Finally its going to happen, dont tell the wife, NEW COMP

[DeafOfficeWorker]

Has anyone mentioned a PCI sound card? Sound cards aren't expensive, and improve gaming (in my experience) notably by taking some of the burden off your CPU.

[Archon]

the new sound blaster x-fi cards kick ass, tho they run something like $150+ a piece for retail i think. there is a cheap one now, but its just an updated audigy, still a good card tho.

[Yellow Submarine]

do i have to get a sound card or is it already included on the motherboard

[Archon]

pretty much all motherboards include hd sound now. so you dont have to worry about that unless you really want to get every last fps and the best possible sound quality. i think you would get about a ~10fps or so boost depending on the game with a good sound card

[Clay Pigeon]

[quote="Archon";p="79910"]pretty much all motherboards include hd sound now. so you dont have to worry about that unless you really want to get every last fps and the best possible sound quality. i think you would get about a ~10fps or so boost depending on the game with a good sound card[/quote]

Some onboard sound solutions dont play nicely with microphones.

Also, when it comes to video cards, both the core and the memory matter. I always remember the old nvidia 5200s that had 256 megs of ram. people would say they were awesome because 256 megs of ram was good back then, but the 5200 core was complete crap and the card performed like a turtle stuck in the mud.

Cards to avoid: any ati card that doesnt start with 38XX, and any nvidia card that doesnt start with 88XX or above.

[Yellow Submarine]

Questions and then I start buying...

1. Getting a 2.4 GHz processor (Intel core 2 duo), will it run a game calling out for 2.8 Ghz?? (ex. Enemy Territory Quake Wars)

2. What else will I need to start the computer and start playing?? (software i.e. windows xp, professional...?? where is the cheapest place to get it?)

[MrBlah]

[quote="Yellow Submarine";p="80629"]
Questions and then I start buying...

1. Getting a 2.4 GHz processor (Intel core 2 duo), will it run a game calling out for 2.8 Ghz?? (ex. Enemy Territory Quake Wars)
[/quote]

That game calls for 2.8GHz single core, P4, 32 bit as well. The Core 2 Duo will be able to handle it just fine. Don't worry about it. Any Core 2 Duo will meet the minimum reqs for any game out there.

2. What else will I need to start the computer and start playing?? (software i.e. windows xp, professional...?? where is the cheapest place to get it?)

Windows XP would do, it helps. I know Gen. Ben can mail you a copy of Windows XP, i can get ya a activation key for XP. Just pm me when ya need it.