Gaming computers: There are a lot of guides for gaming computers mostly because there really is an art to it. There are quite literally hundreds of things to do that can bump up frame rates and the system is complex and interesting.

However, I rarely try to make the best computer you can possibly buy simple because it isn't useful for anyone. I look at what is the best system for what you want. Thus I am not going to pick one computer, but recommend parts based on what you want to acheive. Many people get overexcited about gaming computers and end up biting off more than they can chew. They spend too much in one spot and can't afford to feed it, make compromises in another spot and end up with a lower performance system. Decide how much you want and then go shopping and keep a whole system view.

Also, I don't recommend spending more than $1000 on a gaming box (not including the extras). Even if you have more in your budget, save the money. A $1000+ box will outdate quickly. The transition from high end to bleeding edge costs a huge amount for moderate performance gains (Core i7 950, i'm looking at you).  While your savings can buy the a new graphics card that comes out next summer or a processor that performs as well but has half the heat output.

When looking at building most computers, you start with the processor and then move through the parts. But with gaming, you go backwards.  You start at the monitor.  In the end a good game experience is one that you get immersed in.  If you want a gaming computer, start at the monitor.

Monitors

Get a monitor that makes your eyes happy, not wallet happy. The wallet is going to be mad by the end of this anyway. If you are going to spend good money on something, the monitor is a prime canidate. Screen size is important, but not everything. Get a monitor that gets you immersed when you look at it, but not something so big you have to move your head around to see everything. This might take some measurement at your desk before going to the store.

Multiple displays seem like a good idea when you look at the pricing of a 20" vs 32", but that bar inbetween makes gamming horrible. It is better for gaming to get one larger monitor. A second small monitor will make sense for non gaming applications if you need to do something besides play Crysis with your new machine.

Once you have your screen size, look at the resolution. The higher the resolution the more detail, but also the more computing power you will need. If you put together a $600 box and connect it to a 1600p system, the frame rates will be so poor that the game won't seem real. So know your budget. Plan on about $1000 box for a 1600p monitor, $800 for 1080p, and $600 for 720p.

Then there are other numbers the salesmen try to give you: response time, contrast ratio, led backlight, frequency.   Response time use to be an issue. LCD screens first came out with 25-30ms response times that were very noticable in games. However, the human eye and brain processes data at a maximum of about 3ms. Thus anything beyond 4ms response time is just a gimic. Contrast ratio is also something that is outdated. The ratio can be engineered now to a very high level without a lot of qualitive picture improvement. As long as you are going to 10000:1 or above, you're fine. LED backlight is a monitor that uses LEDs instead of flourescent lights behind the LCD screen. LED has major advantages, such as lower power, more uniform light, and fewer toxins. However, the qualitative picture quality is not much better and the cost is much more. The choice is yours. Frequency is another new marketing spec used by more expensive brands. It refers to the ability of the processor in the TV to collect and create the signal for the screen. Since our computer creates a direct digitial signal and our monitor doesn't need to do any processing, this is mute point for gaming rigs.

Graphics Card:

Going backwards, the graphics card is the next thing on our list.  It is the card that creates the images you use to game on. Both Nvidia an ATI have a large number of cards right now. ATI has a new set of cards coming out this month. However, their ability is so great they are connecting up to 6 1600p monitors to one card and going to charge a price that makes sense for a card that can do that. However, this really doesn't make for a good gaming experience. We are sticking to one monitor so everything we will look at is under $200.  Also note, it gives best results when the northbridge and graphics card are made by the same company. So if you really want a Nforce 790 northbridge, be looking at a Geforce, and vis versa. Intel boards are pretty good middle ground though and gets good performance from either Nvidia or ATI

ATI's Radeon 4000 series is the only ATI's you should look at. While the Radeon 3000 series was respectable, it wasn't competitive against Nvidia's line up, and is still overpriced for their performance. In the 4000 series you have the 4870 for 1600p, 4850 for 1080p or 720p. The 4770 is a good card, it is currently overpriced for gaming because it is also an energy efficient card. The 4830 suffers a lot from lower priced video ram. The 4650 is well balanced, but just doesn't have the computational power for a gaming oriented computer.

Nvidia's newest line up is the Geforce GT? series. Their naming convention is poor to say the least. In the current generation you have GTX and GTS and the bigger the number, the better. However, the GTS 250 and the Geforce 9800 GTX+ are actually the exact same card, and it is actually just a die shrink of the latter Geforce 9800 GTX which is the same card as the Geforce 8800 GTX. It is also planned to make the Geforce 315 the same card yet again.  Because of this, I will recommend the oldest name for the card I suggest since the rebranded are virtually the same, but tend to cost a little more.  So for 1600p - Geforce GTX 260, 1080p - Geforce 9800 GTX+ , 720p - Geforce 9800 GT.

As for ram requirements, you are going to need to look at games. Crysis takes quite a bit of video memory, you aren't going to get away with 512MB. The Sims doesn't take much at all. Some are more scaleable like Empire Total War which will work with 256MB, but is much better with 2GB.

