Well my mom's computer is finally dying prematurely and we're looking for a new computer. I've heard that custom built computers are cheaper than premade ones, and I remember someone here saying they could run Crysis on full settings and the computer only cost $450, which is cheaper than the computer I'm using right now. Can anyone suggest parts or whatever system they use for a cheap price? (ie. $550 and below)

Thanks!

Well the optimum price for a budget PC is around $600-$700. Do you need a monitor, keyboard/mouse, speakers? And yeah, building it yourself its always cheaper then buying a prebuilt.

I always post it, and whoever originally posted it, I forget, but kudos to you, a http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af150/The_FalconO6/CurrentLogicalPCBuyingGuide/GuideSimple.png. Mix and match until your hearts content.

I don't need speakers, mouse, keyboard, or moniter. My Uncle builds computers and he would happily supply us with a keyboard and mouse if we even needed one. I have a moniter and speaker.

Except it lacks Windows ($100 minimum if you can't get it as a student, at least $140 in my book as home editions of Windows are a joke) which is pretty necessary if you want to do serious gaming. Also lacks a DVD drive which is still fairly necessary for most people. If you were to choose the build closest to your budget using that, some people would probably go overbudget.

It's actually a common thing, though. Lots of "$XXX gaming PC" guides "forget" to include the cost of Windows in the build, which is sad considering it's one of the more expensive parts.

Well, I hope he can supply you with a Windows operating system disc...$550 isn't much to off of to begin with and a new disc will $100 right there. This is just over $550 w/o OS:

CASE: http://www.amazon.com/GAMMA-Classic-Interior-Chassis-Black/dp/B002UDK9U6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313660424&sr=8-1
CPU+MOBO Combo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.693504
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277
HDD: http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=HD-HD103SJ&title=Samsung-SpinPoint-F3-HD103SJ-1TB-SATA2-7200rpm-32MB-Hard-Drive ...15% off code: DEALMONGO
PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371047
DVD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204
GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.721729

For $20 more, the Radeon 6870 is a nicer card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102948