Comp newb. Need some advice.

[Celegorm]

Cool cool.

I am a little confused on processors and the PCI-Express thing too. How do I know certain motherboards have a PCI-E spot?

And with processors, what is the different between Duo-Core and all that stuff? Is a 1.66 Duo-Core better than a regular 3.0?

I'm not going to try to explain the PCI expres. I'm not refusing it to be mean, i'm just too tired to explain that in a way that would make sense.

By Duo-core, do you mean Dual-core? if so, it depends. the Pentium 4 could kill a Pentium D (which is dual core) in gamming, and the D could kill the 4 in multi-tasking. However, if you are talking about the Core 2 Duo, then yes, even its lowest 1.86 is better than any previous generation of pentium processors. Well, i shouldn't say any, more like most.

For processor, i would get a Core 2. They are the best on the market right now. They run off of the intel socket 775, so you will need a 775 motherboard that says its compatable with the Core 2. Newegg does a great job at letting you know a boards compatability. I won't start naming prices and parts for you since i don't know a price range, but for the best bang-for-your-buck in the processor market the E6600 (2.4 Ghz) is the way to go.

 

[TRDCorolla1]

To put PCI-express in simple terms, it's the newest interface for graphics card. It's faster than the old AGP bus. That's it. Usually when you buy your motherboard, it will list the specs on the box if it's PCI-express or not. Most likely, all new motherboards today run on PCI-express. If you attempt to buy a motherboard online, look at the specifications page and it will tell you all you need to know about the motherboard's features including whether it's PCI-express or AGP.

 

[Celegorm]

Oh, as for things to stay away from, do not get the Corsair Dominator RAM. any other Corsair brand RAM is good, but most people have RMA'ed their Dominator's within 2 months of purchase, myself included. On the +, the new set is running just fine.