PCs are definitely not just for work, there is some serious playtime to be had and PC Site® is on hand to make sure you have all the right toys.

Our guide will help you get equipped for the ultimate World of Warcraft battle, Call of Duty shoot out or the next decorating challenge in The Sims.

Which is better, laptop or desktop?

A few years ago the answer to this question would have been without a doubt, a desktop. Now computer manufacturers have mastered the technique of building portable PCs that hold a lot of power and memory.

It is really up to you. If you want a PC for the home then maybe a desktop would suit, but if you want a PC you can travel with, then Dell does a great line of Alienware laptops ranging from $799 to $1,699 to suit gamers of all varieties.

Can I build my own?

This is the cheaper option and better way to get exactly what you want and gain some useful experience in putting computers together in the process.

It is really all about buying the components you need and screwing them together in a casing. Component prices fall fast so choosing a slightly older sound card might be a better choice if it means you can spend more on a knock-out graphics card.

A word to the wise; be careful when choosing things like the CPU (central processing unit) as certain models only fit certain motherboards.

For those of you with the Benjamins to burn, buying a customized PC is another option. You effectively chose the components and features you want and can get some great looks too.

What CPU is best?

The CPU is the heart of your computer that beats as fast as yours does when you’re firing that flame thrower at your virtual enemy!

The market is dominated by Intel and AMD (Advanced Micro Devices). Intel makes the Pentium and Celeron processor models, while AMD have the Athlon and Sempron series.

Quad Core™ processors, with four microprocessors instead of two, are needed if you’re playing large games. AMD’s most popular range is Phenom II X4 while Intel® has the Core i7 range.

What graphics and sound cards do I need?

There are two main competitors in the graphics card market; ATI’s Radeon range and nVidia with the Geforce range.

The fill rate is the speed at which the card renders and writes an image, normally given in megapixels or gigapixels a second. For onboard memory 512Mb is the minimum for a decent gaming set-up.

For the ultimate gaming experience you will need a decent sound card to support the integrated audio input your PC already has, but be aware that an integrated card can slow down your CPU.

Sound cards are rated by channels, and a 5.1 or 7.1 surround-sound is a good starting point. Sample rate is a measure of audio resolution – CDs are sampled at 44.1KHz (or 44100Hz), meaning there are 44100 portions of sound stored for each second of audio.

When played back the human ear recognizes this as sound, so the higher the sample rate for a sound card, the “smoother” the sound. The bit rate of a sound card refers to the amount of information stored in each individual chunk of sound.

CDs are recorded in 16-bit with a sampling rate of 44.1KHz, so any card with base specifications above that will be able to handle CD-quality playback. A good starting point for a crystal clear gaming sound will be a 24-bit card with a 96KHz sampling rate.

What hard drive and how much memory do I need?

The think about gaming is, most games take up a lot of memory; Bioshock needs 2Gb of memory (RAM) and 8Gb of hard disk space.

It is best to buy as much memory as your budget will allow, you sure will need it! As for the hard drive, one with a speed of 7,200rpm and a 500Gb memory is usually enough for most machines.

A RAID configuration means you’ll be able to hook your PC up to multiple hard drives and get a better performance.

What type of monitor do I need?

Most PCs come with LCD screens now and there are by far the best. They are lighter, easier on the eye because they don’t flicker and user much less power.

Gamers will need a good response rate on their monitor, meaning a higher rate in which the pixels can change. A good contrast ratio, which governs how sharp colors look on your monitor, is 4,000:1, but do factor in the lighting in your office or home as this will affect the viewing quality.

Any other tips?

Most gaming computers that contain a lot of components will need a lot of cooling. The fans that stop your PC from overheating can be noisy, so if you don’t want that wuring disturbing your gaming experience you have two options.

One is to get a bigger fan which spins slower and therefore makes less noise, and the other is a liquid cooling system. This liquid runs through the CPU’s heatsink to a radiator which then disperses the air. They are more bulky but quiet as a whisper.

What about online gaming?

Gaming isn’t just restricted to the discs you put in your PC, there is a whole world of gaming on the Web.

Millions of people worldwide participate in MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role playing games), the most popular of which is World of Warcraft with over 11.5 million users. In these games you not only play your own computer you play other people, trade, fight, and explore with them.

Popular titles include Warhammer Online and Runescape. Many games are free to play but some will also charge a sign up or subscription fee.

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