I'm not sure any of the components in my five, going on six year old computer will survive to a fresh start (partly due to family that might be taking it in exchange for help with funding.)
I've been researching every day, and though I keep learning about new things, what some things mean, what to look for in certain parts, it still feels like I'm missing a lot of information that would make this a lot easier. I feel uneasy about the parts I've been looking at so far, and would really appreciate any help or guidance offered.
My budget for this computer is approximately $1000 Canadian.
I'm hesitant to go over that amount, but it's not set in stone, it would just take a few weeks for another paycheck or two if I need to go over.
I am a gamer at heart, so I will be looking at parts that will support that.
I have never overclocked before, though I am curious about trying it.
I will admit that I'm leaning towards the intel and nvidia series of CPUs and graphic cards, though I'm not strictly only looking at those.
So far, I've been looking at the CPU choices I have, and I'm really stumped on where to go from there, what would fit in my budget, what would give me good value for my money, etc., I've been really curious about the quad core chips, but I'm not really sure how it would affect me, how a dual core vs quad core affect my experience, how much Cache memory should I be looking for, GHz, or if the socket type makes the other parts have to be more expensive too.
I've tried looking at and comparing a few different chips from between $126.99 and up to $369.99, but... I'm just not sure.
Likewise, I'm really not sure what to look for in a motherboard as well, and how to determine if the other parts that I need will be compatible with it.
One of my biggest worries is about how everything will fit together, what would be compatible with each other, things like that...
Should I get four gigs of ram? A 64 bit operating system? Windows 7, Vista, or can I re-use my old XP? Should I get a higher quality heatsink/fan, and what should I consider for internet use?
And finally, should I get parts that can be upgraded later? What kind of parts are easily upgradable?
I can use my old monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers for a while, though I plan on getting new speakers eventually.
I know it's a lot of questions, but I'd rather take my time, get some advice and think about it instead of making an impulsive purchase that doesn't work, or doesn't work as well as it could have. Thank you for any and all advice, I truly appreciate it. ^^