Brand Guide
After reading through the component guide, if you're still unsure about what sort of brands and components to look out for, here is a list of many components for different needs with different prices. If you are still confused, check out the configurations section for some pre-made configurations to help you. The format will show a good low range, mid range and high range component to cater for all users. I will only write down two brands for each category to get you started. There are other brands available but I don't have much knowledge about them so I can't recommend them. NB: Prices current at time of writing, All prices in Australian Dollars
CPU
Intel
The more popular of the two main CPU brands. It really doesn't make a difference what brand you choose. Both are good brands and have their own positives. Intel has the faster chips and can easily out perform AMD (for now). If you are after speed go for Intel.
Intel E7400 - Intels new base model processor, 2.8GHz dual core. Note that it has a small cache limiting the amount of multi tasking it can do. If you are only going to be browsing the web and doing some word processing, this is for you. AUD$199
Intel E8500 - A good quiet mid range processor offering value for money and it is surprisingly good for gaming. 3.16GHz Dual Core. Good for occasional gaming and photo editing. AUD$300
Intel i7-965 - The greatest processor on earth (well best commercially available processor anyway). 3.2GHz Quad Core processor. This processor is meant for gaming. If money is no object, this is for you. Please Note: Uses Intel's new socket LGA1366 which has replaced LGA775. If you want this or any other i7 processor, buy an LGA1366 motherboard. AUD$1,785
AMD
Go for AMD CPU's if you are on a budget and don't need too much power. In terms of ease of use, both chips are equal
AMD Phenom 8650 - A triple core processor, is actually a mid-range product but is the same price as Intels low range offering. This is good value for money with 3 cores rather than the traditional 2 core. It is a 2.6GHz processor. Good for casual gaming (as long as it is not too graphics hungry). Requires socket AM2+. AUD$149
AMD Phenom 9950 Black Edition - A powerful quad core processor at almost the top range of AMDs AM2+ range. It is rated at 2.6GHz and is good for gaming and photo editing. AUD$269
AMD Phenom II 940 Black Edition - AMD's top of the line Phenom processor. Rated at 3.0GHz, it is nowhere near as expensive as Intel's top of the line processor. This also uses AMD's AM2+ socket. AUD$380
Motherboard (Intel Only)
Gigabyte
A reliable brand known for the ease in setting their products up. I would recommend Gigabyte's motherboards to all beginners because of how easy it is to set them up
Gigabyte GA-G41M-ES2L (Intel CPU) - A simple motherboard with everything you need to get started. Supports a CPU upto FSB1333 (Check the CPU you want). Does not include RAID support or Crossfire/SLI support. Has integrated graphics (no video card needed)AUD$168
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P (Intel CPU) - A motherboard with more advanced features such as RAID and crossfire support, works with LGA775 processors. Still uses DDR2.AUD$236
Gigabyte GA-EX58-EXTREME (Intel CPU) - A top of the line motherboard with support for Intel Core i7, Triple SLI and 6 RAM slots with support for upto 24GB of DDR3 RAM AUD$540
Asus
Asus has a good reputation with overclockers as their higher range boards are specially catered for people wanting to modify their cases with water cooling and third-party CPU coolers. Asus caters for this market very well. If you have experience and want to squeeze power from your board go for an Asus motherboard.
Asus P5KPL-AM (Intel CPU) - An entry level motherboard with very few extravagant features. Has integrated graphics and support FSB1600 CPU's. A micro-ATX motherboard. NB: Uses older intel chipset (G31). Gigabyte version has newer chipset - at this price range, probably better to go with the Gigabyte.AUD$95
Asus P5Q-E WiFi AP (Intel CPU) - An advanced motherboard which is slightly more expensive than the Gigabyte but comes with built in WiFi which eliminated the need for a separate WiFi card which can cost at least $60. Supports Crossfire and LGA775 processors AUD$290
Asus P6T Deluxe (Intel CPU) - A slightly more affordable Core i7 motherboard which has heaps of overclocking features and supports SLI and Crossfire. Consider this motherboard if you are looking at Core i7. This also uses DDR3 triple channel memory. AUD$475
Video Card
Nvidia
One of two makers of Video Card chips. These two companies give the reference designs to other companies which make the card for them. All Nvidia and ATI do is manufacture the Graphics chip. The manufacturer chooses how to build the card. Depending on the manufacturer, they might stray from the reference design in order to make the card run cooler. Recommended brands of Video Cards are Gigabyte, Asus and Leadtek. Not that these video cards will only fit in an ATX or micro-ATX case. BTX cases require special half height video cards which are also available. All prices below are for the Gigabyte version.
