Noob looking for help on first build.

[Khrim]

Ok so I've read and read and read and I still feel lost. It seems like I either find a build thats to weak or one thats too over the top. My budget is around $600-$900, not a lot but I only play wow, COD and starcraft 2. My main goal with this build is to run these games at higher settings (prefer ultra) and not drop below 40 fps. I know that I like AMD over intel. Can someone get me started or recommend some brands, any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Khrim

 

[iFargle]

Well first off.. I'd definitely look into Intel. Intel quad cores outperform the AMD hexacore processors, but they are a little more expensive. Does this budget include monitor / mouse / keyboard? Can you salvage parts from an old computer (DVD drive, hard drive, etc)?

 

[Khrim]

I have a gaming mouse and keyboard and I also have a 21.5" acer monitor. And salvaging parts is a negative, donated it to a school program.

 

[iFargle]

How about a Windows install CD you can use? I've noticed there's no location specified for shipping, so I'm just going to use the U.S. Newegg site.

Here's what I'd reccomend with a quick ten minute search.. I'm sure you or another forum member can refine this much better.
HDD Newegg.com - Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
GPU Newegg.com - ASUS ENGTX560 DCII OC/2DI/1GD5 GeForce GTX 560 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
DVD-ROM Newegg.com - SONY Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DDU1681S-0B - CD / DVD Drives
PSU Newegg.com - Antec EarthWatts EA750 750W Continuous Power ATX12V version 2.3 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply
RAM Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL
MOBO Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
CPU Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-2300 Sandy Bridge 2.8GHz (3.1GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52300

Total: $799.93
Also, this is without a copy of Windows and a case and CPU cooler.

 

[Yerfdog]

iFargle, I've heard that an AMD Phenom II X4 955 would be all you would need for gaming right now, in this forum in fact. Also, 4GB is all you'd need for gaming currently.

Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Blue WD10EALX 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Newegg.com - CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 V2 600W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Newegg.com - ASUS ENGTX460 DirectCU TOP/2DI/768MD5 GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 768MB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ955FBGMBOX
Newegg.com - MSI 870A-G54 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
Newegg.com - ASUS Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DVD-E818A7T/BLK/B/GEN - CD / DVD Drives

That'd be <$600 for the hardware, and you'd be able to play Crysis (one of the most demanding games on the market now, second only to Metro 2033 as far as I know) at 23 fps, 4xAA, 16xAF, and 1680x1050 resolution, very high. Lower the AA a little and I think you'd get ~26 fps. You could get a different GPU if you wanted to get 30 fps without lowering the AA. Like this one, which is only a tiny bit more.