To be honest, I don't have much experience with hardware, but I've built PCs in the past based on knowledge from others. Years later, I'm thinking of upgrading and I'm pretty unsure of where to start.

Essentially I'm building a gaming PC, that's in the price range of 1000 to 1500$ CAD, and I'm using tigerDirect.ca to help me find parts. Here's what I found so far...

MSI K9A2 CF-F Motherboard

The reasons behind this choice are...

1 - Affordable

2 - AM2+ to support my choice of AMD Phenom X4 9850 Quad Core Processor HD985ZXAGHBOX

3 - PCI express... seems like it may help me with HD video displays

4 - Patriot Dual Channel Viper 2048MB PC9200 DDR2 1150MHz Memory: seems like decent ram to me. Although I could be wrong about that as well.

So basically, I want a machine that can perform minimal multitasking (like chatting, music, gaming, etc.) and dish out some high graphics while still keeping a solid 60fps. I want to run a quad core, in hopes that I won't need to upgrade very soon.

I didn't really know where to post this, so I thought this would be a good place to ask. If I need to ask this somewhere else, by all means, let me know.

Thanks so much!

P.S. - That parts I've chosen aren't set in stone, I'm up to any suggestions regarding a 'bad ass' gaming PC.

no need to get more then 1066MHz DDR2 unless you plan to ocerclock, but then again, Phenoms aren't the best overclockers.

PCI Express is just a slot, pretty much standard and not needed to view HD content, it IS needed to get a good graphics card like the Radeon 4870

picking a motherboard with support for quad crossfire is a waste of money, get a decent 1-2 slot motherboard depending on if you want to run a single or dual card, single should be enough for most.

Solid 60FPS? But what resolution? Which games? Which quality settings?

Get a good PSU 550-600W is fairly priced and should handle a phenom + singlecard gfx just fine with whatever else you put in hdd/dvd wise.

A good case with good airflow is important, pick performance over looks but don't pick the ugliest clunker

Get a good CPU cooler with as big a fan on it as possible (read som reviews)

Well, I really wanna play Diablo 3 on the highest settings and resolution possible, but since that game isn't out yet and doesn't have a release date yet... it makes this whole process a little tricky. Obviously I don't know what to expect from it, but Blizzard is usually pretty good to make their games accessable to many different systems and across multiple platforms. Star Craft 2 is coming out just around the corner as well, and I'm looking forward for most of the games I really wanna play...

For now, I've got Spore, WoW, Guildwars, Final Fantasy 11, Phantasy Star Universe... I know these games aren't really pushing the hardware, but with my new PC I'd really like to watch BluRay movies as well... so I'm hoping for something with powerful Video and Audio output.

Does this narrow it down at all? If you need to know more, let me know, cause the more I learn, the better this project will end up for me!

Godiwa makes some excellent points, one question he left out: what size display?

(all prices in USD via Newegg)
I've always been a fan of CoolerMaster's Centurion cases, excellent airflow, toolless design and around $50. I've got both of the ones listed and built several others with them, only had one issue with a power button popping loose.

As for the "kick ass" gaming rig
$170 = 9850X4
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103249

$130 = GIGABYTE GA-MA790GP-DS4H (SB750, 8GB DDR2 1066)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128352

$70 = 4GB DDR2 800 (2:2GB Corsair)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820145184

$300 = Diamond 4870 1GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814103067

$160 = 750W Thermaltake PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817153038

$50 = Centurion Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119068
$60 = alternate case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119094

$150 = Pioneer or LG BluRay drive (I no longer trust LiteOn)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] der=RATING

$30 = DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827136149

$40 = 80GB HDD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822148231

$60 = 250GB HDD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822148262

TOTAL = $1000 USD (CAD = $1086.89)

Do you REALLY NEED Crossfire/SLI? Realistically speaking, the games you mention don't need dual card rigs. Stick with a single card solution for now and see how it works BEFORE you buy that 2nd card. Prices can be found cheaper elsewhere but this is a quick 10min spec.

Well, I don't think so, and you make a good point about the games I chose. I'm going to take my time and do a bit more research before committing to anything, but I think I will stick to one card for now, and over time, when I can afford it, add another. When that time comes, I'll probably be back on here asking more questions, like, what cards are compatible... who knows?

But I really appreciate the help! This definetly puts me several steps forward and gives me a good idea where to start.

Cheers!

You know you can use newegg.ca for your needs right?