A few rules on getting a gaming PC:
1. Avoid box stores like Best Buy. These are for machines that do word processing and Farmville.
2. Be aware machines like "Alienware" are only a smidgen better.
3. You will almost always get a better deal, and machine, from a shop that builds their own machines.
4. Visit at least 3-4 to comparison shop, and learn which one(s) are rip-offs. (I found one shop that was trying to sell less machine for more money, and told my I didn't need 8 gig of RAM because I would never utilize it. Another shop was able to sell me a faster machine with a better video card, larger power supply, and 4 more GB (8 total) for the price the first one was going to charge!)
5. Don't scrimp on the video card. You want something that is FAST!!!! Compare independent benchmarks to see which is best and by how much.
6. More RAM is better RAM.
7. Don't scrimp on the HD. When I got mine it cost and extra $40 to go from 500 GB to 1 TB. I haven't used it yet, but I will eventually. This helps keep my machine viable longer.
8. Be aware screamer vid cards do 2 things in addition to fast graphics:
A. svck energy like the Deathstar about to fire on a planet.
B. Produce HEAT. LOTS OF HEAT. FREAKING GOBS OF HEAT!!!
What that means is you will want a stronger power supply and extra fans. I would STRONGLY recommend getting the largest case you can, as this will allow the heat to dissipate easier, and will allow you to drop in more fans.
9. Do whatever needs doing to get Windows 7 on your machine If you get Windows 8, you deserve every headache you get, because you have been warned. (If you want another OS, that is fine. Lord knows I am not fond of MS, and other platforms will run games now. Just,
NO WINDOWS 8!!!)
10. Seriously consider getting a motherboard that will support a second video card identical to the one you are getting with the machine. Some cards support chaining 2 cards together, which means when your machine starts to fall behind the times, you drop a second card in identical to the first (costing maybe $70.00 at that point) and your graphics speed just doubled. Yep, double the video RAM, and double the processing throughput. This will extend the life of your gaming machine at least 2-3 longer years for a minimal investment.
All in all, you can get a killer machine for about $1,200 this way, with the potential to be using it for a few years quite happily.
Hope this helped
