I posted on here awhile ago about a gaming laptop. Most people told me to just build my own desktop, so that is what I am going to do(hopefully). It's probably going to be a couple months before I can get it, but I would like to get a basic idea of which parts to look in to. I'm going to be playing a lot of Diablo 3 and Huild Wars 2 when they come out. I'll probably pick up Skyrim as well, and Battlefield 3. I don't need to be able to run everything on max settings, but it would be nice if I could max out games like Diablo.

Budget $1000-$1200 (Including Monitor)

I'd like to go with Intel/Nvidia. But if going the AMD/ATI route will let me save a couple hundred dollars, I wont mind.

The main things I need help with are the processor, graphics card and motherboard. If someone could help me find a reasonably priced combination of those three parts I can probably fill in the rest by my self.

I orginally thought the i5-2500k seemed like a reasonable choice. But I had a couple people tell me it's not the best option for the price. As for graphics card, I would love to have a GTX580, but I realize that's just too expensive for me.

Any help you guys could give me would be greatly appreciated. I have never built a PC before and dont really know where to start.

BulletStorm was great fun. Not the best game on the market. But if you need an enjoyabnle game to pass time with, it's worth your money. Especially since it's under $20 everywhere.

For me it's Deus Ex: Human Revolution. The game looks fantastic and I really want to try it. Not quite sure why I haven't.

The Witcher 2 is fantastic so far. But Gears 3 is the definition of a complete shooter. Great single player, top of the line co-op and multi player. If you like coverbased third person shooters, give Gears 3 a go first. It's the cheaper of the two anyway.

A different combination.

RDR+CoD4

RDR is good. Crysis 2 was disappointing. MW2 isn't worth having over CoD4. It's still possible to get a legit match on CoD4.

I'm gonna go a different route and say... Trials Evolution. :P

I'm waiting on my copy of The Witcher 2 to arrive from Amazon so I can't really suggest that.

I'd wait on Prototype 2. The first was fun, but I was kind of upset I spent $60 on it. It feels like one of those games that were meant for the bargain bin. Not because they are bad... Just because the content/quality isn't there even though they may still be a fun game.

Trials is only $15, a TON of fun, and has loads of replay value. Even if you go with The Witcher 2 you should still get Trials :D

Also, try out the Dragons Dogma demo. I personally enjoyed it. Not enough to get the game day one since Diablo 3 comes out the week before... But still, it seemed like it's going to be a good game.

Then there's the obligitory Skyrim. That pretty much everyone that owns a gaming system should have, IMO.

Hard to choose just one. But if you like RPGs and want a game now your choice should probably be between Skyrim and TW2. TW2 for a more story driven experience. Skyrim for a more open, larger scale and time consuming experience.(Assuming you play the game to it's fullest and not just the main quest which is disappointingly short.) Skyrim has a ridiculous amount of content in it. There is almost always something to do.

I'm just not a fan of Halo, I don't understand the praise.chilly-chill

Halo is a pretty hit or miss series it seems. It's too slow for some people. But once you get used to it, it's fantastic.

It's balanced, polished and extremely competitive. Though through that competition comes a fun and enjoyable atmosphere. Not frustration like you get in most of the other recent shooters.

Anyways... My favorite is Halo 3. I loved 1 and 2, but when I played them I wasn't really in to console gaming. So I mostly just played the campaigns. Halo 3 i've sank close to 300 hours in to Halo 3 before I stopped playing because the community died.

Can't wait for Halo 4 :D

My copy of The Witcher 2 is in the mail right now, so I can't give you a first hand perspective on that. BUT! I am a HUGE fan of both the Fable games, and the TES games. Skyrim is better than both Fable 2 and 3. But it's also double the price of both of them combined. If price doesn't matter I'd say go with Skyrim. Then pick up Fable 2 later on cause it's only 5$ used. Well worth it.

On a side note; After reading through multiple forums about The Witcher 2, it seems like that would be the best choice if you want a story driven RPG. Be warned though, it contains some a LOT of adult content. (Just incase that matters to you.)

I used to have the same problem. I've become more careful in choosing games to buy. So usually when I buy a game now, it's because I know for sure that I will enjoy it.

I personally hate when people compare everything to CoD, but...

It's basically a Third Person CoD. An absolute noob fest. I'm glad I got to try it, cause I would have been upset if I spent money on it.

Best- Skyrim/Gears 3
Worst- Modern Warfare 2/3

Also, wtf. Forza 3 was fantastic.