Hi there, everyone! I just joined and am looking for some advice and suggestions for my first-ever DIY PC build. But first, a little bit of background. I'm not a hardcore PC gamer by any means -- I've always been more of a console gaming chick. I'm sure I'll get laughed at when I say this, but The Sims 3 is about the extent of my PC gaming, though I welcome any suggestions for good, newbie-friendly shooters. Anyway, I have all 7 current Sims 3 EPs (Expansion Packs) and 4 SPs (Stuff Packs that I used to play on my Toshiba Satellite P105 laptop that I bought new in 2007. And I say "used to" because, as you might expect, my laptop is severely underpowered. 2GBs of RAM, 32-bit Windows Vista, Nvidia GeForce 7900 GO GS graphics, Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 CPU... About the most I use it for now is playing Solitare, emulated console games (think NES through Genesis era) and browsing the web.
I've never built a computer before, but it sounds like a whole lot of fun, albeit very confusing and somewhat intimidating. I've been doing a lot of research over the past couple months or so on the various components, but am still totally confused as to what to get. The one things I am certain of, however, is the budget and CPU make. $600 to $630 is about it, and I would like to go with an AMD CPU.
Approximate Purchase Date: March-April
Budget Range: $600-$650
System Usage from Most to Least Important: The Sims 3, emulation, web surfing, Paint Shop Pro, watching the occasional movie, possibly playing other PC games
Are you buying a monitor: Not at the moment. Initially going to use my TV; will purchase one in the future
Parts to Upgrade: I need everything
Do you need to buy OS: Yes
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg, Tigerdirect, NCIX, Amazon
Location: California Bay Area, United States
Parts Preferences: AMD for CPU, Asus, Asrock, GIGABYTE, MSI for motherboard, AMD for GPU, 8GBs of RAM
Overclocking: No. What is that?
SLI or Crossfire: No
Your Monitor Resolution: Not sure if this helps, but my laptop's current resolution is 1440 x 900. My TV supports HD, however. And for The Sims 3, I have the resolution in-game set to 1280 x 800.
Additional Comments: Already bought the case, a Cooler Master Elite 431 Plus (Dad is painting it lime green and wrapping it in carbon fiber) Also want to get a good number of parts from a local computer shop, where I have a discount card.
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Can't play Sims 3 + current and future Expansions on my laptop anymore, want the upgradeability of a PC.
Any suggestions on possible builds is greatly appreciated, and thank you in advance!
I've never built a computer before, but it sounds like a whole lot of fun, albeit very confusing and somewhat intimidating. I've been doing a lot of research over the past couple months or so on the various components, but am still totally confused as to what to get. The one things I am certain of, however, is the budget and CPU make. $600 to $630 is about it, and I would like to go with an AMD CPU.
Approximate Purchase Date: March-April
Budget Range: $600-$650
System Usage from Most to Least Important: The Sims 3, emulation, web surfing, Paint Shop Pro, watching the occasional movie, possibly playing other PC games
Are you buying a monitor: Not at the moment. Initially going to use my TV; will purchase one in the future
Parts to Upgrade: I need everything
Do you need to buy OS: Yes
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg, Tigerdirect, NCIX, Amazon
Location: California Bay Area, United States
Parts Preferences: AMD for CPU, Asus, Asrock, GIGABYTE, MSI for motherboard, AMD for GPU, 8GBs of RAM
Overclocking: No. What is that?
SLI or Crossfire: No
Your Monitor Resolution: Not sure if this helps, but my laptop's current resolution is 1440 x 900. My TV supports HD, however. And for The Sims 3, I have the resolution in-game set to 1280 x 800.
Additional Comments: Already bought the case, a Cooler Master Elite 431 Plus (Dad is painting it lime green and wrapping it in carbon fiber) Also want to get a good number of parts from a local computer shop, where I have a discount card.
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Can't play Sims 3 + current and future Expansions on my laptop anymore, want the upgradeability of a PC.
Any suggestions on possible builds is greatly appreciated, and thank you in advance!
Do you think you could help? 
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