this is one of those questions that divides people.
for the same price as an i5 quad you could have an AMD 8 core, or if you want to save a few bucks while still giving you headroom to upgrade later install an AMD 6 core cpu - they use the same socket.
apart from that as above
EDIT: just noticed the recommendation of an SSD, hybrid drives are worth a look as you get more space for your money - it depends what else you are planning on using the system for. you always have the option of adding a second non SSD drive later on if space becomes an issue for you but there are plenty of options to chose from where Hard drives are concerned so if you want to make the most of a limited budget think carefully before you buy.
and one more thing, make sure you buy the operating system at the same time as the hardware as this entitles you to an OEM copy; buying the OS that way is a lot cheaper.
Windows 7 for personal preference but 8 is just as good once you install a 3rd party start bar to make the system more user friendly.
Wait Maxwell graphics card (NVidia) of second generation, at the end of the year. Perhaps an excellent ratio, Power / Price / Energy saving
the problem with the latest cards is they are always expensive, ask yourself if you REALLY need it before shelling out a few hundred on an item that you could easily get away with paying a lot less for.
its always nice to have the latest phat graphics card in a games system but often games lag a few years behind the top end cards and will often run at full detail on cards a few steps down in performance but massive difference in price.
again, think very carefully about what else the system will be used for apart from ED before buying.
as an example when i built my current games system a little over a year ago the latest game was Need for Speed the Run, i slapped a £100 graphics card in and that ran the game on ultra graphics settings without a problem
