The People Speak: Build a PC

It's time for an upgrade. I use my computer for work all day, everyday and my MacBook Pro is getting a little tired. It doesn't help that the last few years of college were particularly travel intense. As much as a laptop is designed for portability, it doesn't do well with too much moving around.

That's why last week I asked you all to help me piece together a PC. I'm sure I'll end up with a high end iMac (specs pictured on the right) at some point or another, but am I getting in over my head if I start building a computer over the next year or so?

Rinnon put me on the right track by pointing out that not every component needs to be bought new. "Does the $800 budget include a monitor, keyboard, mouse, or speakers? Or are you just talking about the tower?"

Green_Lantern went the whole nine yards and pieced together a list of components that fit in my budget. Of course, he made it look like utter shit when he linked his wish list to everyone in the forums. You can take a look here. While it may be drool-inducing, it costs over $2000.

Bretimus_v2 got all sarcastic with us when he wrote "Step 1: Go to store. Step 2: Find good deal on computer. Step 3: Purchase." Just go to your room Bret, seriously. Get out of here.

"The difference, I believe, is very similar to car culture; sure you can buy a Ford Focus (Xbox) on the cheap and it'll get you from A to B," Eyebrowsbv31 pointed out. "There is a certain joy to the construction and control over what you get with a Mustang (PC), that has room for endless modification, at a somewhat higher cost, it all depends on what you want." While a Mustang is hardly a kit car, it still stands to reason that I'd like to know exactly what's going on in my computer at any given time.

Madster111 suggested this funky case mod (pictured left).

Thanks to everyone for helping me feel out the custom PC space. Honestly, it's a bit intimidating to me. If you have further suggestions, throw them in the comments. I'm not going to lock the thread like I normally do so you can continue in the forums. Does anyone have any good resources for first-time builders like myself? Is there a Dummies book I'm overlooking somewhere?

Thanks to everyone who spoke this week. Got a suggestion for next week's topic? Leave it in the comments or send an e-mail to daniel@gamerevolution.com. If you want to be featured in The People Speak (which runs on Saturdays), you can register and hop into our forums. Find yourself on the front page after participating in this week's discussion: "Well, we're not getting rid of them anytime soon. Mobile games are here to stay. Whether you've got an iPod Touch, an Android phone, or a Sony platform capable of playing PSN Minis, apps are everywhere. The little games that could aren't exactly the highest scoring pieces of software and there sure are a ton of them. What do you think? Are they worth having around? What's the right price for a mobile game? Will they ever be on the same level of the video games we know and love?"