Hey all, I have no hardware experience or knowledge and i want to change this! So i have decided to make my own PC. Since i am a Hardcore gamer, it will be a gaming machine. I all ready have a monitor, Keyboard & Mouse and Case. I want to hear your opinions befor i buy all this equipment ::-

:::> Pentium 4 3.0 GHz With HTD,
:::> 120G HDD
:::> 512mb DDR Ram (or 1 gig)
:::> 128mb GeForce FX 5200 DDR with TV OUT
:::> Gigabyte K7 Triton Motherboard
:::> DVD-Player/Buner
:::> On-Board 3D EAX2

Its going to cost me about 1,500 Au if i choose to buy the parts from my local shop, and I wont upgrade for about 4 years so will that set-up do? And also i don't know any sites with reiews or information about hardware.

Thanks for any help.

rather than the geforce, seriously consider a radeon. i was a huge nvidia fan (still am) but after doing a lot of research, i definately have a lot more respect for ati. and my new computer is probalby gonna have an ati, unless i change my mind b4 i end up buying the rest of the pieces.

some sites to look at:
http://www.tomshardware.com
http://www.anandtech.com
http://www.hardwareextreme.com/
http://www.exhardware.com/

also, dont' forget the power of google. just type like say "pentium motherboards reviews" or something such as that.

don't skip out on sound for gaming either. you really wanna make sure you have at LEAST a 2.1 speaker system, preferable 5.1.
also, don't forget about the case. i like the antec lanboy or the new p160...or (like mine) a lian-li pc-65. both are great companies. as for a power supply...also check out antec. their truepower or smart power ones are pretty good. and dont' get a cheap power supply, you'll regret it later.

http://www.undergroundnews.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=20;t=000029

check out that thread.//

GeForce has 100 times better linux support, if you plan on ever venturing out into the linux area and want to do gaming GeForce is where its at. GeForce frame rates under linux are a bit higher or the same as windows but ati's aren't even in the same ballpark. a lot slower.

But if you wanna do serious gaming, you're not gonna be usin linux, realistically. So he can still run linux on the machine, he just can't play high performance games on it, which he'd most likely do in Windows anyway.

I am going to install linux, however i will leave my gaming for windows, and another question I want to get a case with a Window thing (You know, a see throught thing), however D347H said that it is not good due to EMF shorting out, so should i get a case with a window or a normal one?

Oh, one more thing, should i get 1 gig RAM?

IF you get one gig, make sure it is matched. B/C you are only going to be able to get 1gig in 2 512MB sticks, so might as well get it now and it will be optimized to perform together.

I don't wont to upgrade for another 3-4 years, so should i get a 64 Bit processor? And Jonconley what do you mean? (I have no hardware experience)

Deffinately dont get a 64 bit processor if you want to play games.

hmmm, for the geforce thing, that was one thing i was wondering about, and was gonna post but wanted to do some research first. does the radeon have opengl support? or is it just an nvidia thing? cuz i AM gonna play games in linux. they may not be as high end as linux games, but they will require 3d support. and i bet that more games will come out for linux soon enough. as for 64-bit processors. some of the benchmarks i saw had good scores for games. at least the amd one's. like the amd fx's i wouldn't get one simply b/c of the high price. you can get a 32-bit now, and a 64 when you need one for the price of getting a 64 bit now...you'll actually save money.

http://www20.tomshardware.com/motherboard/20031117/athlon64fx-mobos-13.html

look at those fps's//

ok, the radeon does have opengl support I never said it didnt. It's support just isn't as good or well written as the GeForce opengl support. Using the standard benchmark for testing FPS in linux, glxgears, a radeon 9000 will give you about 1200 to 2000 while a GeForce4 users claim up to 12000. The nividia drivers are freely distributed but they are closed source. I suppose the radeon drivers will one day be comprable speed but not right now.

As for 64-bit processors maybe i was wrong. I really dont stay ontop of bleeding edge tecnology, but i was alway under the impression you need a 64-bit OS on a 64-bit processor...

well the amd's are 32-bit compatible 64-bit processors, lol. what i mean, is that the amd fx's and other 64-bit processors will work with 32-bit software...which is awsome. however, if you end up using a 64-bit intel (xeon) then yes, you need a 64-bit os...which windows will have one, however, right now, i wanna say suse is the only well known os that supports 64-bit computing. but while the amd's dont' quite outperform the xeons on EVERYTHING, they still are comparable, and are still cross-compatible with all 32-bit software.//

you have made a few mistakes NTD, gimmie a call or speak to me on msn or wait till the 24th.
Hold off till then if u haven't already and i'll fill u in on a few things.

why not fill him in on the board where everyone can benefit from the info?

Lol, death, I am still learning. Wow, you guys have been really helpful!!!!!!! Thanks all!!