Getting back to PC gaming

[rather unique]

Hey all, thinking about getting back into PC gaming, mainly the likes of Crysis, Call of Duty, and possibly Starcraft 2. (although the 1st Starcraft had me by the balls for at least a whole year, so I may not go that route b/c I dont have as much free time)

Anyways, a couple of questions:
Is there still a lot of modding/hacking going on in the multiplayer games? I seem to remember a lot going on back in the day.
Anyone have some good references they could lead me to on hardware? I can build my own, but I'm wondering what to avoid/whats the best for the $. So far I've just found this blog, which looks to be helpful: http://www.hardware-revolution.com/
EDIT: btw I've already checked the pc building thread, wondering if there's anything else out there but it looks pretty complete
Thanks in advance everyone!

 

[yukonrye]

I like Tom's Hardware for part reviews. They do a good job breaking down hardware into price tiers so you can find the best for your price range. Newegg has really good prices and great customer service.

I can't speak for Call of Duty but I know that in Valve's MP games (Left 4 Dead, Team Fortress, etc.) that I have never come across anyone hacking.

And of course once you have your machine, download Steam.

 

[MYFIREMANISHUGE]

There's alot of things to avoid, getting a cheap power supply, cheap motherboard, etc but usually ATI is for the people on a really tight budget ( or craigslist, if you like getting an excellent deal sometimes ) I just typed out alot of stuff and went to a bookmark accidentally so most of the stuff I was going to post is gone

I'd rather just google the item, then look at several reviews ( skim through them )

About cheaters, most of them are banned on the spot by the anti-cheat so you just see people getting kicked sometimes, just find a good server/community and you're good to go. I post/use overclock.net, helpful members and usually replies take less than a minute usually..unless it's a rare thing and nobody knows jack or it's 5 am. They also have great guides like this one:

http://www.overclock.net/sound-card...3-ocnhc-guide-gaming-headphones-headsets.html

I could tell you some more but it's 1 am and I need to finish up and get to bed