As a huge Zelda fan, Skyward Sword had my attention, through the times that everyone was hating on the graphics, up through the hype train as it was garnering 10s from unexpected publications. Regardless of how others felt at the time, I wanted it, and I wanted it bad. However, when I finally got my hands on it, I had a few preconceived notions. I was expecting big things from the controls, even bigger things from the story, and was also prepared for a somewhat differently constructed game. These ideas had been thrown around IGN and elsewhere and these were my expectations. Did I think I would like it more than Ocarina of Time? Frankly no, because that game had a magic that would take a miracle to achieve. But I still had high expectations.

As I finally saw the credits roll, my head was swamped with mixed feelings. Part of me was saying, "That's it? I want even more!!". Another part was saying, "Wow, that was an amazingly well constructed game". Yet another was murmuring, "Hmm, that was fun but....". Skyward Sword is a tough game to process and say "Is this good" or "It's better than this game". It's just so different on so many levels, yet so familiar. Quite simply, it just has to be experienced.

All in all, I think Skyward Sword is a fantastic game that is the product of years of thought from some of the best game developers in the world. It is so well made, so obviously tweaked to perfection, that you can tell Nintendo was aiming for the very top with this one. It retains many of the features, constructs, and feelings that make Zelda so adored, while innovating in the more functional and experiential parts, preventing it from feeling old and rehashed like most games out there. And yet, it just is missing something. Somewhere in all the perfectly built areas and wonderfully tweaked AI, the game was missing that sense of magic and awe that nearly every Zelda has. That feeling when you first walk out into Hyrule field. That feeling as you sink into the depths and suddenly see Hyrule Castle. That feeling of just wondering the landscape on your horse. While the game was dishing out amazing gameplay in spades, the intangibles just seemed to be lacking a bit.

Let's dive right in!

I don't know exactly the reason for this, but perhaps it can be uncovered looking at all the bits and parts of this massive game. Obviously, controls are the most noticeable change. And they work. Please don't argue that. It's responsive, especially sword play, and totally changes this franchise for the better. Going back to Twilight Princess, I was attempting to guide my sword before realizing that for whatever reason, the direction your moving determined the direction of your blade back in the old system. Trying to swat bats out of the air, I forgot that I have to lock on and waggle (or mash B) away until my sword lands a hit. Simply put, I do not want to go back to the old method of sword combat. And all the extra little uses just fill in the usage of the Wiimote. Most of it works, even if it doesn't add a whole lot, and greatly simplifies control. All this whining about calibration can be put to rest, as I never once needed recalibrate. Recenter my cursor, yes, but that's because it's designed to not force you to face the TV. This wonderfully relieves you of having to "find" the IR sensor bar every time you want to aim or look around. Hopefully you can see that the motion controls really make Zelda new again, and as Rich said, I don't want to go back.

Items are incredibly balanced and well used. You'll be using them all throughout the entire game, all with very unique and effection motion controls

The other thing that changed the most? The pacing and construct of the game. The main focus is no longer on dungeons and temples, but rather everything. Every bit of land is used for some puzzle, some battle, some type of action somewhere in the adventure. No longer are you always pushing into new territory, but rather finding new, hidden secrets in places you've already visited. Opening up passages to locations that you walked past last time. It's a very different take on the Zelda formula and really focuses the game on well, the game. You're constantly having to do something and every corner could have a secret. The dungeons are actually quite short now, but it feels fine since you've been solving puzzles and fighting enemies for hours already anyway. And these mini dungeons call upon some great puzzles in their own right, and yes, the final dungeon is absolutely brilliant. It totally caught me off guard, but wow. That thing was crazy. Along with these dungeons are definitely some of the best boss battles. They're not the greatest, most fearsome foes, but the fight themselves are creative, challenging, and immensely satisfying.

Bosses, both big and small, are some of the most fun and satisfying. And weird...

