I need your help. I'm in the process of building a new computer for gaming because I'm tired of cycling through low end computers and playing games on the lowest settings. Unfortunately, I know very little about computer hardware and couldn't make an educated decision on my own. If you guys could help me put together a pc, I would appreciate it very much.

I want to spend around $900, but not over $1000. The main goal is to be able to run Unreal Tournamet 3 smoothly at decent settings, because I'm working with the unreal engine for programming and game design.

Edit: OK, so far I've chosen

Video card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130327

Case:
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16811129021

How do I figure out which motherboard/processors go along with the video card? Also, I don't want a quad core, I've read good things about a core duo, but I don't know how to check for compatibility or anything.

well, next you want to decide on a processor, and how much you want to spend on a processor. you will need to decide on the processor before you can find a motherboard. (or viceversa i suppose...)
there are no processors that are better than others, everyone seems to have their own preference.
one thing i will say, is if you are new to building pcs, remember to use thermal paste for the processor and heatsink (otherwise it will overheat) and if possible, find a book or guide
core duos are quite good, but you will need to search around and find one which you like the price and specs of.

If you are building a gaming computer choose the Graphics card first.

With your budget (which is on the low end for a good gaming machine) you could still get at least an 8800 GT or GTX.

The 9800 versions are probably beyond your budget but this is a good price for one:

Newegg.com - EVGA 512-P3-N871-AR GeForce 9800 GTX(G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

We can say like $300 GPU + $300 CPU + $150 MoBo + $100 RAM + $100 PSU = $950 for the basics.

You can get a cheaper case than what you posted.

Also what do you have already to use? Can you reuse your hard drives? DVD drive? Operating System?


You also might find these previous threads interesting:

http://www.d-a-l.com/help/how-build-...rig-800-a.html

http://www.d-a-l.com/help/how-build-...-computer.html


The motherboard would need a PCI_E X 16 slot. I'd suggest Intel socket 775. Core Duo ready.

Here is a general selection:

Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more!

Core 2 Duo:

Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more!

A good PSU is also important:

Somewhere in this range:

Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more!

I'm not sure if I can salvage the hard drive. I have a compaq presario SR5130NX with a 200GB HD in it.

This is what I've put together so far (thanks for all your help). If this is all that I need, after mail in rebates it's just a little over $600. That seems too good to be true... Here's the stuff, tell me what you think (I'm pretty sure it's all compatible with each other, but I can't confirm.

Case (I can downgrade to cut costs, but I don't know what to look for):
Newegg.com - Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases

MB:
Newegg.com - ABIT IP35P LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards

Video Card:
Newegg.com - EVGA 640-P2-N824-AR GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

Power Supply:
Newegg.com - BFG Tech BFGR650PSU 650W ATX 12v 2.0 / EPS 12V Power Supply 115/ 230 V UL, CE, FCC CLASS B - Power Supplies

Proc:
Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - CPUs / Processors

RAM:

Newegg.com - OCZ SLI-Ready 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory

A quick reply:

As you can note from the previous threads I am very interested in looking through these building threads. At at this point I will just toss back quick ideas.

Everything you list looks good but I would upgrade both the motherboard and the Graphics card.

You are only talking about a couple hundred here and it is most important.

An 8800 GTS does not rank with an 8800 GTX nor the 9800 GTX for just $80 more.

That motherboard has very negative (Newegg) reviews for Core Duo CPU's.

I wouldn't suggest a mobo under $150 although the price itself is not always relevant in many cases it is.

On any Newegg page you can click on Manufacturer's Info for the manufacturer's page as in this case:

Universal abit USA - Products

One thing of note is a BIOS update to deal with 7600 graphics cards. That just indicates further to me that this board will not handle a high end graphics card.


Anyway just going back and forth is about the best way to do this.

Hope this helps and let us know what you think.

Also, you might want a little bit more RAM is you plan to run games. Do you plan to install vista? If so, I'd reccomend at least 3GB. Also, have you included in your price the price of buying the OS??

PS. Try to install the RAM in matching pairs for performance (I'd reccomend just buying 4x 1GB chips all identical)

Actually most gamers run only 2GB of board RAM.

Again the importance is the graphics card.

The current high end cards run 1GB of graphics RAM on the card itself.

As to gaming or any graphics software this is much more important than motherboard RAM.

Unless you are running a server you most likely will never use over 2GB of motherboard RAM.

4 x 1GB on a 64 bit system is nice but it certainly does not pertain to systems under one let alone two thousand dollars.

Even if it is there it will never be used.