What is the actual impact of the various parts of a computer for games

Frames Per Second has only to do with visual and a very small percentage of processing and memory so, FPS = 70% Graphics Card - 15% Processor -
15% RAM - as far as i know.
RAM is basically your "temporary memory", used to remember everything your computer needs to know for the moment/s of use of your software/game/web browsing.. etc... Windows 7 requires a decent 1Gb of RAM so that all the background modules run without you noticing. If you go to task manager and an end a task (module), you would see a few KB of RAM free up. Your processor basically processes every single thread that it takes to run programs like windows, internet explorer, registry apps, movies and games, so the faster processor you have - the faster and better performance you gain from loading and using these things.
Graphics Cards, well we all know but i will say anyway. They are for being able to use your monitor and everything that functions visually.

the ram won't make a visible difference in any MMO out there now. the first thing to check though is the maximum bus you can use. checking bios... googling your exact motherboard etc. those numbers you threw out there are for ddr3 ram, which in order to play any MMO with vista or windows 7, you'll need 3 ghz. if you've got an older 775 or am3 mobo, it will probably only sustain 4-6 ghz of ram in 32 bit mode, with a max of 8 in 32 bit. Vista and 7 are ram hogs in 32 bit versions... maybe even more in 64, but in 64 bit versions you're capable of using up to 16ghz of ram. Again, MMO's don't require too much.

FPS is mainly guaged on your video card and CPU. for instance, going from a 512 ddr3 graphics card that uses no external power plug (draws only from the pci-x slot) will have decent fps in games like ffxi or WoW.. (around 25 fps) with a single core cpu... but will bump up to a constant 30 fps with a dual core processor.

upgrading your graphics card that uses an external 75w (6 prong power clip) and has 1ghz ddr5 ram will not only be able to sustain higher fps in whatever graphics mode you're in now... but will also free up the cpu and allow for the same, if not higher fps in higher resolutions.

Graphics cards are dedicated ram for 2d/3d applications such as gaming, or creating movies. The most popular MMO's out there right now cap out around 30 fps as it is... Though the benchmark for ffxiv is currently testing a 60fps cap constant with two resolution choices.

to improve your speed in MMO's, see about upgrading your cpu (if you're using a dual or quad core with 3.0 ghz per core, you shouldn't need to) or your graphics card (anything over 1ghz ddr3 will be sufficient for WoW)...

Thanks for your input!

Thank you for all the good info!

Are you planning on using wired or wireless networking? Wired is preferred.

What is your ISP's network response like?

Are MMO's your only concern or will you be doing any single player gaming? With single player gaming if your concerned with load times you might want to consider having your games installed on an SSD instead of a hard disk drive.

Thanks for the suggestion, but no, I'm not worried about single-player load times, even my old rig is plenty fast for that. I am concerned with MMO's only, and mostly a FPS devouring obscure MMO WWII simulator that few have heard of, and even fewer play. ( WWII Online, Battlegroud Europe). It doesn't even HAVE a physical disk of any kind. It tracks every bush, building, road, bullet or cannon fired around you for 2k or so, and every soldier, truck, tank, cannon, armored car, etc. The AI for the game is far less than 1%; it's routine to have 250 players fighting each other for a town. The graphics are not as detailed as Medal Of Honor or such, but they're good, especially after an update 2 months ago, which is lugging my system. Naturally, this game demands total functionallity from ALL parts of a rig. I'm curious as to how to eke out that last 5 fps or so, as a general concept. I'm upgrading a gaming rig from 2 years ago this week with over $1k, the parts are sitting in the next room, I'm waiting for my tech-savvy friend to come over and put it all together for me. New MB. New CPU. New PSU. New Custom air cooler. New DDr3 RAM (8g), and ... windows 7 64, (from windows xp 32).

I use wired cable, have ultra-high speed 3meg plus internet, and a rock-solid ping of about 44; live in Vegas, game is out of Dallas. My ISP is A-ok, it's all my computer.

When I play this game now ( I've been playing it for 6 years) I get about 17 fps, which gets me killed a lot, and hurts my eyes after a bit. I put a ATI 5850 on it a month ago, but the fps never budged, so I knew I was bottlenecking somewhere internally. I shouldn't soon though, woo-hoo!!!! I've been saving for a year for this, and I'm hoping to see fps around 50-70 fps or higher even, constantly. There's not a real limit on the fps, because 100 can be hit.

I was pretty much just asking for my education, for future builds, in future years.

Jack

For online Gaming id you want the fastest load up times I would look into a Xincom router that is dual port bandwith simultaneosuly! www.xircom.com It costs around 250-350 bucks plus you need two Broadband connections!