OK, if you've got no idea what's happening in your pc, but want to know the basics, here's a rough guide, Bill Bryson style!
Motherboard:
That's the large chip that houses nearly every other chip in you PC.
It's function is to connect everything to the processor, and various other sub functions.
Just think of it as your halfway point between the other components and the stimuli.
In my opinion, leave the motherboard choice to what sort of components your buying. Make sure it has a good processor cooling system and a lotta slots.
Processor:
The brains. It does the calculating. Operating a high frequency single core processor gives you faster calculations, but needs a lot of power. Single core processors have the advantage of being more focused, and until very recently, most games(except strategy games) could be just as fun on a single core processor. Think of this whole multicore processor business this way
Pentium D : two low powered single cores working together efficiently
Pentium Core2Duo : two nano engineered cores working together efficiently, with great results
Pentium Core2Quad : two Core2Duos stuck together
Pentium i7 : 4 nano engineered cores at their best.
Of coarse there's more to it than that. Basically, in a game, what your processor does is handle the AI, basic calculations, and synchronization between all the elements. So, more AI would need more processing power.
In my opinion, always buy a processor that's isn't the latest, but has been tested with good results. Right now, a Core2Duo/Quad should do you fine for the next 2-3 years.
Hard disk:
The memory bank of the whole damn thing. There's two kinds of cables that connect the hard disk to the motherboard. Before this, most of us used PATA, the thin, but wide gray cables. Now people use SATA, a thin, but faster red wire. Data travels through the cable into and out of the hard disk. The three things you wanna look for in a hard disk, the SATA connection, high storage capacity(typically more than 200GBs is good, but go for the RM400 1TB), and disk speed. Right now, I think the 7200RPM disk is decent. Disk Speed determines how fast memory can be read/pasted onto the disk, and higher capacity lets you install/download as much as you want.
There are 'solid state' hard disks that boot Windows XP from pushing the on button to the desktop screen in 12 seconds, but these harddisks cost thousands of dollars.
Random Access Memory(RAM)
Think of RAM as a temporary memory. Until the 'solid state' harddisk was invented, extracting data from a harddisk was a slow process. This is because the harddisk has a moving component and has to search through all those files to get the ones you need right now. With RAM, you store all the memory you need for the software you just opened, then release that memory when the software is closed. Loading a mission in a game would make your pc store whatever scripts and maps and such on your RAM to be quickly accessed by the processor. The more RAM you have, the bigger a game you can play. The type of RAM is also important, and is slot-specific. So if your motherboard supports only DDR2 RAM, then buy DDR2 RAM. I'd recomment anything above 2GB right now. RAM is going really cheap right now. A gigabyte on a stick will cost you less than a hundred bucks.
Video Card.
My favourite and most upgraded hardware. Basically everything you see on your screen is due to your video card. Video cards have so many things to look at, because video cards have PC components like RAM and Processor chips. Graphics RAM, Graphic RAM type, graphics processor, and ports. Just like how regular RAM works, Graphic RAM is needed for games with a lot of graphic setting to remember, like how does light travel through this sort of material while in game. Graphic processor is the main component of this component. It does everything graphic related. The port connecting the card to the motherboard is important too. Nowadays, people use PCI-Express, but some people stick to the AGP-8X. Then there's the port that connects the card to the monitor/viewing device. If you use a crappy monitor, its a VGA cable. Which is really bad. If you use a mediocre monitor, a DVI cable is alright. Expensive monitors will typically use HDMI cables and such. Some cards can be plugged in to multiple monitors. Some mother boards support multiple graphic cards. List goes on.
My opinion, always buy a graphic above RM300 for gaming use. This will last you about 1 year before having to upgrade. RM700 will buy you a high end card. RM1000 will be a waste of money, because by the time the gaming world gets to that level of graphics, the card will cost RM700.
Monitors:
I have no idea. One moment I can trust Dell, the next, my cousins Dell monitor dies. All I can say is ditch the CRT monitors. They take up more space than the PC itself, they cut your electricity bill(save long term, spend now), they're bad for your eyes too. LCD monitors are in right now. Plasma is still under development. So stick to at LEAST a 17 inch LCD monitor.
Mouse & Keyboard:
Microsoft, Logitech, Razer, and Saitek will give you the best gaming equipment. Be warned, with Microsoft and Razer, you buy the brand first and the technology second, so the first RM50 will get you that cool brand. Saitek and Logitech are both also big brands. You still pay a little for the brand, but ultimately you can get a 2000dpi mouse(like mine!) for RM100, where you would spend RM200 on a Microsoft or Razer. Still, Microsoft and Razer have better build quality and are ambidextrous. If you wanna game on a budget, buy an A4 Tech mouse. The build quality is just as good as Logitech, and you pay 80% for the technology in it. Make sure you have a responsive keyboard by any of the aforementioned brands. I've been using Logitech keyboard since 2005 with absolutely no problems. Make sure the keys are spaced out and make minimal noise and take minimal effort to push down. Gaming keyboards are only essential to those with the cash, because you won't be lugging a keyboard to cybercafes and such.
There are also other gaming peripherals like Physics cards and cooling systems, but only needed if you've got extra cash.
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