PC Rig for Moderate Gaming.

[Pitty]

Okay, so I'm getting bored with the old Xbox and it's continual cycle of RRoD, plus there are so many mods for PC games (not to mention far and away better graphics), so I'm thinking about building, well really buying from IBuyPower or CyberPower, a complete system for about 750-800 dollars (including monitor, around 500-600 for the tower).

I was wondering what I could get away with to play games like Crysis, Fallout 3, Far Cry 2, World in Conflict, Starcraft 2, and other graphics intensive games on High-Max settings. I know enough about CPU's, RAM, and HD Space/Speed, but I have no idea what is the difference between certain GPU's, like the GeForce 9600GT 512 MB compared to the GeForce 9600GT 1GB models.

Right now, the best I could come up with was a Core 2 Duo E8400 (3.0GHz) CPU, NVidia GeForce 9800GT 512MB/1GB, 4 GB DDR2 RAM, with XP Pro for around $600. The only problem is that I have no idea what a good motherboard is for these components, let alone Power Supply or cooling system.

Anyone nerdy enough to help me? :beer:

 

[Ralnakor]

Best I can do is tell you the parts I'm using. They're outdated of course, but they should be able to do the job. The only problem is, I would post Newegg links, but both of the below have been deactivated on the site.

The Motherboard I've got in mine, is an Asus M2N-E.

As for power supply, I run a Kingwin ABT-520W. It comes with a very heavy duty cable so you don't have to worry about damage.

Both companies put out great product and I absolutely love Asus Motherboards.