I have no idea what I am doing! I'm looking to buy a comp that will support my favorite game of the moment: WoW (World of Warcraft).

These are the specs for original WoW:

Recommended Specifications

Windows® System 2000/XP OS:
Intel Pentium® IV 1.5 GHz or AMD XP 1500+ MHz
1024 MB RAM
64 MB 3D graphics card with Hardware Transform and Lighting, such as NVIDIA® GeForce™ FX 5700 class card or above
Broadband Internet connection
Two-button scroll-wheel mouse

And these are the specs for the current expansion:

PC System Requirements
OS: Windows 2000 (Service Pack 4) or Windows XP (Service Pack 2)
Processor: Intel Pentium3 800MHz or AMD Athlon 800MHz
Memory:
Minimum: 512 MB RAM
Recommended: 1GB RAM
Video:

Minimum: 32MB 3D graphics processor with Hardware Transform and Lighting, such as an NVIDIA GeForce 2 class card or above

Recommended: 64MB VRAM 3D graphics processor with Vertex and Pixel Shader capability, such as an NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700 class card or above
Sound: DirectX-compatible sound card


I'm looking to buy everything but the monitor online. . . plan on getting a Samsung 206BW 20" LCD from Compusa or Circuit City (Best Buy doesn't have it). Any suggestions on a better screen? Figure it is better to buy it somewhere I can pick it up than pay for the shipping.

Don't want to deal with the extra stuff that comes attached to a comp bought at a retail store. Any info on specs would also be appreciated. I don't just want it to run the game, I want it to run the game well and deal with any expansions or new games that pop up in the next two years or so. Thanks.

Does gigahertz factor into playing? Like, will a slower GHz make the game stutter?

Oh! My budget is $1,000 for everthing (system, peripherals, and shipping). The monitor is going to cost me $300; so, I only have $700 to cover the sytem, shipping, keyboard, and mouse.

Found this Cyberpower site through a friend. Built a system for $762 before shipping. What can be cut down? Would like to keep case, keyboard, and mouse. Is this a reliable site?

*BASE_PRICE: [+889]
CAS: ($20 off Mail-in Rebate) X-Cruiser Mid-Tower 420W Case W/ WINDOW, MultiMeter Display & Control [-3] (Green Color)
CASUPGRADE: NONE
CS_FAN: Default case fans
CPU: (Sckt775)Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6750 CPU @ 2.66GHz 1333FSB 4MB L2 Cache 64-bit [-94]
CD: (Special Price) 18X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (GREEN COLOR [+9])
CD2: NONE
CABLE: None
FLASHMEDIA: INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer (GREEN COLOR [+5])
FREEBIE_CU1: FREE! CyberPower Multi-Purpose Carrying Briefcase ($19.99 Value)
FREEBIE_CU2: FREE! Cyberpower Unleash The Power T-Shirt ($19 Value)
FAN: INTEL LGA775 CERTIFIED CPU FAN & HEATSINK
FREEBIE_VC2: None
FLOPPY: 1.44 MB FLOPPY DRIVE (GREEN COLOR [+7])
HDD: Single Hard Drive (250GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 8MB Cache 7200RPM HDD)
HDD2: NONE
IEEE_CARD: NONE
KEYBOARD: PS2 MULTIMEDIA INTERNET CONTROL KEYBOARD (GREEN COLOR)
MOUSE: PS2 INTERNET MOUSE W/ WHEEL [-2] (GREEN COLOR)
MODEM: PCI 56K V.92 FAX MODEM W/ VOICE [+12]
MONITOR: NONE
MONITOR2: NONE
MOTHERBOARD: (Quad-Core FSB1333) MSI G31M-F Intel G31 Chipset LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2 Mainboard [-30]
MEMORY: (Req.DDR2 MainBoard)2GB (2x1GB) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory (Corsair Value Select or Major Brand)
NETWORK: ONBOARD 10/100 NETWORK CARD
OS: Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Home Basic [+89] (32-bit Edition)
PRO_WIRING: None
PRINTER: None
PRINTER_CABLE: None
POWERSUPPLY: STANDARD CASE POWER SUPPLY
RUSH: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS
SOFT: Free 60 Days Microsoft® Office® 2007 (Words, Excel, Access, Power Point, Outlook + More) - Windows Vista™ Required
SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS 24/7 LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
SOUND: 3D WAVE ON-BOARD 5.1 SOUND CARD
SPEAKERS: Logitech S100 2.0 Stereo Speaker Set (BLACK COLOR)
TEMP: NONE (AS SHOWN)
TVRC: None
USB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
UPS: None
USBHD: NONE
VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce 7300 LE Turbo Cache supports up to 512MB PCI-Express [-38] (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
VIDEO2: NONE [-82]
VIDEOCAMERA: NONE
WNC: NONE
_PRICE: (+762)

