First desktop; overwhelmed by information

[FrenchieKDC]

After having been given a laptop, and using it for about 4 years or so, I'm finally able to get a desktop -- my first-ish. But when trying to find information on what to get and the prices, and etc, I'm just overwhelmed by the information. I don't know anything, despite trying to learn. I see the #s and names of stuff I have no clue as to what it does or the power and how it equates to things.

So I figured I could ask someone here for help. Following the guideline on the read me...

My approximate max budget is 400. It could go a little higher, but it's not certain and it depends on for what. I don't know what it means by resolution. If it means in relation to a monitor, I have like a 1400something one. As far as the games/settings desired, I would like to just be able to play a few games on at least medium with comfortable performance. I currently only really play League Of Legends, and while my laptop (e725) kind of sucks (shitty, essentially), I can play it fine at low-medium settings. I don't exactly need to play it at max, but a little better than lowest would be nice. I tried to play Fallout 3 and PoE on here, but the former doesn't run pretty much at all, and PoE barely runs at the lowest setting (a bit sluggish, but playable). I do not have any other games, really, other than Torchlight 2, nor can I think of any games I'd want to play presently, but in the future there may be things I'd like to play at an approximate medium.

I live in the U.S. I don't mind any parts that are reused; I'd need an OS (Windows 7 64 bit pref). And I do not need peripherals. I do not mind having to build it myself, other. But if I can get one cheaper prebuilt, that's fine, too.

If there is any other information/questions I need to answer, do not refrain from asking. I'm just utterly lost when trying to do it by myself and have no clue how to start, despite trying on different sites. I'm not looking for something great -- I'm just looking for something basic that does okay for things. I can eventually upgrade it, so I'm not worried about having the best right out of the gate.

[chazus]

You're going to need a larger budget, honestly. $300 for the tower ($90 for the OS) is just not enough to really build anything. You'd at that point be better off buying something used off craigslist, or getting a cheapy dell prebuilt and upgrading it with a video card later.

Also, find the model of your current monitor. It should say on the front. "1400something one" doesn't... mean anything >.>

[FrenchieKDC]

You're going to need a larger budget, honestly. $300 for the tower ($90 for the OS) is just not enough to really build anything. You'd at that point be better off buying something used off craigslist, or getting a cheapy dell prebuilt and upgrading it with a video card later.

Also, find the model of your current monitor. It should say on the front. "1400something one" doesn't... mean anything >.>

Having a larger budget is nice for those that have the money. 400 is the amount I have to work with, there are no ways around it. And it's not even mostly my money. It's also an amount that won't grow as time goes on, sadly. It's either get one for that, or no machine at all. I have tried to look up some machines up on Newegg? I think's called. And cyberpowerpc (found that while watching a vid on youtube; was a sponsor). I found machines in the 400-450 range, with containing the OS, but I don't know what the specs on it mean, or what kind of power one could expect from them. That being said, they do seem nice.

As far as Craigslist, I do not know anything about specs to be able to understand what I would be buying. I also don't know what's a good price, etc. I've went on it before to get an idea of what people try to sell. I've also went on Ebay and every other similar site to try and find things. But I was also kind of hoping I could find a DIY desktop for cheaper, and possibly more power. As for the monitor: it's like 1440x900. I cannot check currently because it is not infront of me.

[chazus]

Well, if you want to list what area you're in, I suppose someone could help look, but it would be up to you to check it out. Otherwise...

I have trouble recommending this, but this is about the best you're going to get without getting used/sale/refurb parts.

PCPartPicker part list
CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 750K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($79.29 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI FM2-A55M-E33 Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($48.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Wintec Value 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($29.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 6670 1GB Video Card ($48.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Gamma Classic (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $411.20

For about $50 less you could drop the video card, and get an AMD A6-6400K with a built in ATI 8470D.. but. . again.. geh.

[FrenchieKDC]

Well, if you want to list what area you're in, I suppose someone could help look, but it would be up to you to check it out. Otherwise...

I have trouble recommending this, but this is about the best you're going to get without getting used/sale/refurb parts.

PCPartPicker part list
CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 750K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($79.29 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI FM2-A55M-E33 Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($48.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Wintec Value 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($29.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 6670 1GB Video Card ($48.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Gamma Classic (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $411.20

For about $50 less you could drop the video card, and get an AMD A6-6400K with a built in ATI 8470D.. but. . again.. geh.

That really helps a lot, actually; thank you. As for the dropping the video card, what exactly changes in that, and why is the latter "geh"? I assume it may be something related to performance, but I'm have no reference point as to exactly what kind of performance. Not that I entirely mind some loss if it's worth lessening cost by $50.

As for what area I am, I assume that's down to the city, specifically -- of which I am staying currently in Fort Bragg, NC. Thank you, either way, Chazus. This list looks very manageable and hopefully it'll be within budget.

[chazus]

The 'geh' part is that... It's hard to recommend something that I personally would not want to play on. Will it play WoW on Low/Medium settings? Sure. Whether or not that experience would be 'enjoyable' is up to you.

That said, I recently got a laptop with an A4-4400M (with a built in 7620D) and it plays wow. I can even do LFR on the lowest settings and still get about 25-35 fps. So you're already a leg up on that by a decent margin.

But, again. If that's what you have, that's what you have.