Building a gaming computer

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KingNurple

n00b
Joined
Oct 28, 2005
Messages
10
Hi,
I'm running an old Dell Dimension 8200. It sucks pretty bad, but I guess it works for what I need...watching movies, using the internet, and writing papers. However, I don't find console gaming much fun anymore and really want to get into PC gaming on high end games like Battlefield 2. Could anyone break down the different components I would need to build a good quality gaming machine? I don't know much about computer hardware, so as much detail as possible would help. What websites are good to use for ordering products? What brands make the best products? Thanks.
 
Component wise you need,

motherboard, cpu and memory
video card
disks (hard drive, cd or dvd, optional floppy)
sound card - optional most motherboards have decent onboard

'best' is a relative term :) . You have any budget in mind?
that will determine what level of machine you can step into.

<edit>
And of course case & power supply :)
 
I just built the one listed in my signature for $2600. Got all but the Matrox drive from Newegg.
 
1)Asus Motherboards
2)BFG Video Cards
3)Crucial / Kingston Memory
4)Antec Cases (w/ included power supply)
5)Intel OR AMD Processors (Flame Bait)(s939 rules)

Start doing lots of research. Your question is VERY broad, and will get tons of conflicting responses. You are on the right track being here. Read the articles and reviews on [h]ardocp. Google is your friend.
 
I guess I should give a little more information. I am in college right now and don't have a whole lot of extra money but I am currently looking for another job that will give me some extra cash. I don't need an extreme high end system that will play BF2 with everything set on high quality. I just want something that will run it smoothly without a ton of load time and let me play on medium quality or so. However, I would like a system that will eventually let me upgrade to top of the line when I start making a little more money. I understand gaming is progressive and I will have to update once a year or so, but I would rather spend $500 a year for new stuff instead of spending $5,000 right now for the best machine.
 
KingNurple said:
Hi,
I don't know much about computer hardware, so as much detail as possible would help.
Click to expand...

i suggest reading this forum for a few weeks and that will soon change. you will find that some people have favorite brands. you will find that some people love and hate the same components. but, this is your pc and only build it for you and your applications...

you get what you pay for: i chose to pay higher prices for the support, guarantees, and quality for my parts.

the latest and greatest video cards are the 7800 series...evga, bfg are good manufacturers.
i like asus and abit motherboards.
don't go cheap on a power supply. your entire system depends on its quality.
single or dual core cpu? i chose single for my applications.
i suggest 2x1gig of ram (2 gig total) for gaming. you will have an easier time running two 1 gig sticks dual channel than four 512mb sticks.

i got my stuff from and recommend:
http://www.performance-pcs.com
http://newegg.com/
http://www.frozencpu.com/
http://www.floridamusicco.com/
 
I would start by checking out a couple of buyers guides to help with component selection. Both Anandtech and Ars have great guides. Just do your research on the components. After you have chosen the parts post back here.
 
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