Just recently one of my two gaming rigs was stolen right out of my house while I was on vacation. To say that I was a little hostile would be a major understatement. However, I've come to the conclusion that I'll never see that rig again. So, it's time to put together another one.

I don't need SLi, I don't need any fancy bells and whistles, I don't need DX10. I just want to put together a solid rig that can play BF2 with all of the settings cranked to high. I want to play COD4 the same way, and it will have to support my 5.1 surround sound system. Here's the bad news, It will also have to come in under $600 USD.

I know that asking everyone for their opinions on what to get usually ignites a small firestorm because we are all loyal to what works for us, but here it goes......

What should I buy/build?

PS: links would be VERY helpful.

Thanks,
Manders

Oh yeah, I probably should mention that I know jack about computers. If you look up "computer newb" in the Wiki, there is a picture of me! lol

Hello there manders. I would love to help you with this. The budget constraints are a little low, but no problem. ill see what i can do. Im going to assume you want XP, because its both better and cheaper than Windows Vista. Have it for you shortly

This build really isnt going to be great for gaming. If you want a computer that will last, it will cost at least $800. This one will run, and should run your games ok, but not with stellar performance. If you decide you want a better computer for gaming, let me know.

LG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black E-IDE/ATAPI Model GSA-H55LK - OEM

COOLER MASTER Elite RC-330-KKR1 Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 350W Power Supply - Retail (PSU IS powerful enough i checked)

Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

XFX PVT84JUDD3 GeForce 8600GT XXX 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM

A-DATA 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model ADQVE1A16K - Retail

BIOSTAR TForce TP35D2-A7 LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Intel Pentium E2200 Allendale 2.2GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80557E2200 - Retail

Microsoft Windows XP Home With SP2B 1 Pack - OEM

TOTAL W/O SHIPPING>> $581

Lol i had to go against MANY gut instincts and brand preferences for this build.

AW, thanks for doing that. It gives me some really good insight as to what I'm looking for as far as parts are concerned.
I was looking at this build:
http://www.pchelpforum.com/hardware-...ur-own-pc.html
and I was thinking that I had found exactly what I was looking for. I'm guessing now that it may actually come up a little short of my expectations.

I'm thinking now about changing my plans and stretching the build out over 3-4 months. Maybe blow my budget of $600 on just a MOBO, RAM, and a Video card. After that, everything else is secondary....and cheaper, lol

If you had $600USD to blow on those three things, what would you get?

Thanks,
Manders

For the CPU (and cooler) ,Motherboard, RAM, and Graphics card, i would get these

DIAMOND 3850PE3256SB Radeon HD 3850 RV650 55nm 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM

Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model BL2KIT12864AA804 - Retail

ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail (Doesnt have PS/2 Mouse port)

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail

Total>> $613 w/o shipping (when those couple things are on sale)


And later on, I would get these

LG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black E-IDE/ATAPI Model GSA-H55LK - OEM

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail

ENERMAX Liberty ELT500AWT ATX12V 500W Power Supply - Retail

Microsoft Windows XP Home With SP2B 1 Pack - OEM

TOTAL w/o shipping (on sale)>>$533

AW, Thanks again for all of the info. That second build looks pretty dreamy...lol.

Manders