NEED HELP with CONFIG

[scuttle.vb]

finally i will be getting a comp for myself.i have a budget of around 800-900 USD.
i went through the 101s but couldnt understand much.so i need help to build my pc. i live in india and am doing engineering in electronics.so i guess i will be running simulation programs like Pspice,Matlab etc.
besides this i plan to play the latest games(i might get to upgrade once a year) thats all i think.
please help me decide the config.
preferances:
AMD 64 bit processor( i dont the diff between 32 bit and 64 bit so if possible please explain)
around 1GB ram(2* 512MB or 1GB,again please tell me the advantage)
a mid range graphics card from Nvidia.
a dvd rom(whats the diff between dvd+r,-r)
rest can be anything.i just dont to waste money(if left)
P.S. Will a laptop serve my purpose?????
thanks a lot...

 

[computermaineack]

If you're going to want to play the latest-and-greatest games, you're going to need at least the following: a 64bit processor (pref. dual core), 1gb of ram, again pref. 2 (dual channel, of course), a fairly good gpu (like at least a 7600GS). the advantage to having 1gb of ram over 2x512mb is basically you can fit more ram into your mobo with 1gb sticks. the difference between a dvd+r and -r is just the format that it is. they're generally the same price, just burned differently in the burner.

i've put together a basic system (i didnt include everything you're gonna need), you can adjust it to your needs:

cpu- $300- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103562

gpu- about $130 (rebate and discount with above processor)- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814133150

ram- $76- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231030

mobo- $105- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131524

dvd-rw- $31 ($5 off when purchased with above mobo)- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827135063


psu- $50 (after rebate)- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817182030



The total of those items is about $700, leaving you with about $200 to spend on things like HDD's, FDD, case, etc. If necessary, you can downgrade the cpu, but in the future, that cpu will really come in handy. All in all, that system would be really great, considering the price, and the fact that i put it together in about 20 minutes.

edit:
this seems like a decent HDD...160gb and SATA 3.0gb/s for $65- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822145088

With that HDD you're up to $765, so you'd have $135 to spend on a case and any other extras you may want. Of course, you'll need an OS, but there are other ways (ways that I'm not allowed to discuss here) of getting that.