Solid Desktop Setup for gaming?

[gammazeta]

Hi everyone,

In the past month I've really gotten back into PC gaming. The last desktop I owned was back in 2005 (a sony viao) and it performed well for most of the games I played. After my 7 year hiatus I'd like to be able to play games such as Battlefield 3, Shogun 2, and the upcoming Rome Total War 2 on high/ultra settings with little to no performance issues.

Now I know my biggest hurdle is my budget of $750-800 and very basic knowledge of PC hardware. As much as I'd like to build my own PC, I don't really have the patience (of dealing with a computer that wont start up after build) or confidence (It would probably fry due to wrong wiring) to do so. As a result, I've turned to a small PC building site that has gotten some very positive reviews.

My question is are these PC builds optimal for my budget/wants? I also need to purchase a keyboard and monitor (hence the tight tower budget).

http://www.centauruscomputers.com/html/phoenix.html

http://www.centauruscomputers.com/html/dorado.html

If they aren't worth the price, what other options would you suggest I look into?

Thanks!

 

[allanitomwesh]

Go with the phenom x4
Change the chipset to am3+
Change the graphics to HD 7850
Change the psu to antec earthwatts 550
Change the case to zalman z9+