Trying to be as cheap as possible.

Want to be able to play WoW, Starcraft 2, Mass Effect, games like that.

Don't care about settings on the max, I just want to be able to run the games smoothly.

What should I be looking to get?

2gb ram? More?
I have not been knowledgeable about video cards since the days of Voodoo.
Processor? 2ghz? 3?

We need a budget, not "as cheap as possible". For some people that's $200. For others, that's $1000.

The budget is enough to run those games smoothly.

I mean if I wanted I could blow up to $2000. But I want to spend as little as possible.

I have not been knowledgeable about PC gaming, and hardware, since like 2000. So just looking on the purchases that are rip offs. What are the good brand stuff... etc.

Are all sticks of RAM the same? Or is one brand better than the other.


I guess I'm not so much looking at a rig, as what I should try to get, and what I should avoid.

P7P55D motherboard
ATi HD5770
Intel Core i5 750 (Stock clock 2.66 Ghz, OCed mine to 4)
4 gigs of ram. It doesn't really matter which make, just be sure it's not the older DDR3 because there is a weird voltage difference.
That's basically my system, it's worth around 6-700 dollars new. Not sure what kinda case you want if you already have usable drives.
I should note this runs everything maxed forever.

ok, thanks, this was what I was looking for. Name suggestions.

My case is an Antec 300. It's a bit cheaply made but it gets the job done. I dispise the fact that the PSU is on the bottom though.
On the subject of PSUs, get only what you need in one. As long as you don't get chinese knockoff power supplies it shouldn't matter which brand.

until next year

More power = better. Don't get less than 500w.

Remember, the hotter the computer gets = BETTER.

So what, A kilowatt makes sense? Get out. No less then 500w does makes sense though, but only if you have a dedicated video card.

Go somewhere else with your unhelpful advice.

And brand does matter. I wouldn't trust much other than Thermaltake and Seasonic.

How exactly is this not helpful? Are you saying a desktop built for internet browsing without a dedicated video card needs a 500 watt PSU?
I have used an OCZ PSU, 550 watts, for 4 years and it has done wonderfully. I also have a Corsair PSU, 600 (More watts because I had dual video cards for a time), that also performs great. Brand is something that depends on personal experience.

I've had really good luck with the Corsair line. Antec has been friendly to me as well.



He wants to play Mass Effect and SC2. He needs a dedicated video card. And you recommended overclocking. And 600 is cutting it close for dual GPU (depending on the CPU).

I know, I was just using an example to prove "More is always better" is dumb. I've actually run a computer with a dedicated card on a 430 watt, still do.

Yes, and what I'm saying is that your anecdotal evidence has no meaning. Power requirements for hardware has increased over time, not stayed the same. Sure, a 430 W is great for that old P4 with a GeForce 5600. But you have to be careful; every computer builtd has different power requirements. It's unwise to suggest a power supply before all the hardware is set.

Yep.. Example, my video card pulls 270 watts under load.

Okay, I'll concede that point. But I still say "More is better" is wrong.

My PC that I recently put together cost me a total of $449 after shipping, and it can run all of those games and more intense ones just fine. It's got a dual core 2.9 GHz processor, 500 GB hard drive, Geforce 9800 GT 1GB, 2 GB DDR3 RAM (I want another stick but DDR3 is way expensive) 3 fans, a nice wireless card/antennae, and more than enough power. It plays CoD4 and Oblivion maxed out fine, so it would definitely play those games beautifully.

I'm debating overclocking my rig, but I've got some real good warranties that Im hesitant to void. I'll probably keep it as it is for a while, and when it starts feeling less up to snuff I'll add another 2-4 GB RAM, and then when the feeling comes back overclock the processor/GPU.

at my new job, the guy I work with builds computers so I'll have him put it all together for me.

now I just need some paychecks to start coming in...

A fast dual core + 4gb ram (possibly only 2gb needed if sticking with XP) + $125 videocard should provide an enjoyable game experience for almost any current game. Obviously you wont be running most games with 16xAA.

You should get another stick as soon as possible, due to the way DDR works it will literally double the speed of your ram.

That's not DDR it's dual channel and realistically, no it wont be anywhere near that kind of extra performance.

It literally won't. At best, during the most memory intensive times, you might garner 10% extra.

Damn, Misinformed again.