Upgrading PSU, mobo, CPU - How powerful do I need?

[talaan]

I currently have a 600W PSU by Xilence Power.

I've recently upgraded to a more powerful video card (HD 5700 series) and since then, when I start up my computer, it does not start up right away and instead my hard drive makes about 15 whirring noises (like it's starting up but then winds down) before POSTing and starting up. I was told it was my PSU's lack of power causing it.

Now I want to upgrade to an ASUS AM3 mobo and Phenom II x4 processor.
What is a recommended PSU wattage?

Someone said 6 cores is not needed for gaming. World of Warcraft requires CPU power in 25 people raids. I have a dual core 2.2 GHz and my FPS drops to under 10 FPS. What would fix it? x4 core with more GHz or x6 with less GHz than the x4?

 

[Slaymate]

A 600 watt psu from a reliable manufacturer should be enough but you may want to go higher for future upgrades.

This is only $79.99 after a rebate
Newegg.com - CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply

This is only $94.99 after a rebate
Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V v2.2 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply

 

[talaan]

I mainly want to upgrade my CPU, which also means a new Motherboard. And maybe RAM. This mobo I'm looking at supports DDR3 memory, but I only have DDR2.

ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 AM3 AMD 890GX HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

Would that motherboard accept DDR2 RAM?

Nevermind I looked that up! DDR3 mobo will not take DDR2 RAM

 

[Slaymate]

No it won't. If your going to upgrade then DDR3 would be a wise investment.

 

[brinks]

A good 600w psu by corsair, antec... will be enough to power your system. Your 600W PSU by Xilence is really crappy quality and is only like 350w-400w compared to a quality psu.

Also for WoW, an Intel cpu runs better than AMD. Having a x4 core will be enough, so x6 core is not needed.

Here is a review of hardware for WoW if you want to take a look.
World Of Warcraft: Cataclysm--Tom's Performance Guide : Welcome To The World...Of Warcraft: Cataclysm

 

[talaan]

I'm looking to upgrade my CPU, Mobo, PSU, and RAM for under $500.

My current processor is AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+. I'm not sure if an Intel processor would bring me over 500, as I've only looked at AMD and Phenom processors seem to have a nice deal.

What Intel processor would be equivalent to Phenom II x4?

I currently do not have a case fan because this case does not support one (it has a vent over the CPU). Do I need to worry about case sizes or cooling if I upgrade?

 

[brinks]

For Intel cpu, you should go with socket 1155, core i5/i7 but their cpu's are $200+. It's kind of hard to compare cpu from Intel and Amd right now since Amd cpu's are 1 to 2 generations behind Intel right now in performance.

Amd right now has good price/performance cpu, you can't really go wrong with their cpu. Maybe get Phenom II x4 955/965.

For case size, if it can fit an atx motherboard than you should be ok. As for cooling, you might run into heat issues if you don't have adequate cooling/air flow.