Upgrade component compatibility issues

[Ferguslea]

Hi guys, I currently have the following;
Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3 (build 2600). 2.67 gigahertz Intel Core2 Quad Q9400
AS Rock G31M-GS , NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT [Display adapter] 500.10 Gb Hard Drive, 4 Meg Memory
It often gets laggy on me when multi tasking.
I want to upgrade my rig with the following;
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional – English $215
MSI AM3 USB 3.0 + SATA 6Gb/s AMD 890FX Chipset Motherboard 890FXA-GD70 $175 OR
GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3 AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard $150
Available as UD3 $150/ UD5 $180 & UD7 $287, can anyone tell me what the difference is and if it's worth going for the higher number?
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Processor, $250
Corsair Vengeance 16 GB $110 total.
Firstly, which combination of mobo and CPU will be compatible with each other and my graphics card?
I ought to point out that I am not a teccy so I have come up with this because individually the components seem to have a good rep for value for money and it's at the absolute upper level of my budget.

Can anyone tell me how to find out what output my power supply unit has, I see potential for problems there too if it's not powerful enough and I understand I might need to think about additional cooling.
Thanks in anticipation and best regards,
Brian.

P.S thanks to Kmote for fixing the upload errors for me!

 

[Roark]

In rough order:

Here is a heads-up features comparison of the Gigabyte boards: Newegg Comparison
Unless you're running multiple graphics cards and/or doing heavy overclocking you can probably skimp a little on the motherboard.

Yes the components you've chosen (MB/CPU/RAM) are all compatible.
However, I don't know if your other components are (hard drive/optical drive)

If you open your case you should see a sticker on the power supply that will tell you the Watts and Amps on the 12v rail(s).
While your case is open look for a flat grey ribbon going from the motherboard to either your hard drive or optical drive.
If you're having troubles with it snap some pictures and post them up.

 

[Ferguslea]

Thanks Roark,
I will have a look at that comparison tool. I was looking at the motherboards thinking about "future proofing". I have a big screen TV with a hdmi slot and fancy hooking the PC up to it for movies and my flight sim.

USB 3.0 looks appealing and perhaps at some point, when I can afford it, crossfire or sli (I don't know the difference yet). I am pushing the budget for sure but with computers I think you need to try and get the best you can afford at the time, I can't afford to keep upgrading every year or so, so I need the best bang for my (scarce) buck I can get!
I'm away to look for a screw driver now -lol!

 

[tj_extreme]

Here's a little suggestion, based on personal experience: Don't go for the UD3 mobo, no matter how light your use.

 

[Roark]

Just realized your current motherboard is micro ATX.
What case are you using? want to make sure you'll have room for an ATX motherboard.

What kind of budget are you working with for upgrades?

 

[Ferguslea]

The case is an xblade as shown here;
Overclocker Cafe - X-Blade
I could probably stretch to $900 / £600 / 700 Euro

 

[Ferguslea]

@ tj_extreme
Can you tell me what the difference is between them and whether its justified to pay more for the UD5 or UD7?

EDIT: forget that, I just got round to looking at the comparison chart at new egg that Roark provided earlier

Very informative, now if I could just figure out what Driver MOSFETs - Integration of VRM Components means...... lol!

 

[tj_extreme]

@ tj_extreme
Can you tell me what the difference is between them and whether its justified to pay more for the UD5 or UD7?

EDIT: forget that, I just got round to looking at the comparison chart at new egg that Roark provided earlier

Very informative, now if I could just figure out what Driver MOSFETs - Integration of VRM Components means...... lol!

The UD3 is just a very low end, low quality series of motherboards. You'll regret purchasing one. Also, please don't double post. If you have something to add to your post, use the edit button (the little pencil at the bottom of your post).