Okay so I've never had a gaming PC before, up till now I only used my computer for surfing the web and simple tasks but lately it's been having issues even doing that, freezes up sometimes just from loading Vgchartz.  I decided it is time to get a new computer, lately I've been hearing about how a gaming PC is a good investment if you're interested in gaming because it can do games AND everything else I really need.                                                                                                            

My problem is I'm new at this and I've been looking around on sites like Bestbuy, Fry's, Amazon for a computer but there is so much options and I'm not sure what I need, so I was hoping the PC community here can give me some much needed advice.

My budget is around $800 so my first question would be if that is even enough to buy a PC that I need, would be nice to run games smoothly and in their full settings but that's probably asking a lot.

Here is one computer I found on Fry's that is in my budget, I don't really know what all this means but was curious if it may fit my needs or not and if it's a good buy. HP Pavilion Elite HPE-470f Desktop PC, AMD Phenom II 1090T Six Core Processor, 8GB Memory, 1.5TB Hard Drive, ATI HD5770 1GB for $759.

So yeah, advice would greatly be appreciated, would hate to spend this much money on something that will not work, thanks.

a little pricey for what you are getting...

actually this will be better and it is cheaper

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227408

also, the best option is building your own PC, buying parts from new egg and putting it together, but I suppose you don't know how to do that.

the website cyberpowerpc.com lets you build your own for a decent price, they put it together and ship it too you, but shipping is a little pricey.

If you decide to go with cyberpower here is what you will want to start with this

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Gamer_Xtreme_2000/

the graphics card on that is much better then the one you picked out, but I would upgrade if you can afford it, the 7850 is great, you can also go with nvidia, the 650 or 660 nvidia cards are real good for games.

you will also want to upgrade the power supply, do NOT buy anything that says " standard power supply" they are junk.
this might blow your budget a little bit but never skimp out on a decent PSU.

First, would you be willing to build your own PC?

Anyway, I'd recommend any tower that comes with an Intel i3/i5 or AMD FX Quad/Six Core CPU and at least 6gb RAM. I'd go with HP, Asus, or Acer/Gateway.

You are better off not worrying about what GPU a tower brings (so don't look for one that already brings one) and buy your own. An Nvidia GTX560 goes for about ~$190, so this plus a ~$500 tower would be a great pair. Finally get yourself a 500w power supply. The total should be around your budget.

You can also wait for the GTX660 due out next month, but it will be pricey. If want to go AMD for your GPU, then I advise the 6870.

Edit: Heres an example

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883113203

I'm not really interested in building my own PC because I'm sure I would mess it up, I found this PC on Amazon.com that is a little over my budget but the reviews speak highly of it so I am thinking about it, what do you guys think of this one?

http://www.amazon.com/Microtel-Computer%C2%AE-AMTI9041-Processor-Microsoft/dp/B004FRSVPU/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

- Go Desktop if you can, it's the cheaper and most versatile. Very easy to modify, upgrade, maintain, and better cooling, which means higher efficiency and longevity
- Make sure you've a good motherboard. Remember this is the most important part.
- I second usrevenge on the PSU
- Imho, I've had very good result to use the combo SSD as primary drive (100-ish Go) + partitioned HDD
- If you want to play game through steam, forecast to partition your HDD with a 200-250 Go dedicated to Steam.

- I'm playing with a upgraded 3 yo PC, my graphic card is a 5870, I've 6Go of RAM. I run every game in full quality, 1920x1080. I've even put Steam on a Crucial m4 256Go SSD ^^ now every game I run is lighting fast...

Not bad. But, I'd recommend skipping the 550Ti and go with a 560 or better. I have the 550Ti and should have gone with the 560 imo.

Will the 550Ti not give me the performance I'm looking for?  I don't really have the money right now to upgrade to an even more expensive card.

The 550Ti is a good card, but it's better to go with a 560 for longer satisfaction imo. Like I said in my above post, it's best to to go with a ~$500 tower, a ~$200 GPU and a 500w power supply.

you gotta be careful looking at pre made units because most the time they have just enough juice from the PSU, so upgrading anything can cause your system to not have enough power.

the first one I linked has everything you need, the only disadvantage is it has a mediocre CPU, but gaming GPU means more.

the 2nd one I linked is a little expensive and you have to switch 1-2 parts.

I would go with the first one I linked.