Upgrading, need help!

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cyrax

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Auckland, New Zealand
My computer isn't handling the newer games that well anymore, so I think it's about time I upgrade. I've already got the optical and hard drives, and I have a Hewlett Packard case that should be ok until I save up some more for another case.

Here's what I'm thinking of getting to upgrade:

Motherboard
Asus A8N-E Motherboard, Socket 939, 4xDIMM, DDR, PCIe-16, 3xPCI, 2xPCIe-1, 10xUSB2, Audio, ATA, SATA, RAID, ATX
(http://www.ascent.co.nz/ProductSpecification.aspx?ItemID=339635)

CPU
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ CPU, 2.0GHz, Socket 939, 32/64-Bit, ATX, Retail pack with fan
(http://www.ascent.co.nz/ProductSpecification.aspx?ItemID=335450)

Memory
GeIL 1GB, DDR2-SDRAM, DIMM, DDR2-533
(http://www.ascent.co.nz/ProductSpecification.aspx?ItemID=338703)

Video Card
XFX PV-T43G-NDF7 Video Card, GeForce 6600 GT, 128MB, DDR3, PCIe-16, TV out, DVI, HDTV
(http://www.ascent.co.nz/ProductSpecification.aspx?ItemID=345484)

or...


Sapphire Radeon X1300 Video Card, Radeon X1300, 256MB, DDR2, PCIe-16, TV out, DVI
(http://www.ascent.co.nz/ProductSpecification.aspx?ItemID=345565)

or...

Sapphire Radeon X1600 Pro Video Card, Radeon X1600 Pro, 256MB, DDR2, PCIe-16, TV out, DVI, CrossFire
(http://www.ascent.co.nz/ProductSpecification.aspx?ItemID=345568)

Can someone tell me if all my parts are compatible, will work well, etc. I also need to know which of the three cards to get, and what wattage PSU I will need to power all this stuff.
 
Oh ok, what about the rest of my setup there?

You sure about that too? The x1300 is $50 cheaper than the 6600gt. Also, is that an alright brand for a 6600gt?

EDIT: Oh, and will my mobo be compatible with my DVD/RW drive? My bro (who installed it) said that it's IDE.
 
Ok, I changed what mobo i want to get now too, incase I want to upgrade to SLi or anything.

Asus A8N-SLI Motherboard, Socket 939, 4xDIMM, DDR, 2xPCIe-16, 3xPCI, 2xPCIe-1, 10xUSB2, Firewire, Audio, ATA, SATA, RAID, ATX
(http://www.ascent.co.nz/ProductSpecification.aspx?ItemID=342509)

And I changed the CPU, for another $60 I could get a 3700+ which is better than a 3200+, yes?

AMD Athlon 64 3700+ CPU, 2.2GHz, Socket 939, 32/64-Bit, San Diego Core, ATX, Retail pack with fan
(http://www.ascent.co.nz/ProductSpecification.aspx?ItemID=340194)

EDIT: And I'm also gonna change my memory to dual channel.

Kingston ValueRAM Dual Channel Memory Kit, 2x512MB, DDR-SDRAM, DIMM, DDR400
(http://www.ascent.co.nz/ProductSpecification.aspx?ItemID=113751)
 
I was thrown off by th prices of those parts because they are double what we pay here until I realized you were in New Zealand. I think you may want to get the DFI Lanparty motherboard since everyone thinks that has all the components you will ever need and overclocks the best. I would also get 2gb of better RAM, not value select, because with the AMD 3700+ you're getting into serious hardware, I upgraded from 1gb to 2GB recently and it's a world of difference. You always end up paying more than you expected but it's usually worth it.
 
I wanted to get ValueRAM because it's the cheapest I can get for under my budget, which at the moment is $1,000. If I get the DFI mobo, it will be another $100 over my budget, and I'm already $77 over. I may upgrade the RAM in the future, but I'm thinking that this updrage would run circles around my computer that I have at the moment. I still have to check out my funds for certain though, see how much I have. I just found out my drives are all IDE, and not compatible with the up to date mobos, so I will have to change them too, which is a real pain. Was hoping to save some cash in that area. I may just save up some more and buy a whole new rig.
 
the DDR2 ram isnt compatable with ur motherboard
(i dont know alot but im pretty sure that ur motherboard doesnt support DDR2)
 
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