[SOLVED] please help :/ gaming pc build

[Stascal]

im new to gaming pc's, I had a hp 650 with Intel integrated hd 3000 graphics and i could play cs source, and a few others, dota worked on lowest everything, how do i know what goes with what? is buying a 800$ gaming pc with average everything a good idea to start out? then slowly upgrade? and if I do that, then how do i know what can be upgraded and what can't? it's all so daunting

 

[kanewolf]

im new to gaming pc's, I had a hp 650 with Intel integrated hd 3000 graphics and i could play cs source, and a few others, dota worked on lowest everything, how do i know what goes with what? is buying a 800$ gaming pc with average everything a good idea to start out? then slowly upgrade? and if I do that, then how do i know what can be upgraded and what can't? it's all so daunting

Think of a PC like building a house. You need a solid foundation (Power supply). Then you want strong walls (motherboard). After that it gets more complicated. Windows (graphics card) can be changed without changing the walls or foundation for example. The number of floors (CPU) can be changed but might require changes to the walls (motherboard). The garage (RAM) is dependent on the walls (motherboard), but you always want a two card (dual channel RAM) garage. And don't forget you have to pay to paint your house (Windows license).
SO -- Pay a premium for a power supply and motherboard. That is what provides stability. You can choose a lower cost (and lower performance) CPU with the desire to replace with higher performance, within the limitations of the motherboard. Graphics cards are the easiest to replace, but also have the biggest impact on gaming performance. Buying a low end graphics card can cause a lot of buyers remorse.