My compy = Le Dead

[Shurikane]

So yeah. I have two computers. Three counting the laptop. My oldest desktop has been crashing often lately, giving me a blue screen and declaring that there was a hardware malfunction. Before, I got it about once a week. Only... I got it three times yesterday, and then five times this morning. The damn thing really is on its last miles.

Well, OK. Time to buy a new computer. The next-older compy takes up the role of the oldest (i.e.: anything internet-related, torrents, downloads etc. that don't take up too much memory) The new, powerful compy would take up the next-older compy's job, which is games, graphics, videos, everything that's graphic-intensive.

However, there are several problems in my way:

-I just recently bought the laptop for 1600$. If I add a new desktop on top of that, the Christmas bill will look quite salty.
-Mom doesn't think it's wise for me to get a new compy right now. She says I don't play games and thus don't need such power. Only, she's been in denial on that for months now. Everytime she gets into my bedroom, she can clearly see me playing games.
-I have little info and knowledge on the market. When I look at parts, I don't know if the price is too high or just right. I don't know if I'm getting jacked should I take whatever combo box... I fear paying too much for the new computer.
-I also have little info on how to get the best out of my compy. Some people say never to use integrated audio or graphics, while others say it's not a problem. Some people adore Windows XP while others suggest Windows 2000.

All in all, three walls to get over:
-Price
-Mom
-Performance