Gigabyte 9600GT 512MB RAM - An entry level video card. Still alright for casual gaming but it won't really handle games like Crysis and COD4 at the highest frame rates.AUD$150
Gigabyte 9800GTX+ 1GB RAM - Quite a good video card for its price. It can handle many games like Microsoft Flight Simulator and Crysis quite well. Good if you do moderate gaming and want a card with a lot of RAM. AUD$320
Gigabyte GTX295 1792MB RAM - A massive video card, excellent for gaming. Often used in double or even triple SLI configurations by gamers. Beware of the heat this card generates (make sure you have good airflow in your case and a huge power supply) and also make sure the card will fit in the case (it needs a full ATX case, you need to have an extra 2" (5cm) between the motherboard and hard drive cage) as it is a monster. Please note, this card has almost 2GB of RAM so if you are planning to buy Vista 32-bit, you can only have a maximum of 2GB usable memory.AUD$820AMD/ATI
ATI has recently been bought by AMD and have started to make excellent cards. In terms of performance both Nvidia and ATI are on par. Both manufacturers have decent cards and it is up to personal choice which you buy. Typically, Nvidia have cards with more to offer such as Physx and triple SLI but ATI has kept up with triple Crossfire support.
Gigabyte Radeon HD4670 512MB - An entry level DirectX 10.1 card with basic features for casual gaming. AUD$125
Gigabyte Radeon HD4870 1GB - A decent all rounder video card. Good for gaming on a budget. Much like the 9800GTX, it can handle many of the latest games well. AUD$350
Gigabyte Radeon HD4870X2 2GB - 2 HD4870 chips on 1 graphics card! This is basically twice as powerful as the above video card. It is like running SLI but only taking up two slots. This power comes at price though. AUD$750
RAM
Corsair
The leading manufacturer of RAM. Offer a limited lifetime warranty and I recommend it for everyone. Corsair make excellent quality RAM to suit every budget. When it comes to RAM, you have two choices. DDR2 and DDR3. DDR2 is recommended for low and mid range systems because it is cheaper. DDR3 is still quite expensive and doesn't offer a huge benefit over DDR2 yet to make the switch viable.
Corsair 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 4-4-4-12 - Excellent RAM for its price. Has a low latency and comes in kit so you can run dual channel. If 2GB isn't enough for you, buy another kit. They are so cheap! AUD$60
Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2-1066 5-5-5-12 - Although the full 4GB won't be utilised, this is a very cheap kit with excellent performance. it has a higher latency than the above RAM but this won't change much. Another option would be to buy 1 2GB kit and one 1GB kit to make a total of 3GB but often this costs more than buying just 4GB of RAM. AUD$90
Corsair Dominator 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3-2000 8-8-8-24 - DDR3 is expensive right now but if you want the most performance out of your system, it is the way to go. If you have an Intel X58 chipset motherboard, you can use triple channel RAM to essentially triple the speed of your RAM For this kit, it is recommended you go with 64-bit Vista. If using 32-bit, just buy the 3x1GB kit for aprrox. AUD$350. note that faster RAM has higher latency.AUD$590
Kingston
Kingston have a great range of RAM. Often they are cheaper than Corsair but are still very good although they don't have as high a reputation as Corsair with gamers. Kingston is planning on changing their image with the new HyperX range of RAM.
Kingston 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 5-5-5-12 - Basic RAM of excellent quality. Should suit anyone's needs. AUD$43
Kingston HyperX 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2-800 4-4-4-12 - Excellent low latency RAM. May charge a premium but the extra performance is worth it.AUD$102
Kingston HyperX 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3-1600 8-8-8-24 - Good RAM for gamers. Remember with 32-bit Vista, only about half of the 6GB RAM will be available to use. AUD$225
PSU
Power supplies are very important to your system. A bad power supply will lead to system instability and other problems. For this reason, I recommend spending a little bit more on a better power supply for added reliability and performance. If you are unsure what type of PSU you need, check out the PSU calculator
Thermaltake Toughpower Qfan 500W - A basic power supply for fairly basic computers. The premium you pay gives you a lifetime warranty for peace of mind. It can handle SLI but it isn't recommended for this wattage. This is a good power supply for those with a decent but not over the top computer. AUD$151
Corsair 620W - A wonderful stable power supply with a triple 12V rail and it can support SLI, plenty of drives and has everything you need for a gaming PC. AUD$190
Corsair 1000W (1kW) - This power supply will handle anything you throw at it. It can support triple SLI and heaps of drives. This is truly for overclockers and intense gamers. AUD$400