What about this pc from new egg for $569.99?

General Spec
Brand CyberpowerPC
Model Gamer Ultra 5200
Recommended Usage Gaming
Form Factor Mid Tower
Processor AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+
Processor Main Features 64 bit Dual Core Processor
Cache Per Processor 2 x 512KB L2 Cache
Memory 1GB (2x512MB) DDR2 800
Hard Drive 250GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 8MB Cache 7200RPM HDD
Optical Drive 1 20X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive Dual Layer
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce 8400 GS 256MB
Keyboard 104 PS/2 Keyboard
Mouse Optical Wheel PS/2 Mouse
Operating System Windows Vista Home Premium
Special Features Sigma Gaming Orca Mid-Tower 400W Case
Motherboard
Motherboard Name ASUS M2N-E SLI
CPU
CPU Type Athlon 64 X2
Installed Qty 1
CPU Speed 5000+
L2 Cache Per CPU 2 x 512KB
CPU Main Features 64 bit Dual Core Processor
Graphics
GPU/VPU Type NVIDIA GeForce 8400GS
Graphics Interface PCI Express x16
Memory
Memory Capacity 1GB DDR2
Memory Speed DDR2 800
Memory Spec 512MB x 2
Hard Drive
HD Capacity 250GB
HD Interface SATA
HD RPM 7200rpm
HD Spec SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 8MB Cache
Optical Drive
Optical Drive Type DVD±RW
Optical Drive Spec 20X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive Dual Layer
Audio
Audio Chipset Integrated
Communications
LAN Chipset Integrated
Front Panel Ports
Front USB 2
Front Audio Ports 2
Back Panel Ports
COM 1
LPT 1
PS/2 2
VGA 1 VGA, 1 DVI
TV Out 1
Rear USB 4
Rear IEEE 1394 1
RJ45 1 port
Rear Audio Ports 6 ports
S/P DIF 1 x SPDIF Out
Mouse
Mouse Type Optical Wheel PS/2 Mouse
Keyboard
Keyboard Type PS/2 Keyboard
Physical Spec
Dimensions 24" x 20.5" x 9.25"
Manufacturer Warranty
Parts 1 year limited
Labor 1 year limited

Stay away from Cyberpower. They were bad six years ago and they still haven't improved. I found other cheap sites while searching for my own PC. http://www.gcworkshop.com, http://www.wydan.com, and http:://www.jronsite.com

I'm assuming that you don't know how or don't want to build a computer. If you don't, I highly recommend you to learn how because not only you can customize it to your needs, it's cheaper too.

When looking for a good gaming pc, look at the cpu, the ram, and the video card. Now that cyberpower pc has a Amd 5000+ for the cpu, 1gig of ram, and a 8400GS for the video card. The cpu is strong, but the video card is inadequate and ram is almost insufficient for Vista.

If you want to run Vista and run games smoothly, look for these things:
Any Amd 4000+ or higher or any Intel Core2duo
2gigs at the least, 4gig is recommended
8800 series video card or the new ATI HD3000 series. The HD2600XT and the 8600GTS or GT is good too since the prices are falling but don't expect major gaming.

It's difficult finding exactly what you need, and that's why you build a pc. Try this site a customize a pc to your liking:
http://www.avadirect.com/

If you want to give building a shot something like this would be a good start and upgradeable.
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6811147055
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6813128059
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6814161060
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6819115031
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6820211165
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6821103203
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6822148230
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6827151153
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6832116056
Total $623 with Rebate on video card

Check the mobo manual and see if you'd be comfortable following the dirctions. If you are, you can build it. If not, could get a local shop to do it for probably $50 - $75