Really that goes with every enemy you fight. So unlike Twilight Princess and really every Zelda, every enemy you fight is a little challenge. Because of the motion plus sword combat, you actually have to think about fighting, as enemies watch your sword placement and defend appropriately. It's immensely satisfying, if a bit tough at first. But you feel like you're constantly getting better, even as enemies continually grow in difficulty and change in strategy. Yet, it rarely is frustrating. As I said, the controls just work, and in the same way, the AI is tweaked to just work with those new controls.

Fighting foes such as these actually takes skill now and provides some of the most fun challenges thanks to the excellent motion controlled combat

Hopefully your seeing what I mean that this game is well constructed. Everything is thought out, pieced together, and works together. It's fresh content, fresh ideas, and really pushes the legendary franchise in a new direction. But I stated it before: it was just missing a little bit of something. That magic that is often the reason Nintendo games are so unique and so incredible. Perhaps it was the suffocated story, with so much potential but that got stagnated due to so much overwhelming gameplay content. Hours of gameplay separated some fantastic cut scenes and story developments that it felt incredibly staggered and not smooth. Perhaps it was the lack of much to really explore and adventure, a staple of the franchise that basically defines the adventure genre. While there's a ton to do, sometimes you just want to go out in a vast plain and take in the sights. Perhaps it was just too different, making it not feel like a Zelda game anymore. Maybe the soundtrack just didn't stand out, despite it's use of an orchestra. The graphics were excellent, clean despite the lack of HD, but maybe in this day an age we need something to really wow us. I don't really know, and if you have any ideas, please let me know.

Art certainly wasn't lacking

And that was my experience with the latest chapter in arguably the greatest franchise in gaming. Everything in it suggests that it should probably be the best game of all time. I've never seen something so unique and different, so well constructed, planned out, and full of content. Yet, it seems to miss a few beats somehow and just not blow me away like it seems it should. I never really went, "Wow" like I did with Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, Majora's Mask, and even Twilight Princess. My game of the year? Yes, though it wasn't really up against incredibly stiff competition. But at the same time, I think I was more "wowed" by Battlefield 3's destruction and intensity, despite it's technical mess, terrible campaign, and infuriating spawning. There was a bit more magic even in Uncharted 3's crazy stunts.

It's just so hard to describe but there you have it. I implore that everyone play this game for themselves and see if that's what they feel. It's such a well made game that I think everyone needs to play it, but I just can't say it will blow your mind or capture that magic you may be expecting by such a game.

Oh hello there, MyIGN. I guess it's been awhile. Almost half a year I think. Heck, I'm sure most of you have forgotten who the heck I am and are about to hit the back button. Whether that's you or you're one of my original, loyal followers, I just felt compelled to write something while I have a moment to ensure that I'm still here, I still comment from time to time, and may even post some more blogs.

So what have I been doing? Mostly school, as I had an incredibly full fall semester. It ended up being one of my best though, so I'm glad I put in the effort and hours, rather than writing blogs like the year before. However, I do miss writing so this little blog will have to do for now.

I mostly write about gaming stuff on this blog so I'll stick to that I guess. Gaming-wise it has mostly been Battlefield 3, quickly going through what ended up being an awful campaign and then hitting the online battles. I have to say I'm mostly quite satisfied with the game. There really is no other shooter out there that can capture the awe-inspiring battles and there's simply no end to things to unlock and gain, keeping me coming back. However, they really did miss it when it comes to things like the horrific spawning, and some very unbalanced weapons. It's not game breaking but is moment breaking, leading to times of frustration which really shouldn't be in a game. There's also the huge number of technical problems from Origin, to battlelog, to the way too frequent disconnects for no good reason. It's just made the game a pain to play sometimes which is unfortunate given the game's incredible experience when everything is flowing smoothly.

The most intense battles you'll ever play...if you can stay connected.

That was mostly at school, so as soon as I came home for Winter break, I hit the consoles, most notably Skyward Sword of course. I'd like to do a dedicated blog to this game, with my thoughts, but all in all, I really enjoyed the game and it really has set a new bar for the franchise, but it just lacked the awe and magic sometimes that was constantly present in pretty much all other Zeldas. I really have no idea how to rank it because it is so much better in many respects than any other Zelda, but is also very very different in a few ways making it hard to compare. I'm playing through Twilight Princess now for comparison's sake, and have yet to play Hero mode, so I guess any type of conclusion will have to wait. It's an absolute requirement to play by any gamer though. Incredibly full experience so unlike anything else out there, but retains the solid design of every other Zelda. It's hard to describe so you just have to play it I guess.

