Hmmm thanks alot guys, thats given me some ideas for the computer, ill keep you updated on how i get on.

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if you are building a computer for gaming, i would recommand AMD processor. And like someone said before.. you should get a 256mb+ graphic card for future gaming. For ram, i would recommand more than 1gb because the recommanded requirement for windows VISTA is 1gb of ram and 128mb graphic card. You might want to go far over that requirement if you are planning on using your computer for gaming.

And about hdd space, i would recommand at least 120gb because as gaming gets better, more space will be required for games.. Especially when people use next generation DVD for gaming which is 30-50 gb per disk.

If you are planning to have a huge monitor like a 20" widescreen monitor, you should consisder a much higher graphic card because the bigger the your monitor is, the more processing your graphic card has to do.

Also, try to have a good air circulating system.. .especially when you're planning to put your PC under the desk. You would probably need like air conditioning in the summer.. lol

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It really does depend on budget. Intel has very competitively priced Dual Core CPU's, if you're building a budget box, I believe the Pentium D 805 has some good overclocking potential and is very cheap to boot. For a higher end box you'd want the AMD X2 line of some sort (or AM2 if you want to be really up to date).

As has been said before, you'll need at least 1gb of RAM for optimal performance from your system - I would not recommend any lower for any system being build at this current time, though anything over 2gb will not be all that useful (yet). 768mb is a weird number and limits your options, as you've got a 256mb stick and a 512mb stick; for Dual Channel RAM you'll need two of the same size (and speed).

Hard-drive is small, I agree with DogEater, and have to say value wise (price per gb), the 80gb is the worst value of the lot.

By the looks of it, you're going for a cheaper box, and I would recommend something like the 7600GS for a graphics card on a budget. Actual RAM on the card tends to be less important than the clock speed etc, so don't get sucked in, into thinking bigger is better. Read some reviews and check out the benchmarks before you make a purchase.

DVD-RW drives are hellishly cheap these days. Grab a BenQ (currently have a very good reputation with their burners), and it will be an almost negligble difference to a combo drive.

 

 

 

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What you were saying about the fans, it wont be too much of a problem, it gets pretty cold where i live and i have a large window in my bedroom anyway...

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The comment about the dual channel ram and needing to be the same size and speed is very important and somthing I forgot to mention so take that into consideration and liek otthers said above me HDD space is a must considering its so cheap and like Half life 2 alone takes up TEN GIGS!! music also finds ways to fill up a HDD very fast

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Ok so it looks like im after.

120gb Hardrive
1gb RAM (2 512's)
a AMD 3.?? Processor
7600GS Video card

I plan to buy most of the parts second hand over a very good internet auction site in New Zealand. Its called trademe

Ill take a look if its in my price range and get back to you.

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If you are choosing for AMD , take those with the new AM2 socket,

The mainboards are a bit more expensive, the processor is a bit cheaper (in Belgium).
But you have :
- Support for dual channel memory.
- Support for PCI-e video cards.

So the older AMD sockets (939 and 754) are a bit outdated these days, or maybe you can get a good price.

You have also the AMD Semptron processors, thay are also fast but have less cache memory.
They can also be good depending what's the need of the games you want to play.

For some games they certainly don't work.

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will the 2.6 or the 2.8 processor do for gaming? The 3.2 is abit expensive for me. Also how is corsair ram different from 'normal' ram.

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From what I gather, AM2 is not a huge leap over s939, the most noticable difference to me is the support of DDR2, which at this stage offers a fairly negligible performance increase over regular DDR.

On a budget, I would still recommend a s939 CPU for now - the lowest Athlon on 939 still in production is the 3200+, so I guess that'd be the go for AMD. Otherwise for more multipurpose, the Pentium D 805 is dual core for a great price.

What kdr says for motherboards is important too - for upgrades etc, do not buy a board without PCI-e, otherwise your graphics card will be more expensive and you limit future upgrades for your GFX.

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what is the ideal price of actually building a good gaming pc, and also about how many games can you actually hold on your pc, and play.

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