What is the PC Perspective HW Leaderboard?

Updated June 16th, 2013:
Along with the PCPer HWLB its self, you can also head to the PCPer Hardware Leaderboard forum! This forum is where you can discuss my selections and offer your own suggestions. It is also the place for you to talk about the new system build you are working on even if it's NOT based on anything here.  So far for 2013 there have only been a few small tweaks to the builds but not for much longer as we brace for a deluge of new products, many of which are likely to end up here.

Our Dream System still features Intel's current ultimate CPU, the Socket 2011 i7-3960X as it is much more of an enthusiast platform than the current Ivy Bridge offerings. You need an X79 motherboard to base your Extreme system off of and the MSI X79A-GD65 (8D) is a great choice.  This also means you can have 16GB of quad-channel DDR3-2133 from G.SKILL, since higher clock speeds than that tend not to be a good return on your investment.  For storage we go to the new OCZ Vector 256 GB drive for the best available storage on the planet and also add EVGA's GTX 690 to provide the best single card performance to match your PC Dreams.  The Corsair AX1200i PSU with LINK technology has gone out of stock but it's non-Digital twin still is.

The alternative Dream System is on hold until another Dual LGA2011 board becomes available.

The new High End system has been updated with Haswell, an i7-4770K is now housed in the ASUS Z87-EXPERT which is not only a powerful motherboard it will allow you to experiment with Thunderbolt. The storage subsystem is also updated with the new OCZ Vector 256GB SSD to bring up the overall response of the system. The new Gigabyte GTX 770 takes over graphics duty, a significantly more powerful card at the same price point.  At this point a discreet soundcard is a personal choice but if you are so inclined the ASUS Xonar DSX 7.1 can be purchased, otherwise knock $60 off the price.

Our Mid-Range System has moved to Haswell, with the unlocked i5-4670K on MSI's Z87-G43 which is both versatile and inexpensive.  A sale on the XFX Double D HD7870 GHz Edition card will get you a great card and four games for just over $200. The price on the Samsung 840 120GB SSD is too good to be ignored and it will take advantage of SATA 6Gbps bandwidth.  Corsair's solid Builder Series 500W PSU is modular and should support the new Haswell sleep states.

AMD's new Richland processor has arrived and brings new power to the Budget Build.  Arguably skipping the graphics card and choosing the A10-6800K is a good alternative but for those who want a separate card, pairing the A8-6600K with a Sapphire HD6670 is a good alternative as you will benefit from hybrid Crossfire.  The new processor needs an A85 based motherboard which supports Richland and the MSI FM2-A85XA-G65 offers both a good price and impressive versatility.  4GB of 1866MHz RAM from G.SKILL and a Builder Series PSU should both prove reliable, and the $75 1TB Seagate Barracuda drive could be exchanged for a 60GB Intel 520 if space is not an issue.