I can't tell you what to go for, but as someone who is also looking for a computer at the moment I can tell you what not to go for.

1. Vista - it's a definate no-no. Don't go near it with a barge pole I can honestly say I'd go for Windows ME over Vista
2. nVidea 8xxx series - Not had one in my recent time yet but as you can see from tech stickies there has been problems with it

Those 3 are probably going to be the major 3 things to not to go for especially for MxO. Dell computers generally are not going to affect MxO but *CENSORED* I hate them, my last Dell basically lasted about 3 months. They swapped it after having to repair it twice and the swapped one then died again so I don't trust Dell.

Things you will need to look for is this

1. Minimum of 2Gig ram, and that is minimum to be playing the latest games
2. 256MB of VRam again this is an absolute minimum, you should be looking for about 512MB preferably.
3. Processor should be going into Dual core or Quad core, most computer manufacturers use those nowadays anyway.
4. 500GB Hard drive space preferably.

Most other things will come as standard with most computer manufacturers but again I can't really say which ones to go for generally because after my Dell fiasco I make my own (although if you do make your own as well please make sure that the heat sensor works otherwise the computer will set fire).

Cheers Den...

And thanks Tonic..O_o

I'm getting a computer thats specifically for gaming and I was wondering if I could ask them if it comes with a different graphics card and program (Instead of Vista, something else (Recommend anything anyone?) at the shop?

Well if anyone doesn't lag with theirs, I'd like to know the prices and which ones they bought, because I'm not very computer minded :O

Well if anyone doesn't lag with theirs, I'd like to know the prices and which ones they bought, because I'm not very computer minded :O

I honestly would recommend building your own, there are a lot of websites to help you

http://www.build-your-own-computers.com/

http://www.buildyourown.org.uk/

http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/

These were the first 3 I found by google, lots of websites out there and once you build one computer it becomes surprisingly simple, also you know exactly whats in the computer so you know whats capable and in the end it saves in time and frustration.

Thanks for your advice. I can't build a pc, but I'll see if anyone I know I can. Thanks." />

• 2GB RAM
• Win XP
• 2x 10,000 RPM SATA HDDs (1 for windows the other has MxO) go for 256GB if you plan to record your gameplay with FRAPS
  
• Either an Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 or better, or an Intel core 2 Quad Extreme
• ATI Video card
• FAST internet (8Mbit or more downstream with minimum 1.5Mbit to 2Mbit upstream)
• A good audio card will increase FPS and just make things sound awesome. I recommend the Soundblaster X-Fi range.
• Logitech G11 Keyboard or better (use thos scriptable buttons for commands like; /sit, /removewaypoint Door, /removewaypoint "Luggable Detected", /tiphat /tc, /fc, /say, etc...)
• A LIGHT and precise (high sample rate) mouse (more for 1st person shooters, but good in general. Microsoft Intellimouse's are good but tend to have the cables break. Logitech are also very good. Make sure you have a good mousing surface too... fUnc Industries make hi-glide teflon pads that are brilliant. http://www.func.net
• A good motherboard. Preferably with good north and south bridge passive cooling and smart overclocking. The Asus Strike Extreme is terrific.
  

• 8xxx series nVidia cards with Windows XP ... brace for lag.
• Vista has some graphical issues with MxO: texture problems, blank screenshots with AntiAliasing turned on, Character models have incorrect face shading.

These are all good specs, but if we are speaking in general terms, I will add a few more things I've discovered in recent weeks:

If you're looking at Vista, it is a performance drain, and there are some issues, but MxO has really been the worst I've encountered--other games (including MMOs) have been running just fine in this OS.

If you're wanting to stick with XP, take the leap and go to XP x64 Edition.  Seriously, it's been the best performer among all my machines, and I still love how well it handles MxO (with twin 7950GTs, mind you).

The thing about it is, like other OSes that have come out in the past, Vista is just a bit ahead of its time:  you really want to exceed the recommended specifications on Vista if you're going to get anywhere as a gamer.  I've discovered that even a minimal quad-core does better than a dual-core because Vista is capable of multithreading pretty well (credit where credit is due).  Memory has been the biggest gripe Vista has given me:  the amount is important, but so is the speed:  PC3200 gets cranky on me.  Hard-drive speed is the third area of complaint:  below 7,200RPM, 3.0GB/s SATA2, and 16MB cache, you have a problem with Vista's happiness level (the "Windows Experience Index".

Here's the big thing that surprised me about Vista:  the newer stuff seems to work better.  I know some of you are thinking, "Duh!  New technology!" but then think about how much better, say, Quake II or Half-Life ran when you first got it off of Win98 and into XP.  I have a desktop now that runs Crysis in an amazing, overwhelming level of clarity and detail, at 1380x768.  This same machine runs Halo 1 at slide-show framerates and randomly freezes.