Looking to buy a gaming PC and I could use some advive

I own a PS3 but I want to get a new PC so I can play the games don't make it onto the PS3, so I have a few questions...

1) Should I get a PC from HP, dell, or another company that customizes PC's?

2) This is therig that I'm looking at...

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ dual core 3.0Ghz

RAM: 4 gigs

GPU: 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8500GT

SoundBlaster X-Fi XtremeGamer

I guess thats the most important parts of what I am looking at but I'm wondering how long will this be a good setup for games and is having dual GPU's beneficial? and my motherboard what kinda motherboard should I be looking for, and is a physics accelerator an important commodity or more of a luxury?

and lastly I have don't really want to build my own because I'm afraid ofmessing it up, oh and is a 64 bit OS better with a 64 bit processor?

thanks guys your info and knowledge will be greatly appreciated

get a better graphic card like 8800 gt or ati hd 3870 FrankZappa17

werent you the guy that said the 3870 sux

anyways dont buy it build it you can save alot of money building it dont worry its easy building your own rig just look up on google or youtube on how to assemble a computer

All right!!!

What's a good site for buying the parts?

and how much money could I possibly save?

wouldnt recommend buying a dell or a HP. dell is average, but you do not have alot of upgrade potential. look for a local shop to build you one, or go for a internet shop like avadirect, cyberpower etc. check reseller ratings for a good one.

Newegg is one of the best sites. You can save 30-40% of the money building your PC instead of buying a prebuilt one.

Too good CPU for the GPU and the ammount of ram is overkill

Get a bit worse cpu and a better gpu.

If you like AMD go with something like a x2 5000+ and for the gpu a hd3850.

The hd3850 is the best value card for the money and perform 4 times better (aprox) than the 8500gt

Also get 2 gb of ram and a 32bit system. You will save a lot of money.

here are some really good guides that helped me

http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/

http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/07/26/beginners_guide_to_motherboard_selection/page2.html

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/145

http://www.corsairmemory.com/systembuild/report.aspx?report_id=78237

this one is from corsaur but its about installing the OS

http://tools.corsairmemory.com/systembuild/report.aspx?report_id=12472&sid=14

VIDEOS

this is part 1 of four videos the links are in the section of 'more videos from"

http://youtube.com/watch?v=nZm2iTWXn-Y&feature=related

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ldJNp6wdfqI&mode=related&search=

well hope this helps i know it did for me

here are some really good guides that helped me

http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/

http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/07/26/beginners_guide_to_motherboard_selection/page2.html

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/145

http://www.corsairmemory.com/systembuild/report.aspx?report_id=78237

this one is from corsaur but its about installing the OS

http://tools.corsairmemory.com/systembuild/report.aspx?report_id=12472&sid=14

VIDEOS

this is part 1 of four videos the links are in the section of 'more videos from"

http://youtube.com/watch?v=nZm2iTWXn-Y&feature=related

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ldJNp6wdfqI&mode=related&search=

well hope this helps i know it did for me

sabbath2gamer

This is good information, maybe I could use this as well!!

[QUOTE="FrankZappa17"]get a better graphic card like 8800 gt or ati hd 3870 sabbath2gamer

werent you the guy that said the 3870 sux

anyways dont buy it build it you can save alot of money building it dont worry its easy building your own rig just look up on google or youtube on how to assemble a computer

yes i was the guy who said hd3870 sucks :)

that pc wont run game very well as it has a weak gpu, much worse than what ps3 has. you would be best to build your own unless you want to play lots of money.

the rest of those specs are great but 4gb ram isn't really needed. 2g is more than enough for current games, and if your on a buget don't bother with dedicated sound cards but if you could afford that one its a great card.

basicly any core 2 duo or athlon x2 is fine for current games, you will want 2gb ram, and the 8800gt (if you can find one) or the hd3870 are both great cards. if they cost a bit much the is the hd3850 which is a great midrange card.

I wouldn't build a computer myself unless you really know what you are doing. Sure you save a bit of money, but I don't think you get a decent warranty when you build it yourself, and something could always go wrong.

I wouldn't build a computer myself unless you really know what you are doing. Sure you save a bit of money, but I don't think you get a decent warranty when you build it yourself, and something could always go wrong.

ben2000

I challenge you to find a prebuilt with a 3 year warrent standard, that's what most pc componets come with standard

Hey thanks guys I am goining to go ahead and build my own, my gf's brother knows how to build a pc and he's gonna help me do it but if you have any other helpful ideas let me know.

-Thanx