Hello,

If you read my other thread you know I have stumbled onto some money. Anyways, I thank you for your suggestions and I will be contacting some people soon on how to make investments and so forth. As I said I do however want to buy me a new computer. At this time I am running off of this:http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?objectID=c03515750&prodSeriesId=5295976

I want to be able to play a game called "Alliance of Valiant Arms" on highest setttings/graphics and get 60 fps or more at all times. Currently with my current system I get 20-40 fps on lowest graphics. Its playable but it lags a lot and some times even goes below 20 fps.

I don't care about future games because honestly In 10 years I have only played Starcraft, World of Warcraft and AvA. I play a game for years and then move on when I find something that interest me and normally I am the last person to find out about a new game. I am not focused on future games to much with high graphics. I just want to play AvA with no lag and have a computer that will last me a couple years.

With that being said I don't know if I want a laptop or desktop. I normally play a average of 10-15 hours a day. So I want something that won't over heat easy. I don't want to pay thousands of dollars though. Any suggestions would be great!

I could pick the perfect graphics card for you if I knew what you did to get jailtime. Since you wear skinny jeans, the motherboard and CPU are a no-brainer. Girls socks tells me that we can scrimp on the sound card if need be.

I just bought a refurbished XPS 8500... refurbs from the original manufacturer are nice because they come with a sweet warranty and are below the cost of what it would be to custom-build. Just be sure to Google for promo codes.

For a desktop:

------------------

Just get an i5 or i7 with a compatible motherboard, a HD7970 or GTX680 or equivalent, 8-12GB RAM and an SSD, can't go wrong with that. Make sure the motherboard you picked actually supports dedicated graphics cards. Do not cheap out on the PSU. Cheap out on the DVD/Blu-ray drive instead. Make sure your PSU is large enough (be conservative, but not overly conservative, ask on forums and use the reported power usage - at load - of your components to find out what you would realistically need) Include your favorite speakers and headphones. If you need a monitor, pick your favorite, just make supports it supports at least DVI (they are all the same nowadays though, so get the biggest one you can afford or something). Make sure you don't get "passive cooling" components, that's for office desktops, not gaming rigs. Traditional air cooling will work fine unless you are into overclocking or are playing in a sauna.

Last but not least, check reviews from many websites before making a decision. Use common sense. Finally, take good care of your computer. Please.

My three year-old HD6950 still plays most games (even recent ones) at maximum settings at full framerate. It is difficult for a brand new computer to "lag" unless you make really poor choices for your components (that, or your computer is oozing with malware, but that is a different issue).

Refurbished desktops can be a good alternative too, as Prinz Eugn said, but you usually have to do some hunting around to make them worth your while. Again, make sure you're getting a good deal, it's better to check reviews before than feeling sorry after.

A desktop is generally a better investment than a laptop if you are usually in the same place when gaming. If that is not the case, get a laptop, or you will have to deal with the lack of mobility to the bitter end and will regret your purchase. That said the price tag on desktops can be a bit high when you're just starting out as you need to buy all the extra stuff established gamers already have, such as monitors and power supplies, the real price savings are during upgrades where you only need to swap in a few components at a time.

For a laptop:

----------------

I don't know, really. Sorry. But laptops are a good choice if you're in different locations for extended periods of time. Make sure your laptop is small enough to be carried, though. 19" monstrosities are not actually laptops, because they are too heavy to carry around. 17" is at the edge, and 13" is too small for some people. 15" is about the right size, IMHO. If possible you should try out laptops before acquiring them to check their usability/ergonomy, that doesn't apply to desktops obviously (keyboards are separate).