How much money do you have to spend? And what games exactly do you want to play ( I.e. Crysis 3 or Mine craft makes a difference.)
I built my PC by myself, its easy I'd say but even without knowing anything about PC's you need an interest! Else you are better up buying a rebuilt one.

trust me, making a computer is not hard, you can easily figure it out, also, its a great learning experience and its really rewarding (at least it was for me)

Don't buy prebuilt they are way overpriced. When I was looking at them they charged 200 dollars for something that would have cost you 50 if you did it yourself. I had no idea how to build a computer at all and after about a week I bought my parts and built it with no problem whatsoever.

Get together some list of parts you think you want here: https://pcpartpicker.com/
And take it to the people here: http://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc
Those guys are buildapc are extremely knowledgeable and can help you with anything from how to build to what parts you need.

If you want a good video series on how to build newegg has a fantastic series here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPIXAtNGGCw&list=PLB029F381E29C6002&index=6

Minecraft isn't exactly easy to run either

If you're a bit squeamish with the whole from-scratch process but don't want to pay out the nose for a prebuilt, you can buy a barebones kit which has just a few parts (usually case+motherboard+CPU combos), and then choose the rest of the parts yourself.

There's plenty of resources available. Starting out on www.pcpartpicker.com is a good choice.

I know playing minecraft as well but Crysis or even BF3 wouldn't run on my PC but Minecraft and Tf2 run at 100+ fps.
Some things to be aware of are to use a quad core and a HD7770 or a gtx650 are enough for tf2 by far.
I'd personally wait for the next-gen consoles and for the next gem gpu's but if you want one now then just follow Virulence's advice.

What's your budget?

You should probably build one yourself, you'll get a lot more bang for your buck. It's not very hard, and there's plenty of guides available if you really have no idea what you're doing. Check out http://www.pcpartpicker.com/ , http://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc , and http://logicalincrements.com

<$1000 (I'm thinking that could get me what I want). And a computer that could run TF2 and the like consistently well, and run games like BF3 decently (but I'm ok with lower graphics/less performance for more intensive games like this).
From what you guys have said so far, I think I do want to build one myself.

Less than 1k can get you bf3 on max settings if you have a monitor/keyboard/mouse

i'm absolutely awful with computers. what i did was talked to people and see what they did. the guys from the ESEA-IM team Sunday Funday were really helpful to me and picked out all of my parts. there's also build guides and stuff online. once all the pieces come in the mail, it's like putting together a big, expensive lego set. the instructions are easy enough to follow, and overall it's not that hard.

i suggest you put together your own computer instead of buying something prebuilt. you'll get better performance, a cheaper computer, and you'll learn a lot about computers in the process. putting the computer together can take a couple of days, so set aside some time on a weekend to do it. good luck!

If you're scared about building a computer yourself and you don't want to go prebuilt I know NCIX offers a $50 build cost for your system. Although you could just do it yourself, it's always better than buying from a vendor who builds systems.

Find a local computer shop, or a friend, and ask them to put the computer together. Here's one option you can take. I tried to maximize your budget, but I can cut back on some things and still get great TF2 performance while saving a little money if this is too much.

I assume you need a monitor, since you're on a laptop.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z75 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($76.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($47.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($55.20 @ Amazon)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 60GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($69.00 @ Adorama)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($184.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Xigmatek ASGARD PRO (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 Full (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VS229H-P 21.5" Monitor ($143.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $953.11
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-11 07:35 EDT-0400)

if you want a quality pc my boy can hook it up, and he's always looking for more projects/builds. this was one of his latest http://www.overclock.net/t/1310782/build-log-project-black-toxicity#post_18253605

very nice and clean down to every little detail, can answer any questions you have as well. he built mine and shipped it about 3 years ago, never had a problem with it since. doesn't matter about the price range either he'll work on anything. if you're interested lemme know and i'll give him a heads up. (serious inquire only please) had a problem with this in the past, tried to help someone out via these forums and they just dicked around with 20 questions. he's been doing this a long time, very professional about his work. so if you're interested just add me

Thank you very much. A few questions/changes though - I have a monitor, so I figured I could take that money and upgrade a few things. First, I'd like to get a 1T hard drive (I have lots of music and the like so 500 will have me running out of space quickly). Also, is there a sigificant difference in price/quality/power jumping from i5 to i7? And do I need to get some sort of fan too?
Also, I forgot to mention in the original post that I would like to stream in the future. Is this build sufficient for streaming games or do I need more?
The SSD is the thing that lets you reboot much faster right?
And I do need a keyboard. I see a lot of people talking about mechanical keyboards; what exactly are the benefits of these over regular ones? Thank you.

Thanks for letting me know, sounds like a great service. Long run though, I think I'm going to be benefited learning to do this myself.

The extra $150 can allow some nice upgrades over what I listed. A bigger hard drive is a good place to start.

For most games there isn't a big difference or any difference at all between an i5 and i7. An i7 is the same as an i5 except it has Hyperthreading and a slightly higher clockspeed. Hyperthreading helps the processor perform better when multitasking, so an i7 would help when streaming or if you're doing other things in the background while you game.