An incredibly different Zelda experience. You just have to try it yourself to see how.

The other high profile game I played was Uncharted 3. This is another very difficult game to gauge. Essentially, I'd say it's the opposite of Battlefield 3. The single player experience once again sets the bar higher, containing some absolutely incredible sequences that I dare not spoil. It's just insane sometimes. On the other hand, the multiplayer is just a frustrating mess. While they righted the serious wrong of Uncharted 2 of not including local multiplayer, it's just a really lame and frustrating multiplayer experience. It's pretty much nothing new, standard 3rd person shooting with a couple different modes, but it's just annoying to play. You can be doing everything right, and then randomly get killed by somebody with a rocket. You can fire on someone first, but they win by randomly throwing a grenade and running in circles. It seriously does not reward strong, strategic play but rather just being dumb and getting lucky with explosives. The melee is broken, sometimes missing, sometimes not, always gluing you to the floor for some reason. And cheaters are just too common. I've run into plenty of people doing way more damage, taking forever to kill, etc. The whole thing is a mess, slightly alleviated by some co-op modes, that just end up being really repetitive and boring. So try and find this one cheaper as the single player experience is a must play, but little else, and if you've played Uncharted before, you'll know there is little incentive to play again as the combat is still annoying and the fun lies in the crazy action sequences that once played, lose their fresh appeal.

You won't believe what leads to this crash....

I've also been digging into Skyrim and have to say it's fun, but really just feels like a new Oblivion. Everything is pretty much constructed the same and just looks better, has slightly better and more diverse combat, and oh, well, nothing else is different. It's fun, a huge time suck, and the small but detailed world is great to explore, but... it's really just a fancy expansion to Oblivion. Which was already not that huge of an upgrade to Morrowind (though much bigger than this sequel). So while it's good, Morrowind/Oblivion still remain the high point of the franchise.

The biggest Oblivion expansion pack yet! Oh wait...

I've also begun Shadow of the Colossus. It's definitely an "experience" but lacks much of a game. Also, it's just a port so it's very rough when compared to today's games when it comes to controls, animation, and presentation in general, but even then, just trying to ride your horse is a pain, and unfortunately you have to do it a lot with the huge overworld with nothing to do in. The fights range from incredible and breathtaking to an absolute pain. Luckily more reside in the former category. I'm about 2/3 done so we'll see how I feel once it's completed.

It's more of an experience than a full game, but some of those colossi are dang awesome! A couple are plain annoying though....

That's about it for gaming. Otherwise, I've just been busy with school, work, a mission trip, and family time during Christmas and New Years. I've got some time before school starts again so hopefully I can write some more blogs with more details about these games and other things I've been doing. And I'll always be commenting on stuff so feel free to leave links on my wall if you so desire!

Well, I'm late again with my Character Countdown so I've decided to post a pair of interesting, controversial, rage inducing blogs. Hopefully, my purpose will be evident by the end. For now, continue reading to see why PC gaming beats out console gaming any day of the week.

1. Superior Hardware

This is definitely the reason most people fight over. Hopefully it's plainly evident that PC desktops are well beyond the consoles now. While it's not as huge of a gap as the 6 year difference may seem (due to PCs having to devote resources to an Operating System among other reasons), it's still a huge gap. Crysis is my obvious example. While no normal person could run the game with settings all the way up at the time, it's pretty trivial nowadays, and simply looking at pure graphical output and processing, if Crysis got a 10, even the best console game (I'd argue Uncharted 2) would maybe have a 5. This is simply an objective fact. While whether or not the game actually looks better/ has better graphics requires discussion, simply by the numbers, Crysis is proof that PC hardware is several miles beyond the consoles. Whether it be the shaders, the amount of objects, draw distance, AI, or physics calculations, PCs can simply do more.

