Help building a Computer, I'm a Newbie

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AlastorZero

I have a Dell Dimension 3000 and it sucks for gaming, and I like to play MMORPGS. So I figured out that my graphics card is integrated and what not, and its only PCI (whatever that is) and I would have to replace the motherboard and all this other junk to get a compatible graphics card. I just want to build a brand new gaming computer for a budget of 700-900$ at the most. I'm a Senior in High School and im just working part time, so I'm trying to save my money.

I tried going to websites like Newegg, and tigerdirect to try and build my own, but I'm just a little too weak when it comes to this, I need your guys' computer expertise.

I do know that I want:

A good enough graphics card to play the latest MMORPGS.
I think 2g ram would be nice correct?
I heard good things about the AMD 64x system, I really have no clue.

I'm really sorry for the long post, I just have been very frustrated with this computer for years. As you can tell, I don't know much about computers or the deal with your computer overheating, cooling and all that stuff. I need help really bad and was just wondering if someone could help me build a computer with the budget above.

Thank you so much for your time.
 
Go to TimeParadoX's post that is just above your post and read Rage's suggestions (the man is very helpful). If you still need help just let us know.

A few suggestions:

1. Don't go cheap on the power supply. Too many people spend big $ on other harddware with the psu as an after thought. That is wrong.

2. You can get some great deals on AMD X2 chips and the motherboards, but right now Intel is blazing hot with their offerings and performance. Though the quad Phenoms by AMD are nice.

3. Don't go cheap on the case. NewEgg has great deals on a daily basis.

* Keep in mind: You can build a very nice system with the budget you gave. Also both Windows XP and Vista Home Premium are 32 bit OS's so anything over 2 gigs is basically a waste though you can get them to utilize as much as 3 gigs of RAM. For gaming 2 gigs is minimum and for Vista you need to gigs to have it run decent.

* Only 64 bit OSs like Vista Ultimate utilizes 4 gigs or more.
 
Hey AlastorZero, do you have experience putting together a computer? Even if you don't, it's very easy and if you've done it once, doing it again becomes second nature. That being said, here is a nice build, assuming you're going to reuse the monitor, keyboard and mouse from your old system:

Grand Total = $692.87 with shipping and rebates included.
It's the exact same system I've suggested for TimeParadox, except that I've changed some things around and recommended an HDD and DVD burner. Also, you'd be left with enough money for an OS. I'd recommend Windows XP Professional.
All in all, it's a great system that will run any MMO very well and be upgradeable as well, besides running cool and not giving you any problems with overheating or the like.

For system building, I find this to be an excellent guide for a first time system builder. You can Google and find lots more great ones. Also, we here at TechSpot are also happy to help.

Good luck and let us know how it goes. :)
 
The system Rage has put together is sweet!! Also, thanks for the link for us first timers(it's been added to my bookmark..). My one question is how do you make sure you'll get your rebates?? I've read they don't make it easy and more...
 
If you are going for rebates it is absolutely imperative that a) you properly fill out every form they require and that you give them every thing they ask for; b) make sure it is postmarked within the required posting date.

Sometimes you get a confirmation and other times nothing. So far I have been lucky in that my last two rebates eventually came.
 
1) If you are planning on building this yourself, I recommend you first get an old computer (possibly the one you're using right now), and get some experience taking it apart and putting it back together before. This is generally pretty easy to do, but still it's a good idea to get some practice before you start experimenting with your expensive new components. This will help you build up some confidence and it will also be useful incase you need to debug your setup later on.

2) If you really want to save money (possibly so you can buy a more bleeding edge graphics card!), I recommend you check out either the "barebones kits" or "motherboard and cpu combo" deals from TigerDirect. I was looking at this a while ago, and it seems like for ~400 USD you can build an awesome system. These barebones kits are nice because they allow you to get top-notch core components and save a couple hundred dollars by recycling your hard disk, DVD player, and (possibly) case & power supply. Of course, you then need experience building PC's, which is where my 1st point comes in!

Hope this helps,
 
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