Ram: Get enough ram. 4GB is enough, 6GB is great. The last thing you want is for the system to go into virtual memory during a game. Also get DDR3-1333, DDR# is noticably better here for not much of an increase in cost. Don't spend money on something faster than 1333, it has not shown good improvements, it costs more, and sometimes it is slower because cas latency goes through the roof.

Motherboard - Processor

There was a day when you could buy a motherboard and then choose either an Intel or an AMD for it. Anymore, the processor and motherboard go together.  However, the big mistake a lot of builders make for gaming rigs is thinking they need a really high end processor. In reality, the processor just needs to feed the graphics card. After you reached that point, there isn't much to gain.

Cores and Cache - cache is very important. You really can't get enough of it. The reason is that the cache is light superfast ram and allows the system to keep working during lower demand times and use it to its advantage during more intense parts of the game. Thus processors like the Athlon II is a poor choice for gaming.  Cores can be important. A quad is better than a dual, but as long as you have enough to feed the system, you will be fine.

You're best bet with a 720p system is the Phenom II X2 550. A Core 2 E7500 is also a good bet. However, the Phenom II might be unlockable making it a very cheap quad core. While this a really bad idea for a rendering or researching computer since the cores might have errors in them, its not a big deal for gaming. The errors will manifest themselves as one or two pixels that are a bad color for a fraction of a second every hour or so. The second reason is that this processor has a huge amount of cache for its price.

Pair the Phenom II with the AMD 770 or nforce 750 board. Pair the Core 2 with a P45. Some might be surprized at the 770 pick, but the 770 is the same chip as the 790FX but without the extra processors for multiple PCI Express slots. One PCIE slot is all you need for this system. Upgrading to a single better faster card is going to give more performance per dollar than trying to Crossfire two midrange cards. Also note, the SB650 on the AMD boards are bad chips. Stay away and get a SB7x0.

The 1080p system requires more horsepower. The Phenom II X3 720 is a great choice. Still might unlock a forth core, but the even without it, it competes very well with the Core 2 E8000 series in gaming for a lower cost.  However, I do recommend a Core 2 E8x00 if you want to get a lot of performance out for non gaming tasks.

Pair the Phenom II X3 again with the 770 (still using the same 4850 here) or the nforce 750. Still pair the Core 2 with the p45.

For the 1600p rig, you are going to need some good performance. A month ago I would recommend a a Core 2 Quad 9450 and say maybe look at the Phenom II X4 945, but this month I say go with the Core i5. If you are really strapped for cash, look at the Phenom II X4 945. While the Core i5 costs more and gives probably more than you need, the performance else where is well worth it as well as having an upgradeable socket. The Phenom II also has an upgradeable socket but doesn't perform like the Core i5 750.

Pair the Core i5 with the P55 (really the only choice) but stay away from the higher end P55's. A lot of them have way more than you need for a gaming rig. Get a good brand, but don't worry about the Ultras or Premiums.

Pair the Phenom II with the 790FX or nforce 780. This time the extra slot makes sense. While the new Radeons look to be amazing single slot cards, they are priced beyond the cost of two 4870's. The nforce 980 is just a die shrink of the 780 and not worth the extra price.

Drives:

Harddrives are really not that important for games. While they are utilized, it isn't during the intense parts of the game. It is when the game is loading, when levels load, when you save, and when you go into virtual memory.  If you go into virtual memory, get more memory, not a better hard drive. And since we don't like to wait for levels, I would go with a decent drive of 7200 rpm and 16MB of cache. Pick something around 750GB to 1TB for enough space, but there isn't a need to spend the money for a velicoraptor or the huge price for an SSD.

Power Supply and Case

Always buy a good power supply. They are worth it. Depending on how you want to upgrade, get a 500W for 720p, 600W for 1080p, 700W for 1600p, and 800W for Crossfire or SLI upgrades. Also bump another 50W on if you plan to do upgrades latter. Few things are as bad as needing to buy a bigger power supply to be able to use a new great graphics card.

Modular Power Supplies are not worth it. While make building the computer easier, they provide dirtier power (as in the voltage and amps aren't as uniform). And in the end you build the computer in a day and live with it for years.

Efficiency may or may not  be worth the extra dough. If you run the computer for hours on end near full load (say you fold at home when you aren't gaming) and you leave the computer on, then the higher efficiency is worth it up to 80% certified. The Bronze, Silver, and Gold status have less return on investment. However, if you turn the computer off most of the day and don't run on full load more than a couple of hours a day, the high efficiency power supplies don't make sense.

Get a case that makes you happy. You spent on a lot on the machine, make it look good. Cooler Master and Antec make good solid cases. Plus spending money on a case that holds up makes sense because you can use it for your next build in 2-3 or more years. But stay away from Aspire. I have had much bad luck from them. They are not worth it even if are the only ones that make the pink case you want.

Keyboard and Mouse:

The keyboard and mouse depend on your games. A laser mouse is a good idea, wireless mouse and keyboard is not. My recommendation is a mid range, $80 logitech kit. There are gaming mice out there that cost this much, but unless you are a pro that likes to move your man 20 degrees for a twitch of a wrist, then they are overkill. 

With that and some good software, you should be rolling in a very nice gaming rig able to play anything on the market today. Leave me a message if you want help on  your own specific project.