2. Superior Controls

Mouse and Keyboard. 'Nuff said. Really, just from a very basic point of view, the more buttons, the better for gaming controls, allowing many more inputs. And I'm pretty sure the keyboard has quite a few more buttons. While ergonomics may be a nice comeback on the surface, anyone doubting the comfort of a device people use 8 hours a day for work simply are coming up with excuses. Without question, the keyboard simply offers much more control and options. In the other hand, the mouse. Again, there's a reason this device is standard among billions of working people. It's precise while still fast. There's no limit to how quickly or how slowly you move it, unlike analog sticks. At the same time, more and more mice are offering even more input, such as scroll wheels and side buttons that naturally fit under the thumb. Simply put, nothing beats the mouse, whether it be basic menu navigation, or lining up the sights of your gun on someone. Together, the keyboard and mouse make the ultimate gaming control interface. Oh, and I guess if you want, you can plug your 360 or PS3 controller in too.....

3. True HD Gaming

Sorry to break it to you, but your precious 360 and PS3 don't offer HD games. Okay, that's a bit of a stretch as 720p is technically HD. But for me, 1080p is where HD really starts and I must say I was almost shocked when I went and put down 300 hard-earned dollars to find that my PS3 neither came with an HDMI cord, nor even used it to the fullest extent. Nearly every game is simply 720p, scaled up, due to the lacking hardware. PCs, on the other hand, will render natively at any resolution. Not just 1080p. 1200p. 1600p. This is true HD gaming, completely free of jagged edges, and aliasing issues.

4. Dedicated Servers

To be honest, I've never actually played a console game online (unless you count Mario Kart Wii ). However, I have experienced the issues it faces, thanks to Modern Warfare 2, which simply used the exact same online system on PC. In one sense, it seems simpler to not have to worry about servers. Just choose the game type and play. However, not only is there a severe lack of customization or community, more importantly, it's just so dang unreliable. Having to rely on a host that's in the game itself is just asking for trouble, such as disconnections, huge lag spikes, not to mention they can just leave the game whenever they want. They also get the infamous lag advantage, being able to shoot down others when on their screen they already shot several times. It's just not an environment that's conducive to fun, competitive gameplay. Additionally, there's other issues such as the inability to ban hackers (due to the lack of admins) amd no way to mix up the gameplay with mods and different settings (more on that later). In the end, it's just a pain to play online without dedicated servers, something consoles just will never have.

5. Modification Support

This advantage has slowly diminished as consoles receive games like LittleBigPlanet, providing very robust tools to create content. However, it simply is not at the level possible on a PC. Not only does the PC simply sport the proper input methods (keyboard/mouse) that are actually used in real game development, but simply having access to gave files and assets blows the door wide open when it comes to mods. Not only does this provide infinite replay value with a continuous stream of content, people can take it to the next level and actually change the game. Entire new games, such as Battlefield's Project Reality and Counter-Strike RPG games, are spawned, sometimes better than the original game itself. Literally anything is possible with mods and it really provides a new level of entertainment as people spend more time modding than playing. If you're not convinced of the power of mods, just look at the number of them available for Oblivion, Crysis, Counter-Strike, and Battlefield 2 just to name a few.

6. Games Grow with your Hardware

This one might be a stretch for some, but I appreciate it. Because there are so many different hardware, PC games must allow customization of graphics to varying degrees of quality. While most 'hardcore' PC gamers insist on the best hardware all the time, not everyone can afford that (like me) and sometimes I can't play some of the latest games with all settings all the way up and at the highest resolution. The thing is, in a few years, a new graphics card will get me just that. Unlike consoles games which have to stick to the same settings, developers can go all out and future proof their game. Crysis is the obvious example. Sure, no one could put the settings all the way up at the time, but medium was about the same quality as console games and still looked great. Now, a couple years later, any decent rig can run it maxed out and the game is a whole other world; it's such a step up that your mind is blown a bit the first time you see all the settings on Very High for the first time. Of course, it needs the gameplay to be replayable for me to go back after a couple years, but Crysis had that in spades. My console games on the other hand, look exactly the same after all these years.