Retail processors come with a fan. A better one is recommended if you plan to overclock, wish to lower temps, or want something quiet. However the stock fan will work fine.

This build with an i5 can stream games with a minimal impact to performance. For TF2 you'll be able to stream and still get over 100 fps. Other games will vary. An i7 will perform better when streaming.

SSD has better load times and responsiveness, so it will help your boot times and load times for any games you decide to put on it. But since space is limited, you have to pick and choose what games to put on the SSD.

Ok. So I think I'll upgrade to an i7 and a slightly bigger hard drive. I'm not going to bother trying to overclock. Thank you. I'll probably bump this when I'm ready to put it all together (though I might buy it piece by piece when there's some deals).
If anyone has suggestions for keyboards, that'd be great.

NP man

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($299.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z75 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($65.79 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 60GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($79.00 @ Adorama)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($184.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Xigmatek ASGARD PRO (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 Full (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $979.70
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-18 20:18 EDT-0400)

This should be my final build. Anything wrong with this that I'm missing, or suggestions in general?

Looks good. I can vouch for the i7-2600 being a good processor.

And, uh, this may be a stretch, but if you attend a postsecondary institution, check if you have access to MSDN. Sometimes they don't make it clear to their students or don't tell you at all unless you go looking. You may be able to grab a legitimate copy of Windows for free if your college/university grants you access.

Thanks for reminding me. I think I probably could get a free copy legit.

This is a good build although ivy vs sandy is debatable, and maybe a newer z77

Looks solid, although I do agree with using the money saved from the free Windows to upgrade to a z77 Motherboard.

If you end up saving some money on that windows idea I would recommend getting a modular power supply. It lets you pick and choose what cables to use so you don't have a giant cluster of unused wires stuffed in your case. Slightly more money but makes life easier

Alright heres what I think.
Get the OS for free like you said you are able, that should free up some money.
I don't know much about that case but I know for a fact that this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&N=100006644&isNodeId=1&Description=source+210&x=-1025&y=-112
is an absolutely amazing deal. I've got the 40 dollar one sitting next to me right now and it worked perfect.

So now that your budget is maybe 100-110 or so less I have 3 last questions for you.

1. Do you live near a microcenter? If so that processor will be a lot cheaper and you can get a bit nicer of a mobo.

2. If you feel like it cough up the extra 30 dollars for this ivy bridge:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116501
It's a bit newer of a cpu than the 2600, and will use less power. Not really needed though

3. If you're wondering about the keyboard, go for a mechanical if you can. They are more durable and a lot more fun to type on. Make sure you know what type of switch you want before you buy, so buy the sample pack to test them out, then head over to http://www.daskeyboard.com/ or something similar and check them out.
Heres the sample pack - http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/index.php/products/sampler-kit-1/wasd-sampler-kit.html

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z75 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($65.79 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial M4 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($72.51 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($184.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($57.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 Full (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $856.22
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-19 20:56 EDT-0400)

cheaper ssd with 4gb more space
same price PSU with 100 more watts (newegg only)
slightly more expensive case w/ better airflow

I took out the i7 because IMO the i5 won't have issues streaming anyways. If you're adamant about it you can always add it back for the same total price as before. (you could always spend the 150$ saved on a better GPU)

I would also dish out a bit more for a samsung SSD, not as good as the intel ones but better than pretty much every other brand.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147133
price went down but its sold out :\ too bad.

I'm nitpicking here but if I were you I would get a decent set of 1600mhz memory and overclock it myself. Doesn't really matter much :c

Thanks a lot guys. I upgraded to the ivy bridge, though I'm not sure what it does. Higher numbers seem to be good in general for computers. I don't seem to have access to a free copy of Windows 8, but I'm going to go ahead and spend a bit extra for the upgrades (there's a deal on the i7 too, get a 25$ giftcard from newegg, so that saves some indirectly). I tried the other case - but it has a compatibility issue with the motherboard according to the pc part picker - some issue with the usb 3.0 ports. And I went ahead and got a cheap Microsoft keyboard. If I don't like it, I'll look into the mechanical ones. So I guess it's time to start buying. And I just found 70$ in Amazon giftcards from Christmas, so that helps.

Edit: Looking at your ideas above. Thank you.
Edit2: Ok here's my real final build hopefully:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z75 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($65.79 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial M4 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($72.51 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($184.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Xigmatek ASGARD PRO (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 Full (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Microsoft Keyboard 200 Wired Standard Keyboard ($9.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $913.20
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-19 21:44 EDT-0400)

Its ~1000. The 918 is assuming I go to Microcenter- there's one in northern Virginia about 3 hours away, but I work 6 days a week, generally, and need to do schoolwork/errands on Sundays, and I'm definently not spending the rare weekend off to buy a computer part. Plus there and back I'm barely saving anything after the gas money.

you left out the 600w psu for the same price :c

Yeeeaaah I did. I can't handle that many watts.
So I ordered it all. And ordered all but two things off of Amazon (so I could use the 30 amazon prime 2 day shipping free trial). Then the last two things I got off Newegg and apparently this comes with Bioshock Infinite and Tombraider free so that's nice.
Thank you very much for all the help guys. I'll let people know once I get everything and hopefully manage to build it lego style.