[toocoo]

Hey guys, i've never been very good at finding the parts to make a decent PC...

I decided with the release of L4D2, i should ask for money toward decent parts for a gaming computer. My old AMD 3000+ and Geforce 6800 aren't cutting it these days. Can anyone help me out?

[O2zi3]

No, because the question is too vague without a price point.

[toocoo]

Well, it's for Christmas so 300-400 $?

[WarningLabel]

You want to build a gaming computer from scratch off $300-400?

[toocoo]

Well, i figure all i need is a processor motherboard ram (if my current won't work) and GPU...

[Ammoseller]

You're definitely going to need a new mobo, due to the fact AM2/AM2+ or AM3 for that matter no longer supports the 3000 CPU, nonetheless single core CPUs. As for a GPU I'm guessing your 6800 (that number right?) is an AGP; if not (either way) the 6800 obviously is old old tech and definitely not salvageable. Only thing you'd be able to put from your old pc into the new one is your HDD according to the hardware you spoke of, unless you also want to get a newer, higher storage HDD.

Last May I built my computer (all w/ parts from newegg) for around 600. It's a decent rig, not the best, but you will be able to play mostly all next-gen games (such as Fallout 3) with max graphics and still get around 60 FPS. Here's my specs

GPU: XFX GeForce 9800 GTX+ Blk Ed.
CPU: AMD AM2 Athlon 7750 Dual Core Blk Ed. ~2.7 GHz w/ stock heatsink
RAM: 4 GB G.SKILL DDR2 @ 1066MHz
HDD: (salvaged from old comp) 160 GB Samsung
Mobo: (around $70 on newegg, best mobo for the money) Gigabyte GA-MA770-UD3. Supports up to 16 GB of DDR2 1066MHz RAM, AM2/AM2+ socket, one PCI-E 2.0 slot, 2 PCI expansions, numerous USB ports and misc. peripherals and integrated Realtec HD audio.
Case: (Not recommended) Thermaltake Armor+ MX.

[toocoo]

So realistically I might be able to do this? :P Have a case and hard drives... That CPU doesnt seem to be available from newegg anymore...

[jewishmafia]

Your budget isnt enough for a gaming computer. say processor is 60-70, mobo is another 80-90 and ram is 40-50. thats all fine and dandy and should be within your budget. UNTIL you factor in the GPU which will run you in excess of 100 bucks. probably 200 if you want a real one for gaming. in addition to that im sure you'll also need a new PSU which will run between 50 and 100. So you're really looking at 350-510

[toocoo]

Well damn. Thanks man. Good to have a reality check :(