Time for a gaming PC

[MoonRunner]

So I Start a new job this week and if all goes well I will be getting a new Gaming PC for Halloween. Problem is technology has finally moved so fast I don't know what I need VS what I want.

I am a firm beleiver in video cards that are not intergrated so I am looking at the GeForce GTX 560. This is in my price range http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121446

I am thinking of putting it in something like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16883108459



I am not sure about the brands are they any good? Heres why I picked this. My current comp is an HP Pavilion a735w with a Geforce 5500 card in it and it runs great. It seems to run as well as most machines playing the game because I only experiance lag when I hear others complaining and up till U9 I wouldn't lag at all when I would hear others complaining. My last two computers have been AMD Athlons and I am a big fan. That being said it was 2 computers ago I was told the Athlon was the way to go. Can I get anything better for the money? I don't want little blue people dancing in my computer so Intel is out unless they have made a 180. So, will this do the job lag free and have a few years before it becomes slow?

My final option is to go for some kind of custom build but I am totaly clueless on this. I will probably take my final option to my local geek and see if he can do better than what I have found. He can build some great machines but I need to have my research done because he will make a killing if you let him.

[Morningfrost]

I have been out of PC upgrades for years, just off-the-shelf laptops. Now I have bought a new desktop. I do professional video editing so I need fast drives there, but I also wanted a video card to play DDO a step higher then my usual "very low, even worse if possible" setting.

I was going for a Quadro 5000 but also tried a much cheaper MSI 560. It fits both tasks very well, so I will settle for it for while.

I have an i7 CPU, don't know about modern AMD line but it should be probably as good.

[blkcat1028]

Without creating a wall of text, the best advice I can offer is to write down the various tasks you want the computer to be capable of now and in the next 18 months.

This will give you an idea of the processing power you will require.

There are several options for CPUs... multiple cores and such. Be aware that the most expensive might not be what you need. Most software, for the general user, isn't written for or require multiple cores.

In general fewer cores = higher clock speed. A dual cure CPU running @ 2 gHz is not the same thing as a single core proc running @ 4 gHz.

I'm running an Intel E8500 core2duo, an nVidia 9800gt graphics card, and 8 gb of 1066 RAM. It's not a "gaming rig", but it does everything I want in addition to anything I need.

You can custom build a very nice machine without breaking your bank. All that is required is a little research.

If you want more detail, just drop me a pm.

Cheers

[Nysrock]

Here's a fun site to play around with. You can look at what you want compared to cost.
http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/landingp...FUEDQAod_BXH4Q

[MoonRunner]

OK here is what I use a computer for

This game
Basic internet surfing
MS office
running small bs programs like the character gens, game guides and such.
If I ever get back into it then photo shop.
I did dable in web design for a bit and have Expresions web and Dreamweaver but that got over my head fast so I doubt I will mess with it much anymore.
That is about it. I would like the new computer to be able to run two monitors if that can be done without upping the cost too much. I would like to run the game guide I have or wiki on the second monitor.