missing anything.... haven't been to a cinema in over 27 years, so what, it all eventually comes out on DVD and I can wait

So your processor cost almost as much as my entire rig with monitor, annd.. you -may- see a difference of 7-10fps in games.

Phenom II x4 940 BE @ 3.4Ghz

ATI Radeon HD 4870 512mb

make up the most important parts, the graphics card is -very- slightly slower, the processor is somewhat slower due to lack of hyperthreading but you won't see most of that in games.

Only issue i see personally....

6 Western Digital Black Caviar 1 Terabyte Hard Drive - That is your only bottleneck. If you are willing to drop as much as you did on that system i say drop the money on a good intel SSD.

I use a 500GB network HD to store my stuff .. and just stream it to my PC when needed but i got the Intel X25-M 80GB SSD and it simply sped up my PC more than ANY upgrade ive ever done. Worth it imo if your trying to get that total "bad-ass" system.