Another computer upgrade questionFollow

First, I must admit to a gaming blasphemy: I'm playing WoW and other games on a Mac laptop. This is because my PC desktop is from 2006, but I can't afford to update it right now (and haven't, for the past 5 1/2 years). The laptop was a gift from 2010, and I value it highly, but it's obviously not ideal for gaming.

I'm somehow, despite our economy, feeling pretty optimistic about finding a job after I get my teaching certificate this coming August, since I know a lot of frustrated teachers who want to quit and quite a few others who are ready to retire -- and with all the new changes in our district, might do it sooner rather than later. I have a few exciting pluses to add to my resume, too.

So, this is probably premature (I don't have a full-time teaching job yet), but I've been looking into computer updates. I just threw $2,600 at tuition for the student teaching, and I figure if I can afford that (eventually) without any reasonable income, I should be able to afford around the same amount on a new computer when I do have a living income. The last time I bought one, I went mid-range and didn't really know what to look for. I'm not feeling particularly more confident now.

1. Budget: around $2,500 -- but I don't want to pay for things that won't actually be useful.

2. I care more about longevity than competitiveness: I want the best, but not so I can beat everyone, but so that 3 years from now it will be average rather than completely obsolete. I want to be able to pick up new games, too. Right now, there are a lot of games I'd love to buy, but I can't play them on either of my computers.

3. I want to continue having one of each computer (and eventually also use Linux), to stay on top of different operating systems and to try to avoid monopolies. I want my gaming computer to be a PC and a desktop, not a Mac, since there are more games for PC than Mac (and yes, I know you can run Windows on Mac -- I might consider that option if it's really best, but I want to look into all options).

4. I know the top items in looking for a new computer for gaming are: processor, video card, and RAM. What I don't know is how to prioritize those items in a new system, for example when comparing different computers or when customizing one.

5. I have no idea what companies are reliable. I currently have a Hewlett-Packard, but I did a search on "gaming computers" and came up with several companies I've never even heard of. Since longevity is an issue, I want to go with a company that is known for reliability.

6. I haven't figured out entirely what I'm doing with TV: I know I want Netflix instead of cable/satellite, because I rarely watch TV shows when they're on, and instead watch whole seasons from start to finish. I do want access to local news. I haven't figured out if I want a TV and have it set up for streaming from Netflix or if I want a second monitor, in which case I would watch the local news from their website. In any case, the computer might be used for watching TV shows.

7. Anything else you think I should know.

I did do some research, reading reviews on different systems, etc., but I realize that I might be too optimistic. What if I don't get a steady job this fall? I'd like less of information on specific computers to buy, and more of a general idea on how to do research . . . in case this is more like 2-3 years from now (although, sticking with a 2006 computer for that long will likely drive me batty and I might end up having to buy a cheap, non-gaming computer just to get some kind of update).

Wow - didn't know that forum existed. I'll be heading there shortly. Thanks!

For that money, you'll get something that'll rock the **** out of any current game, including BF3, which is probably among the most demanding games out, at the moment.

Thanks, everyone! And yes, my PC does play WoW, just not very well compared to the Mac, which makes me realize that it's really not ideal. I had no idea it was that different. Also, maybe your 2004 computer was a better computer overall -- I had no idea what I was buying when I bought mine. Mainly, though it can't play any of the newer games because I can't update my video card.

And I know my budget is on the high end, which is nice, but when I bought this computer it was over $1,000, so it seems that computer prices are coming down. I was actually shocked when I went to Hewlett-Packard and found that the price ranges were <$300, $300-$700, and >$700. If I hadn't seen that, I probably wouldn't have posted this -- it's obvious that I *am* going into the hardcore gaming computer market now, and I know nothing about it. That said, I did see some computers well into the $4,000-$6,000 range, which is definitely not something I need at this time. So, I didn't want to say that "price is no issue." Also, again, I don't want to end up spending money on items that don't actually matter, and since most of the reviews focused on performance with the knowledge that most gamers replace their computers every 3 years . . . I realized that those reviews might not really help me with my needs, since the whole point is to avoid having to replace my computer until I actually need to.

The build-your-own option is interesting, and I do think I know someone who could help with that. Also Kaolian wrote a very useful response on the correct forum (where I should have posted originally), for both evaluating components in pre-built models and for choosing my own components if I decide to go that way. Thanks for the pointer to tigerdirect!

Thanks again to everyone!