Please give me advice on purchasing and/or building a modern gaming PC

Bare bones can be the same as building it yourself. You can start from scratch or get kit. Here's a short description.  LINK

Well I mean buying something called a "barebones" so its like a kit I guess.

www.newegg.com can also be helpful.

I was hoping I could get some advice on motherboards though. My maximum resolution is 1650x1050 (if Im remembering that correctly) so what motherboard would be needed to run such a resolution smoothly?

Also, should I go for a powerful single core processor, or double, quad core processor? I assume multiple core processors are cheaper yes?

Im really looking for some basic knowledge on computers so as to be better equipped to make good purchasing decisions... maybe I should just read that book then eh?

If you're building a gaming computer you're going to want to get a graphics card (GPU / graphics processing unit) that is separate from the motherboard (it connects to the motherboard but it is not built in, some motherboards have GPUs built in but they are generally considered to be bad). Any gaming GPU should support resolutions higher than that, and thus anything lower than their max (so you're set no matter what you buy, probably).

Most processors you buy now will be quads, good luck finding a single core. If you're willing to wait until April / May Intel will be coming out with their new processor line up. If you give us a budget I'm sure we can give you a few possible builds.

List of general parts you will need:

• Case
• RAM (4 GBs is fine but most people now buy more but never use it)
• Processor (CPU)
• Motherboard
• Graphics Card(s) (GPU)
• Power Supply Unit (PSU)
• Hard Drive Drive(s) / Solid State Drive(s) (HDD / SDDs, SDDs load ridiculously fast but are expensive and have low storage)
• Disc Drives (Bluray or DVD)
• Any cooling equipment as what comes with the parts may be eh quality (new "heatsink" for the CPU and replacement fans on the case) but that is really up to you and can be added later.

But yeah give us an expected budget

Frames per second depends greatly on each piece of hardware and each game. Some games might use the GPU more than others and others might use the CPU more than others, it depends on how the developers made it. Generally you try to get parts that won't limit others and get the best all around performance. The motherboard (now a days) really just connects everything together and does not have a huge impact on game performance, it is more the GPU and CPU (but RAM is important and faster hard drives / solid state drives help with load times). So forget about "getting a good motherboard," it really just needs to have all the right connections to fit all the other parts you buy.

Number one criteria is budget.

Best bang-for-your-buck is achieved if you DON'T choose from top-of-the-line choices in the list above.

EG, for the price of a topline Graphic card you can buy perhaps 2 or 3 ENTIRE computers each capable of running MOST games quite OK.

So..

Number 2 criteria is....what SORT of game are you wanting to play....ie. how graphics-intensive?

Number 3 criteria....how long are you expecting to want to keep this computer before it's replaced?   That'll determine how much future-proofing it needs....[upgradable with newer/better components].

There'll be guaranteed to be several people chime in claiming one brand is better than another...eg nVidia vs ATI.

Ignore all that.  It's simple prejudice.

Step one....budget for a 64bit Operating System.

Step 2 work out how much money is then left in the budget.

Yep, I pretty much just want a computer that "runs MOST everything OKAY" if it means that buying the best computer will cost 3 times more. However, if buying the better computer means just an additional amount (cause I love dem max settins) rather than an exponential amount then Id go with that.

When Im shopping for my computer, whats the best benchmark to go by? Should I say, take the system requirements of the most resources-demanding game out there so as to get a better understanding for what Im looking for? I heard Cryostasis on max settings is quite an achievement for even a modern system. If thats not the case, which game should serve as the prime example for my computer?

Also, if few games actually take advantage of 64 bit systems, why then should that be something to aim for? I sense I may be speaking out of ignorance.

Get Intel Core I3 or I5 prozessor, any mainboard running these should do fine, if you are not interested in overclocking, Radeon 6870 or Geforce 560ti, any 7200 RPM hard drive (if money is no concern then add a SSD for the OS), 4 gigs of DDR3 ram, DVD-drive (or Blu Ray; should not really matter to much which brand), a PSU with at least 450 Watt (try getting 80+ or higher) and you should be fine.

e.g.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115077 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161389 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226025  

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811233073 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130616 

Should be around 550$ so i think i should be possible to get that quite cheaper anywhere else as Newegg prices dont seem to that good (or they dont sell some of the cheaper brands like Asrock Mainboards; I dont know though if the graphics card would fit into the case without problems. When getting Barebones this an important thing to consider as these might have smaller form factors and restrict the size of the graphics cards that can be fitted in). And you could think about buying Radeon 6850 or Geforce 550ti if you want some more. These cards still got enough power to run most games with high settings (playing at 1650x1050 doesnt really need the fastest cards. Even 120§ cards like Radeon 6770 or 6790 should do fine in this resolution).

