Okay, so I have a question for Dread, Jet, anyone else familiar with specifics of PC parts. If I get this bonus at work that I'm hoping for, I'm looking to build a new PC so I can play these newer games like Skyrim and FFXIV that people keep talking about.
My question comes down to this type of stuff...
1. Processors. Is i5 still pretty much the most functional in the way of performance and value? If so, that brings me to my next question. (Just grabbing two that have significant a price difference as an example.) Is there going to be a noticeable performance difference between
this one and
this one. I realize the second in this example doesn't have integrated graphics, but that's not really a factor and it brings me to my next question.
2. GPUs. I'm assuming the 600 series GeForce GTX cards are the best way to go from what I've seen people discuss before. My main question is, is there a specific series card I should be looking for? Like, is a 680 going to be a lot better than a 650, for example. And what's the reason for the huge price range? And is there something else (500 series, or a Radeon card that's similar performance) that I should look into instead that is better as far as cost:performance?
And last, and probably the one I'm least informed about:
3. Motherboards. I know I need to be sure it's compatible with whatever CPU/GPU/memory I pick out. But beyond that, I'm not sure, as far as brands and (again) cost goes. I'm not looking to be as cheap as possible, but I don't want to buy the most expensive of everything if it's not going to make a big enough difference.
I also looked into some pre-built PCs on NewEgg, but none of them really seemed worth it as far as the cost compared to what they actually came with.
Thanks in advance!