7. Steam Deals

This might seem a bit silly, but I'm serious. While console games have a nice, unified pricing system, you have to simply wait and hope they drop the price if you're not willing to shell out full price for some games. With a PC, you're almost inundated with deals. Nearly every week there's something on sale, sometimes at ridiculous levels. Here's a small list of what I got for less thanks to Steam. Fallout 3: Game of the Year addition: $37, Assassin's Creed: $5, Mass Effect: $5, Mass Effect 2: $10, Bioshock: $5, Star Wars: Force Unleashed: $7. And these deals aren't rare. Every few months something special goes on (such as publisher catalog deals, this year's Summer Camp, EA week, or the inevitable Christmas bonanza). And who said PC gaming was expensive?

8. Long Term Price

Speaking of money, what's this crazy idea I'm proposing? PCs are cheap and even cheaper than consoles in the long run? You bet in certain circumstances. Obviously, if you're just going to buy a gaming PC out of nowhere and want the best, it's going to be considerably more expensive. But what if you're getting or have a computer anyway? I guarantee you all have your own computer, and even if it's ancient you'll be getting a new one in the near future. Let's see, that's about $500 dollars you're going to spend anyway. What if you decide to buy a mid-end gpu? 100 bucks. Some more RAM? $50. Well, you've got a gaming rig now. Perhaps not the best, but you've got one. A mere 150 dollars. Oh, what do you know, you don't have to buy any over-priced controllers. *Gasp!* Even at full price, games are 50 bucks, not this $60 nonsense. Oh, hey, in a few years, you only have to pay 100 bucks for a new GPU, not 300 for a new console (along with new controllers). What's this, all your old games are backwards compatible? Look at all these deals on Steam! Yes, you're going to take a hit once in awhile when your computer gets to the point that new hardware simply isn't compatible with the rest of your machine but it's so much rarer. In the end, I've spent considerably less on PC gaming than consoles, considering I would have gotten a computer anyway. Everyone's situation is different of course, and if you want the best hardware available, it's definitely going to be more, but at least you have the option, rather than being stuck with one piece of hardware.

Well, I sure hope the overwhelming evidence is clear: PC gaming is where it's at. Hmm? What's this blog over here talking about....?

Well, I'm late again with my Character Countdown so I've decided to post a pair of interesting, controversial, rage inducing blogs. Hopefully, my purpose will be evident by the end. For now, continue reading to see why consoles are the place for superior gaming.

1. Unified Hardware

There are simply no headaches when it comes to consoles. Want a game? Just buy it and put it in the system. No need to worry about technical specifications, drivers, compatibility, etc. Instead of having to sort through hundreds of video cards, worry about the amount of RAM, keep track of your computer's temperature, and hope your set up works well with that new game you want, you can just stick the game in and go. No need to mess with graphics settings either, searching for a decent framerate while keeping the graphics decent. You just start playing with great graphics and a consistent framerate already to do go for you. No settings, no bugs, no freezing, just playing.

2. Intuitive Controls

What controllers lack in buttons, they make up for with simple intuition. You have a controller, it goes into your hands, move around with the control stick, push a few face buttons, nice analog shoulder buttons; sometimes simplicity is the way to go. While the keyboard has you stuck with ancient digital input, controllers feature analogue control, for flowing movement. Why would you want to be stuck to 8 directions? This isn't the 80s! If I"m going to be running around or jumping at all, I want full control, and complete freedom in 360 degrees is what I need. Plus, I can do all of this while lounging back on my couch. And as consoles evolve, so do their controllers, providing new and interesting experiences, such as the Wiimote, providing the precision of a mouse, without losing the analogue stick. Or the upcoming WiiU controller, sporting both the control features of "traditional" games, as well as motion, and a new screen. The keyboard has been the same for years, and it's certainly not ever going to change any time soon.

3. The Big Screen

Tired of that measly 20 inch monitor? Why don't you upgrade to the console arena, where 40 inches or bigger is standard. This is where the true immersive experience takes place. I don't want to be at a desk like I'm at work. Give me a nice couch, some snacks on the side, and some booming speakers.

