umm.. if u get a 64 bit CPU... go with the socket 754 ones... cuz your wanting to save some money for a good video card... buyin a Athlon 64 3500+ or higher, will cost u close to $500 just for ur CPU (and thats if u go for the 3500+).. so go for the AMD Athlon 64 3000+... and get a Radeon ATI 9800XT 256MB graphics card... that will be good... cuz if ur a big gamer, then ur gonna want a really nice GFX card