What features do I want in a new PC for under $2000?

I have built PC’s in the past but really didnt want to go to crazy this time around so my parents got me a pre-built HP and i kind of Frankenstein’d it for under $200 to where i wanted it (the model i have is like $550 at Best Buy or Circuit City).

It has:
3.2ghz Dual Core Processor (you want Dual or Quad core at this point in time though have read you really dont need a Quad core)
4 gigs of RAM (expandable to 8) you are going to want about this much RAM

Now the onboard sound card and everything else was fine for me but im a hardcore gamer so i bought a new 600watt Power Supply off www.newegg.com with a EVGA Nvidia Geforce 9800GT, got them together with rebates at the end cost me around $110. I love my system now, if you go this route and try and save money make sure the Power Supply and Video Card you buy have plentys of fans.

you need an all in wonder video card! they are fun to play with. they are made by ati

You can make a monster of a computer for $2000. I had a top of the line computer in 1999 for under $800. You just need to spend some time on research.

Depending on what you want out of your computer you’ll need different things. Nowadays you’ll want a multicore processor. Vista is basically requiring a minimum of 2 gigs of ram nowadays so 3 and 4 gigs are not unheard of (I built my monster computer when 2 gigs of ram was ludicrous). You’ll want a motherboard with PCI-express since it outruns AGP by a lot. You’ll want a PCI-e graphics card to take advantage of the faster speeds. Other than that, it’s basically personal preference as to what kind of specific performance goals you have.

I happen to get something in the mail today. HP allows you to customize. I picked all of their best and it was $2000. I may go with it.

@Mr_M There are good and bad things about buying from a company.

Good: You get support, a tried and true setup, and they combine everything for you in a working package (it’s easy).

Bad: They are much more expensive than doing it yourself. No satisfaction of completing something yourself. They’re far less customizable than an original build. Did I mention they’re expensive?

Building is actually pretty simple. You just need the basic parts and an understanding of what’s needed, where they go, and what’s compatible. It does require time and effort which is why Dell and other computer building companies exist and take your money.

Personally I’d avoid HP, but that’s just me. I’ve had multiple bad experiences from them regarding computers (an HP Pavilion desktop that was the worst computer I’ve ever had the unfortunate privilege to use, and an HP Latitude Laptop that broke every 3 months or so).

As far as quality goes I’d suggest Dell if you’re going to buy from a company. They have a very good track record and I’ve been using school bought quality Dell desktops for the last 6 years or so. Their XPS desktop using the best hardware available for customization is $2000 as well (this is with a 1 Terabyte hard drive….since you want lots of music space….it’s a bit lower with a 750 gig HD).

Definitely take some time and shop around. Pricegrabber.com and Slickdeals.net are great places to find info on good deals as well.

I appreciate that. Doing it myself is not an option, though.