If you want a powerful computer for a reasonable price, you're going to have to build it yourself.

I would build it for you if I was there, but I am not : p So instead I will offer some general advice.

Don't stick to just one site to find parts, compare prices on several different ones. Tiger Direct and NewEgg are two that come to mind immediately, but I'm sure there are others.

Make sure you get a power supply capable of running your computer for a few years. Bear in mind that they lose their, uh, beefiness over time - the wattage depreciates at about 10% per year (if I recall correctly). So if you get a 650W power supply, after one year it'll probably only be putting out 585W. For this reason, it's recommended to get at least 30% more wattage than you actually need. To find out how much you need you can use an online power supply calculator, like this one: http://extreme.outervision.com/psuc.....ulatorlite.jsp

You'll need a case, a motherboard, a video card, a power supply, and a hard drive as the bare minimum. Then you'll need peripherals; mouse, keyboard, monitor, headset/speakers. You'll also need an operating system, and if you want it for gaming then you'll basically need to obtain (or 'obtain') a copy of Windows 7.



Or you can head to the nearest computer store and buy one already made... but you'll have to live with the mark-up on the price they'll put on in order to make a profit, and a living. Your choice.