There are places that will custom build computers for you. Just tell them what you want (hardware and software) and what you are willing to spend.

There are many places both small-town, on the web, and in magazine ads that will sell or make you a decent system. Or you could do what I do; dumpster-dive. I am currently using the 1.8 GHz Dell my buddy was gonna toss after his last upgrade. MS Office and Norton (with a 1-year subscription; pay more to renew) will run you more than the hardware and there are better free alternatives. Hell, the purchase price of Norton and 4 renewals would run more than I have spent on my PCs in the last five years! Try OpenOffice and AVG-Free and save a few hundred dollars. And before you say that those pieces of software are free with some systems, consider how much the price of that system is hiked up due to the manufacturer/retailer paying for the OEM versions of a program. They are only free because the cost of your system isn't itemized ;) EDIT - You can easily MAKE a decent PC for under $300. The only downside is that they don't come with an OS, and the retail version of Windows is $200+. Then again, you can make a better PC for under $700, pick up XP Pro for $300, and still keep it under a grand if you re-use your old monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Or you can run Linux, but that isn't the best for gaming because most games are coded for WinXP and dislike WINE :( EDIT - I am currently on a 3.4GHz P4 with a Radeon 9800XT that does well with every game I've thrown at it so far and I only paid $50 for it. I have also switched from AVG to Avira. If you still want Norton then you have no idea about computers anyways.

It's hard to use 'good for gaming' and 'not too expensive' in the description of the same computer. It's kind of like saying 'goes really fast' and 'uses very little gas' to describe a car. But I digress. Shop around. Ask lots of questions. Talk to other gamers. Find out what they have and why they like (and don't like) what they bought and note it. Heck, take a gamer with you when you go shopping. Just don't buy everything they suggest. Buy what you can afford and use them as a guide. If I was coming with you, I'd be encouraging you to get as much RAM and the best video card and monitor you can afford. The CPU is a factor, but we can get a faster one when prices come down. If you can't afford everything, get a cheap monitor for now and save for a better one later. Just my quick thoughts.

As an expert in this field, I would have to say that building your own computer after simply having asked this question is not an option. You should watch for Dell deals and get one of their better systems for not too much. Often, MS office is included. Never use norton anti-virus as it is a known resource hog. Use something lighter on resources, especially if you care to game, such as AVG anti-virus, which I'll add is free and not something you have to buy every year like norton. Good Luck!

try this: http://www.mocustoms.co.uk/gaming.html having bought one of these, i must say the perfomance is great. crysis 1650x1050 with AA. Simply beautiful