Great thread but you should at least mention MODS as one of the biggest PC benefits. So many amazing mods that add so much to games and often times make completely new games all for free. Also they often lead to retail games so you get to help shape a future game :)

I run a Social Modding Club so feel free to join in and have fun. Its on one of the best modding sites 'moddb.com' and is open to all. I also have a steam group setup but am still working on getting that updated and mirroring my gaming events. I apologize if I already posted this in this thread, I can't remember ;)

Moddb: http://www.moddb.com/groups/social-modding-club
Steam Group : http://steamcommunity.com/groups/playmods

This may be a little off topic but I'm looking to upgrade my mac/pc for mostly film editing but will get into a lil bit of gaming. If anyone in this thread can help me out in what I should be looking for it would be greatly appreciated. Here are the specs for the rig I'm looking at buying right now. My budget is around 2 grand.

Model Name: Mac Pro
Model Identifier: MacPro1,1
Processor Name: Dual-Core Intel Xeon
Processor Speed: 2.66 GHz
Number Of Processors: 2
Total Number Of Cores: 4
L2 Cache (per processor): 4 MB
Memory: 12 GB
Bus Speed: 1.33 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MP11.005C.B08
SMC Version: 1.7f10
Serial Number: YM6334GNUQ2

If you want to game on it, you may as well get a PC. If you can't live without final cut then you'll have to get a Mac but you'll pay more for the performance you get.

what if im running boot camp with windows 7. wouldnt that allow for the same type of gaming? im a noob when it comes to computer gaming so any info helps

I need a new graphics card, monitor, mouse and keyboard!

In the OP the hobo box has a motherboard that is only limited to 4GB of RAM. I was thinking of getting one with a bit more expandability such as
MSI 770-C45

MSI AM3 NF750-G55

Biostar A770E3

These can all go up to 16GB and the Biostar is only about $6 more. Should I stay away from these brands or what ? Thanks

Edit: Also your opinion on the Antec 300 case.

Sorry if any of this was answered already, please note that I am unable to shop at newegg because of where I live ( I recognize it as the standard here for pricing) amazon or ebay is where I am limited to.

MSI is an excellent mobo manufacturer, right up there with ASUS. Biostar a bit less so, but you should be fine with that one too.

As for the Antec 300, I've heard it called the, "Centurion 5 for people who don't know better." It's basically the same price as the Centurion, except with no reset button or toolless mounts or room for 3.5" floppy drives or card readers and less room and manual-control fans that can't attach to your mobo's fan controller. So basically if all you have to spend is $50ish then either get a Centurion 5 or pay a bit extra for a Mini P180.

Thanks for the reply but unfortunately it came a bit too late. I ended up going with the centurion 5, which is cool. However due to supply and shipping constraints I ended up going with a Biostar TA785G3HD, for about $75.

I figured i'd use the onbard video for testing purposes until ny next bit of cash is freed up to by a good videocard. Acceptable as there aren't any games I really want right now.

Thanks again

Hey man, you should consider adding a section on monitors. 

I don't know squat about the different contrast ratios or how important the response times are, but I recently bought this, and I'm pretty happy with it for the price (CAD don't forget).  A decent guide on what to look for and what to avoid would be a handy bit of info for people.

Just a thought

So I finally got the chance to put my Hobo box together and I have a couple questions.

The motherboard only sees 1796 GB of RAM even though AMD Overdrive software recognizes that there are 2 1024 GB sticks. Also the speed is really slow like 500 - 600Mhz, is this normal?

And lastly the Bioware configurator that comes with Mass Effect 2 says that I only have one core in my processor, Athlon X2 240.

Any help would be appreciated

Thanks