Utter newbie needs help buying new computer

[stephen_cj]

Hi everybody!

I'm terrible with hardware, so I would like your help in deciding on a new computer..

Here's the one I have now : AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 5200 @ 2.61 GHz & 2 GB RAM. It is now almost 3-4 years old and I want to get a new one.

My usage is gaming (hopefully games like Bioshock, Crysis etc, which I cant play properly on my old system), photo editing with Photoshop (I'm an amateur photographer), playing HD videos, apart from normal usage.

I went to a couple of local dealers and they offered me a bunch of configurations which I diligently checked out on the internet, but I am now totally confused.

All I want is a system which will do what I want without feeling sluggish or slow in any way..

Based on that, could you please suggest a config from -

1. Athlon II X4 (630?)/ Phenom II /i3 / i5
2. 4 GB RAM
3. 1 GB video card (which one should I go for?)

Thanks a lot!

 

[VirtualLarry]

Build / buy threads should probably be put in General Hardware forum.
This forum is primarily for people needing tech support for their computer (something doesn't work right).

 

[mlc]

the i5-2500K seems to be the new rage.. in terms of great performance at a decent price, with lots of room to overclock if that's your thing. Otherwise there are some other good options from Intel (i7 9xx chips) and AMD (X4 and X6 chips) exist as well...

DDR3 ram has lots of options... If you go 4 gb.. i would maybe consider a single 4 gb stick rather than a kit of 2x2gb sticks, in case you decide you want to add some ram in the future.. as systems sometimes run into stability issues running 4 sticks without some tweaking. Corsair, G.Skill, Geil, Kingston all have good reps. The speed/specs of your ram, will depend on what processor you go with, and whether you plan to overclock in the future, etc.

Graphics card has tons of good options.. If you're an nvidia fan.. I would go with a GTX 460 or higher.. and if ATI is you cup of tea.. than try their 6850 series or higher... As they should allow you to play a game like CRYSIS at HIGH settings running at 1680x1050 ...

Consider an SSD drive (120 or 128GB) for you C drive.. if you want a "snappier" system. That size will allow you to load a few of your favorite games on that driver as well.. which will help greatly with loading your games... as well as quick boot times into windows..