Help me pick my upgrades

[Guff1988]

Tell me which package you would pick and why

Well I need to upgrade and get rid of the dead technology that was my 939/agp setup so here they are
(all packages are budgeted to around 400 usd)

Package #1(Q6600):
pros: A powerhouse Q6600 with 2 gbs ddr2 800
cons: Had to cut spending on everything else

CPU: Intel Q6600
MoBo: MSI P31 NEO-f (open box to save some cash) Newegg.com - Open Box: MSI P31 Neo-F LGA 775 Intel P31 ATX Intel Motherboard
RAM: G.Skill 2GB DDR2 800(2x1gb)
GPU: MSI nVidia 7300LE Newegg.com - MSI NX7300LE-TD256EH GeForce 7300LE 256MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
HDD: Excelsior 80gig 7200rpm sata 3.0 Newegg.com - EXCELSTOR Jupiter Series ESJ8080S 80GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM


Package #2(PHENOM)
pros: Quad core power on a budget
cons: More expensive than 5600+ and less power than Q6600

CPU: AMD PHENOM 9500 Newegg.com - AMD Phenom 9500 Agena 2.2GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 2MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 95W Quad-Core Processor - Retail
MoBo: FoxConn A6VMX Newegg.com - Foxconn A6VMX AM2+/AM2 AMD 690V ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
RAM: G.Skill 2gb DDR2 800(2x 1gb)
GPU: MSI nVidia 8500gt Newegg.com - MSI NX8500GT-TD256E OC GeForce 8500GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
HDD: WD 120gig 7200rpm sata 3.0 Newegg.com - Western Digital WD1200AAJS 120GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM


Package #3(5600+)
pros: Good combo of price/function
cons: lacks power of quad core

CPU: AMD X2 5600+
MoBo: Gigabyte M57SLI Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-M57SLI-S4 AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
RAM: G.Skill 2gb DDR2 800
GPU: MSI nVidia 8600GT OC'd Newegg.com - MSI NX8600GT-T2D256E OC GeForce 8600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
HDD: Excelsior 160gig 7200rpm sata 3.0http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822210004


Package #4(C2D E4600)
pros: Excellent OC'ing
cons: more expensive cpu than 5600 takes away from Video Card

CPU: C2D E4600 Allendale
MoBo: Gigabyte P35-DS3L Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX All Solid Capacitor Intel Motherboard - Retail
RAM: G.Skill 2gb DDR2 800
GPU: MSI nVidia 8500gt Newegg.com - MSI NX8500GT-TD256E OC GeForce 8500GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
HDD: WD 160gig 7200rpm sata 3.0 Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

This sytem will mostly be used for movies/music/web browsing
The only games played on it will be diablo 2/Starcraft BW(or equivalent)

 

[Puddle Jumper]

If you are willing to overclock here is another package for you to consider. It costs $447 before mir.

Newegg.com - Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3160815AS 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

Newegg.com - XFX PVT88SFDF4 GeForce 8800GS 384MB 192-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

Newegg.com - CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

Newegg.com - ABIT IP35-E LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Newegg.com - Intel Pentium E2180 Allendale 2.0GHz 1MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail

 

[Trotter]

Not bad, PJ. Any extra $$$ can be put against a faster CPU.

 

[veedubfreak]

I would personally suggest goign with the 9600GT over the 8800GS, but thats just me.

 

[aaronkupen]

Well if you have a decent budget at all, I don't see a reason to even think about going AMD.

 

[Guff1988]

Well if you have a decent budget at all, I don't see a reason to even think about going AMD.

...not a very helpful comment

I am not the one paying my father is. He just wants the comp updated to keep it running smoothly while I am away at college.

he said $400 which means i probably cant go over 415
G.Skill's 2gb dual channel memory kit is cheap and very well rated @ $45 and has won an award on newegg for customer satisfaction so spending more for a name wont do here.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone keep em coming

 

[Peter.Cort]

well is it like "your" computer, as in will there be more going on then solitaire and email?

 

[Puddle Jumper]

G.Skill's 2gb dual channel memory kit is cheap and very well rated @ $45 and has won an award on newegg for customer satisfaction so spending more for a name wont do here.

The Corsair XMS2 I posted has better timings(4-4-4-12) than the G.Skill (5-5-5-15) so you are not paying for a name. After rebates the XMS2 is also cheaper than the G.Skill.

 

[thirdshiftdj]

I would take puddle jumper's build. Do you need quad core power? If it's just for normal use then you would probably never see the benefits that the quad core can provide. The e2180 is pretty powerful. I run some intense programs and it takes it like a champ