I just made the move myself, in fact my computer is out for delivery today! I started at this link:

http://www.build-your-own-computers.com/

I pretty much went with the suggested “Moderate” build which can easily run Skyrim on Ultra Settings. I ordered everything from tigerdirect.com. It cost me about $1,100. Main components in my sig.

Edited link, sorry I originally posted the wrong link. I went with the “Mid-Range” setup you can see if you scroll down:

http://www.build-gaming-computers.com/gaming-desktop-computer.html

I’m hoping it’s not to hard to put together, but the website is very encouraging...

Just bear in mind that mods can add a huge hardware requirement to the game, particularly if you want visual mods or mods that add lots of NPCs/spawn points.

Bethesda games aren't well optimised for multiple cores, so the faster processor the better.

For vanilla you're fine with a mid-range pc if you're okay with medium settings and aren't running many demanding mods.

I'm running a 4.5ghz i7 2700k with SSD, 16gb vengeance ram and an overclocked 2gb Radeon 6970, and I still get frustrated that I have slowdowns.

I recently made the change myself (from ps3) and have been wonderfully rewarded by doing so. Here's my advice.

Well, depending on how heavy you want your modding to be, you'll want to overshoot the minimum requirements some. The only mod I have is an anti-bloat mod that actually helps performance (The unofficial skyrim patch). So my machine never seems to have any trouble or slowdowns. I can't even read the text in time on loading screens.

Make sure you get a 64-bit OS so that you aren't limited to just 2GB of RAM use.

If you are tech savy and are price strapped, buy the components and put it together. The first computer is always the hardest to make so consider this carefully and get lots of advice along the way. If you aren't in a rush to get the machine, you can save serious money by waiting for deals online. Newegg.com was my best friend during this process and so I got a $2,000 machine for around $800 just because I was willing to put it together (admittedly a daunting task). Again, get plenty of advice or find a nearby shop that can put it together for you for cheap. Understand that the motherboard drives compatibility. You'll be spending a lot of time on the motherboard website seeing what options you have. So put the most thought into the motherboard and work from there.

My machine is Win7 64bit, i7 2600k, 16GB RAM, 1 TB 7200 RPM 64 MB cache HDD, Radeon 5870 (I could have gotten better but this is a great card and was super cheap on 1saleaday.com on a 24hour sale). Compare this to the poster above me who has a better machine but still gets slowdowns (likely related to the mod choices and nothing to do with his machine). Both of our machines are super overpowered for this game. So consider what mods you want carefully as they can seriously mess up your playing experience.