Need help choosing the best hardware & software to build my own computer?

[oneguy77]

I'm building a gaming computer, for my self, for the 1st time & need help finding hardware/software. I don't have any knowledge of what is considered "top shelf" and to be honest I have no clue where to even begin researching everything. As for as amount of memory required, that is all I could figure out on my own.

What are the top 5 graphics cards for gaming?
What are the top 5 video cards, & sound cards?
How much RAM should I purchase?
Am I forgetting anything else?

 

[KE4EST]

Moved your thread to the Computer forum..

to Satelliteguys!!!

 

[Neutron]

I'm building a gaming computer, for my self, for the 1st time & need help finding hardware/software. I don't have any knowledge of what is considered "top shelf" and to be honest I have no clue where to even begin researching everything. As for as amount of memory required, that is all I could figure out on my own.

What are the top 5 graphics cards for gaming?
What are the top 5 video cards, & sound cards?
How much RAM should I purchase?
Am I forgetting anything else?

Welcome to Satelliteguys!!

Graphics cards and video cards are the same thing. Regarding the top 5 it really depends on your budget. There are graphics cards that are good that are in the $100-200 range and then there are graphics cards that are over $300 that of course are good too.

Regarding sound; every motherboard out there has integrated sound. If you're looking for a dedicated sound card look at one of the Sound Blaster cards.

Regarding RAM I would recommend at least 8GB for a Windows 7/8 install. 4GB should be plenty as well but this will give you a good buffer, and RAM prices are inexpensive. Anything above 8GB and you really won't see a difference.

I would also recommend a solid-state drive (SSD) as they are quicker than standard platter drives.

What are you looking at for a CPU? Also don't forget that you need good cooling too.