4. Local Multi-player

While PC gamers are stuck in their rooms, playing World of Warcraft for 8 hours a day with people they've never seen before, and never will, consoles provide a way to actually have fun with your friends. While the solo experience is all well and good, there's simply no denying the appeal of enjoying it with your buds. Goldeneye, Halo, Smash Bros.; it's a totally different kind of experience, but it's one everyone needs to enjoy. Nothing beats yelling and fighting each other in the same room, all in good cheer. Much like actually interacting with real people rather than avatars over the internet, real interaction in gaming is simply irreplaceable, and PCs just don't allow for that to happen very easily. Yes, there is LAN, but I don't want to lug a desktop around, and games are even starting to lose support for it. And blaming each other for screen looking is half the fun!

5. Price

Since when does everyone have $1000 lying around? Consoles provide a much cheaper alternative to expensive new hardware. You just buy one system for a few hundred dollars and that that. No need to buy a bunch of high-end components. Sure, that means it gets outdated fast, but since it's a dedicated gaming platform, there's no reason to upgrade right away. The hardware is much more capable than their PC counterparts, as it doesn't have to deal with an OS sucking up resources, background tasks, and other such performance sucking drawbacks. It's games and you go.

6. Larger Community

The simple fact is, the console community is larger right now, when it comes to dedicated gamers. This means more games to share with and more active online environments. If I log on to CoD4 or MW2 on PC, there's pretty much no one playing anymore. On the consoles however, tons of people are still going and it's easy to find a match. Additionally, for better or for worse, this means we're the audience that's going to get the most widespread attention by developers. Whether you like it or not, consoles are the main focus for most developers now, meaning more games are coming to consoles, even previously exclusive PC franchises (Call of Duty, Battlefield, Elder Scrolls, Fallout, even Valve games). Also, that means the games are more tailored to the console environment. You can argue about how that's worse for some games, but it's a separate issue. The fact is, the consoles are where most games are being tailored, and don't you want to be part of that?

7. Legendary Software

This is the big trump card. While both PCs and consoles have their main franchises and developers, it's the consoles where the most memorable and legendary games lie. Obviously big names like Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Final Fantasy, Ratchet and Clank, Halo, Killzone, etc. are (for the most part) only on consoles, and will continue to be. While some third party games have begun to be ported over to the PC market, the big ones are console exclusives. The simple fact is, I can't play Zelda or Metroid on a PC. The fact is, all the most memorable games were on the old consoles; only a few reside on the PC. While there's always a bit of preference here and there, in the end, there's simply no denying the overwhelming quality of console software, and in the end, that's what matters the most.

I certainly hope these points clearly pointed out to you the superiority of gaming on consoles. Wait, what's this blog over here about.....?

Hello My IGN!

All summer I've been looking for some type of programming job to do until the school year starts, and out of nowhere, I got one at my school! (UC Berkeley) And as an awesome bonus, I'm getting paid 20 bucks an hour and the first thing on my list to do with extra money has been to finally make my own desktop. So I've been scouring the internet for parts the past couple days and thought I'd share what I have so far. None of this is finalized, since I won't be ordering anything for awhile, and things sell out, go on sale, etc. However this is what I'm working with and so far, I'm liking it! I've been holding myself to a $1000 dollar budget so far, but if I really feel like it, I have no problem going a bit over.

First off, the Motherboard. I've never had to buy one before, and so I really had no idea what exactly to look for. I knew what processor I'd like though, so I went off the socket type, number of PCIe 2.0 slots (at least 2) and just looked for some good deals (and good ratings). This is what I'm going for right now:

Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3-B3 ATX Intel Motherboard

$139.99 ($20 off)

It sports 2 PCIe 2.0 slots which is plenty if I ever consider doing SLI, 3 PCIe x1 slots which probably won't be used except for a possible sound card, and basically everything else you would expect on any mobo. It does have 2 USB 3.0 ports, not that I have anything that uses that, as well as a Firewire 1394 port which may come in handy if I ever get a decent video camera one of these days. 4 memory slots of course and plenty of hard drive support. Pretty basic stuff. If you've got some awesome suggestions, that'd be great as I'm not very well versed in motherboards, but for now, I think this is a pretty solid choice.