This guide is a couple months old (doesn't have the new AMD 7000 series cards in it) but it should give you a good idea of what you can get at certain price points and you can modify it from there depending on your needs and budget.

http://techreport.com/articles.x/22104

First step is to say "I want to spend no more than $700." Then we can help you pick the best bang the buck parts based on the games you play and your other computing requirements.

64bit architecture means you can access more than the 3 and a bit gig ram limitation inherent with x86 systems.

The latter is essentially 'legacy'....64bit is the normal preferred.

Agreed, 64-bit is almost a must as more games and software are taking advantage of it these days. NewEgg a few months ago had a killer deal on their i5-2500k (3.3ghz Quadcore) processors (which was a good bargain for $200 at the time) but again, it all depends on your budget. I recently set a $1000 budget and put together a computer that runs BF3 and Skyrim on max settings around 60fps. The card I'm running cost me around $225 for the graphics card and as previously mentioned $200 for the cpu. $150-$200 is usually a decent price range for a graphics card that will last you a 2-3 years on High settings in most games.

Once you nail down a budget, we can really start working into the details of what components might be a good fit. If you have a smaller budget you can still get fairly comparable specs that will likely last you a few years and have some flexibility for upgrading when you need to improve performance.

Let us know and we'll help you out.

Retail boxes of Win7 include both x86/x64; they keys are interchangeable. OEM keys may or may not be, but the discs only generally include one or the other so you'd need to get an image elsewhere if they are and you buy the wrong one. They're priced the same regardless.

64-bit isn't anything special--it's the standard. Virtually all desktop hardware is 64-bit capable and has been for years; the only place you'll really see 32-bit hardware anymore are in high-mobility and embedded setups. There is zero reason to purchase a 32-bit OS for a new desktop unless you need to use very specific legacy applications which you know do not and never will work with 64-bit.

I don't mean to sound mean, but your questions suggest you may want to reconsider building your own machine for now. Nothing more frustrating than trying to assemble a (relatively) complex machine with lots of things that can (and probably will) go wrong when you don't know at least more or less what you are doing.

Your motherboard won't be the deciding factor in resolution, the graphics card will be. I'm not sure there even is a motherboard currently capable of driving a 1650x1050 display at 60 frames per second on a higher end game without a dedicated graphics card. If you only want (ever) to run at 1650x1050 then you're not going to need a super high-end graphics card. Check out this article for performance ideas and what is a decent "bang for the buck" card in a variety of price ranges (you might do fine with a card under $100 at 1650x1050 for most games.)

Actually, let me step back. Some basic terminology:

Motherboard - This is the heart of your computer. The CPU sits on it as does the computer memory and I/O buses that communicate with your storage devices such as hard drives, external USB devices and mice and keyboards. Nearly all modern motherboards also integrate AUDIO into the motherboard, so generally you will not need a dedicated sound card. Many motherboards also integrate VIDEO onto the board. This is fine for low-end applications under some circumstances, it WILL NOT generally work for gaming. Not every CPU can fit into every motherboard, far from it in fact as the motherboards have whole hosts of chips dedicated to working with specific types of CPUs and the CPUs themselves have particular socket size requirements.

Graphics Card - This does the rendering for your display. The resolution the card can support will be defined by the memory on the card. The FPS it can churn out will be defined by the power of the GPU (graphics processing unit). Any gaming PC is going to want to have a Graphics Card in it. This will plug into (physically) a slot (or slots) on the motherboard.

Memory - There are several kinds of memory in your computer. The SYSTEM memory is located (plugged into) your mother board. This is used by the operating system for running programs to store temporary data (such as programs, program data, etc.) The GRAPHICS memory is housed on the graphics card (though if you use onboard graphics rather than a dedicated card, the SYSTEM memory will be shared as GRAPHICS memory.)

Hard Drive - Connected by cables to your motherboard, they store persistent data that needs to be kept even when the computer is not turned on.

CPU - This is the brain of the computer (Central Processing Unit) that executes programs in memory. It sits on your motherboard.

Power Supply - This converts the alternating current that comes our of your wall socket into the direct current that all of your computer components need to use for power. You'll need one big enough to power all the components in your computer at full load simultaneously with room to spare "in case."

Computer Case - This holds all of the components inside. It has to be physically big enough for everything to fit inside and well enough ventilated to make sure the components will not overheat. This isn't as trivial as it may sound. Certain cases are designed for certain "size" motherboards. The most common form factors are ATX and the smaller Micro ATX.

Soooo.... when you are building a computer "from scratch" you are going to be buying a number of things:

- a case
- a compatible sized motherboard
- a CPU that is compatible with the motherboard (if it did not come bundled with the motherboard)
- a graphics card that will work with the motherboard and case
- a hard drive (or SSD if you want to get spendy, either way, it is persistent storage)
- memory for the motherboard
- power supply
- monitor
- input devices (keyboard, mouse)

You may know all of this or none of this. I hope it is of some use, you seemed a trifle confused on "what does what" from your questions.

