Which Computer to buy for Gaming?

[gvsujulius]

I am looking to buy a gaming CPU and have been looking at cyberpower and Ibuypower but in our town we have a local computer place and he is offering the following....

2.6 GHZ Intel Dual Core
2GB DDR2 Memory
250GB Sata2 Hard Drive
22X DVD & CD Writer
NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT 1GB
8 Channel HD Audio 7.1
All in one card reader
Windows 7 Home

The price is $520

I could go to cyberpower and get the following

CPU: AMD Athlon™II X2 245 Dual-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology
- CD: LG 22X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Dual Layer Drive (BLACK COLOR)
- CASE: Azza Orion Gaming Mid-Tower Case with See-Thru Side Panel (Silver with Blue Lightning)
- CS FAN: Default case fans
- FAN: AMD ATHLON 64 CERTIFIED CPU FAN & HEATSINK
- HDD: Single Hard Drive (320GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD
- KEYBOARD: Xtreme Gear (Black Color) Multimedia/Internet USB Keyboard
- MOUSE: XtremeGear Optical USB 3 Buttons Gaming Mouse
MULTIVIEW: Non-SLI/Non-CrossFireX Mode Supports Multiple Monitors
- MOTHERBOARD: Asus M3A78-EM AMD 780G Chipset DDR2/1066 SATA RAID PCIe Mainboard w/ATI 3000 Graphic
- Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT 1GB 16X PCI
- MEMORY: 4GB (2GBx2) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory Corsair
- NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
- OS: Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit Edition)
- POWERSUPPLY: 420 Watts Standard Case Power Supply
- SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
- SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
- SPEAKERS: 600Watts PMPO Subwoofer Stereo Speakers
- USB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
- PCI Wireless 802.11g 54Mbps Network Interface Card

For around $575 shipped.

Which would you take and is it even worth it to look at the local store?

Which is the better deal?

[123456]

Both aren't good enough to be gaming PC's by today's standards. What's your budget?

[gvsujulius]

I wasn't looking to spend more then $600-$700. I am not looking for a top of the line machine and I don't mind playing some games on lower resolution.

I have a Sony Vaio laptop right now with an integrated graphics card and it won't even let me play low level games without freezing up or crashing.

I was hoping one of these would at least suffice. Could they not play todays games at even low levels?

[123456]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229135

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883103218

[gvsujulius]

Well the one is similar from Cyber PC, what is so much better about it then the one I built from Cyber PC?

Also, the Acer, is that a good gaming computer, I thought I read that the video card wasn't reviewed very well.

I appreciate all the help and apologize for asking so many questions. I want to make sure I am up to speed.

[123456]

The CyberPC one I gave you has a quad core and a bigger HD as opposed to your dual core one. Are you comfy building your own?

[gvsujulius]

I have never built my own CPU but if there were directions I am sure I could figure it out. I guess I need to know what is required and what I need. Is there any reason to have a 500 GB HD instead of a 250 GB HD other then for space, does that affect performance?