Next, is the CPU. This has always been a weak spot on my computers as they get very expensive, very fast, and I just can't afford something better. Once again, I'm holding back a bit, but this time with good reason:

Intel Core i5-2500K

$219.99

Now, I'm you're sure aghast that I'm not getting an i7. The simple fact is, I have no need of one. The only difference between i5 and i7 is that i7 supports hyper-threading, essentially doubling the number of cores you have. Right now, only high end video editing software supports it extensively, and games aren't even close. Most don't even support 4 cores, let alone, 8. While I do enjoy video editing, I don't do it a lot, and there's not too much help of additional cores unless your RAM usage is maxed per core (After Effects, for example can use up to 8 GB of memory per core when rendering). There's the obvious slight increase in frequency, but over 3.0 GHz, the difference is negligible, especially for games. Besides, this chip can easily be overclocked to 4.4 GHz, so I'm not missing out on much at all. At the end of the day, I save $100 dollars, and get just as much bang. Really, I'm actually considering looking for a lower end i5 just to save some money. I'll still most likely get this model and I'm confident it will support all my needs.

And you always need some RAM, so here's a quick look at what I'm thinking of getting.

G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB DDR3 1600

$84.99

Not much to say, really. 4GB chips have gotten incredibly cheap in the last couple years and I'd highly suggest that anyone thinking about upgrading their RAM should switch up to 4GB DIMMs. Just 2 years ago, this would have been priced close to $800 dollars. Now it's a 10th of that. I haven't really looked at 8GB chips but I really don't see a need for 16GB in the near future, let alone 32.

And now the juicy part: the GPU.

Galaxy GeForce GTX 465 1GB

$129.99 ($40 off)

I bet you're freaking out once again. "465?? What the heck kind of card is that?" The best performance vs. price card on the market, that's what. It's a slightly slower clocked model of the 460, but with more core processors, and runs a little hotter. However, it's cheaper than any 460 I could find, let alone a 500 model. It's got solid ratings all around and I'm confident it'll serve my needs. I am definitely looking around in this category though, such as this funky looking 560 and this HUGE deal on a 480. It all depends on when I get my money, and how much I'm willing to spend. Right now, my go to one is the 465 though.

Now, the Power Supply:

Corsair Enthusiast Series 650W ATX 12V

$94.99 ($25 off)

This is a pretty important one to get right, since plenty of bad things can happen without sufficient power, and there are plenty of bad power supplies out there. Thus, I decided to just go safe and get the highest rated, most popular one. The 650 Watts may seem a little over kill for an i5 and a 465, but with upgrading an intention of building a computer, I just want to have plenty of power for the future. And if I do decide to get that 480 if it's still 300 bucks off, this is about the minimum I would need.

And the final important piece I think I've nailed down is the Hard Drive.

Western Digital Caviar Black WC1002FAEX 1TB 7200RPM

$89.99

Other than the motherboard, this has been my most difficult part. Basically everything I look at seems to have plenty of bad reviews or is simply way too expensive. Hopefully, this one doesn't die on me or anything drastic. Another issue is that I'm heavily considering getting 2 to utilize RAID 0. While I know the performance will be much better, I don't really know if that justifies another 90 bucks. Disk performance can be crucial or completely trivial depending on the rest of your system and the program you're using. Usually, having plenty of RAM means you won't go to the disk very much, but it's certainly not a full-proof method. For now, I'm sticking with one, and we'll see how much money I have, or if I'd rather spend it on a better GPU. Obviously, I'd love to get an SSD, but I just don't have the money, and the loss of space simply wouldn't be worth it at this point. Perhaps in the future.

That's all the important stuff so far. Please leave your thoughts in the comments, and any suggestions would be much appreciated. I've never built something from scratch and advice would be great (especially on a case, as you noticed I haven't decided on). Also, if you want some advice on upgrading or computer parts, I'll gladly help. Hope you enjoyed this look into my project so far, and hopefully I'll have an update soon.