Yes, with that possibly being the case, your 'safest' plan of attack is to list here SPECIFIC needs regarding PC use [eg which games, apps, etc] and a definite budget...and rely on recommendations received.

Qualify the last with a bit of feedback-reading via searches on Google [so you know what it is that's recommended].

It's a 'jungle' out there....;)

So, with this Star Ruler game that I want to be able to player with thousands of systems, that would mean I would have to go for a better processor right? Since it at least runs, that means it meets all the video card requirements and therefore wont benefit in performance from a better video card right, and therefore I need a better processor right?

Not necessarily.  Most games have 'minimum requirements' as well as 'recommended' listed.

The former means it'll 'run'...the latter means it will run 'very well'/perfectly.

To get from the first to the second will almost always require better CPU AND GPU [graphic card].

Best plan is to list a budget....and people can suggest BEST bang for your buck ... or best potential game performance you can expect for the price.

I should have been more specific. If there are no missing graphics or visual errors, but the game simply runs at a snail's pace, the problem is the processor right?

I am currently trying to do the same. I have already gotten an SSD.    http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1068616&SRCCODE=WEBLET03SHIP&cm_mmc=Email-_-WebletMain-_-WEBLET03SHIP-_-03ship

Then I got a better graphics card.    http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Superclocked-Mini-HDMI-Graphics-01G-P3-1452-TR/dp/B0041RRNDK

So, with the help of a certain wizard we all know, research was done.

I ordered a motherboard/cpu combo that was within my budget,    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103911

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138293

 and some ddr3 ram, 8 GB.   http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148476

Lo and behold, the wizard found a decent budget case for me at a budget price of $14.95, believe it or not.    http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4974372&SRCCODE=WEBLET03ORDER&cm_mmc=Email-_-WebletMain-_-WEBLET03ORDER-_-Deals

All I need to build my own rig, using some parts out of my oldie, like the DVD drive, card reader, etc.

Much better than my locked down OEM HP rig.

How good is this PC that youve put together? If it can "run MOST games okay" then Id say youve gotten a real bargain at 405$ total...

Also, the question still stands:

The PC I'm currently running does games pretty well.   I haven't gotten all the parts yet. Will be building in a few days.

The gfx card and SSD are in my current rig ATM. I'm no gamer, but I can run Resident Evil, serious sam HD, left for dead, and cod pretty well. Oh, and Half Life 2 and Duke Nukem Forever.

I'm sure the soon to be built rig will do even better, with a better cpu.

And plenty of this LINK. Better grab a six pack.

No, not necessarily.

I have a GTX590 Graphic card....that's around the $1000 mark .... it handles 'most' things effortlessly [as it should] but simply exposes other failings in Microsoft FSX.

EVERYTHING from file fragmentation to cache read speeds to probably just having too many 'addons' - some of which may conflict [somehow] affects frame-rates.  In some areas of the 'country'/scenery I can zing along at 60fps....and at others I'm at 6.

Part of my planned solution is to get an SSD big enough to handle the whole game [and OS] instead of relocating only part onto the current small SSD.

Game size is [currently] 120gig so the drive will need to be around 240 which is another 300-400-odd cost.

I know once I've done that framerates will probably be up 'a bit'.

i recently build a gaming rig for my neighbour ...

i would ask how should it look like ? should it be small silent or can it be noisy.
you can get a cheap case to save money but mostly they come with cheap fans...
Better save some money to get yourself a good case that has good fans and decent airflow...

Here is the rig i put together just 3 days ago i will leave the case out since it is to high in price
Intel i5-2500k 3,3 GHz overclocking without limit depending on your cooling setup
CPU cooler-Alpenföhn Himalaya ... IDLE temp 22 prime 65-75 max (thermal paste used is artic silver)
Gigabyte GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3 intel Z68  --- low on price a lot of gimmics including SSD caching runs on sli or crossfire setups
ADATA XPG Gaming v2 DDr3 1600 (CL9) DUal channel - 8 GB Kit comes with  10 years guarantee + they stay cool
Gainward Phantom 560 Ti ( the 1gig model ) -----silent !!!! cool and fast
Coba Nitrox 600W PSU ( +80 ) you can run two GTX560Ti in Sli with that PSU without any trouble ,it also has cable management
This is a good middle class gaming rig and will run almost everything flawless... only trouble you may run into is battlefield 3 on ULTRA settings- 1920:1080 but on High you will be fine...
The question is do you have a old HDD ? Since they are fairly overpriced atm and it should be a SATA HDD since modern boards dont have IDE connectors anymore...( i know about those cheap things you can hook on to your old IDE but they look ugly and they wobble around so i hate them )
Keep in mind a good HDD will cost you as much as your CPU and a good case will also be the same price if not more...

@Jafo...external drive or internal ? latest GFX drivers and how much RAM do you have ... just asking i never played that Game but the GTX590 should normally run everything even if it releases in 1 or 2 years# sounds like a bottleneck