upgrade recommendation plz

[Twinfun2]

i need help with upgrading my computer and have many questions on what i should upgrade on and what i should change.
here are my specs right now:

1 gp ddr dimm 184-pin RAM
agp 256mb ati visiontek x1300
celeron 2.5ghz ( mainly want to change if necessary, since a friend of mine has a pci ( not pci "express" ) video card and a intel core duo processor and runs circles around mine in gaming )


help me with these questions too:

1) which is betta than the other , pci express, or agp video cards.
2) is the celeron really holding bak my games? is it necessary to change for gaming improvement? how much of an improvent? AMD or intel?
3)for playing game like black and white 2, farcry, battlefield 2,prey, and oblivion, plz recommend me the best video card u can find but isnt too pricy ( 500$ max pay.




im definitely changing my mobo, whether you say so or not, since i need a new socket anyway. nevermind my budget and just recommend. thx for the help. post if u need anymore info.

 

[spartan1121]

Ok i don't know enough about pc gaming to tell you wether that CPU is holding you back. I may have misunderstood you, but it sounds like you have 500 dollars to spen total. lemme know if thats so and ill help you out some.

 

[Spartan]

1) PCI Express. Agp is dead.
2) Go Intel (conroe). Get the e6300 for under 250.
3)$500 is a LOT for a video card. You can get a 7950GX2 [best card out there] with that

If you go conroe, you will need a conroe-compatible mobo. There are few out and all of them are too expensive. Wait a while for more companies to enter the fray and drop the price. Second, you will need two gigs of DDR2 ram with that conroe. I highly recommend OCZ DDR2-800 [under 200].

PM me if you have questions.

EDIT: Whoopsy. Is $500 your total budget??

 

[iamchel]

It really depends on how much your willing to spend, if you want to save some money you could go for an a64 instead of a conroe

EDIT even the x2s arent that expensive

oh nevermind the budget eh? Then get a conroe and some nice card like he ^ said

 

[Twinfun2]

will an athlon 64 make a difference from a celeron? (socket 754)
i dont really have a budget of 500$, thats just how much im willing to spend. Just give me the bang for the buck. And lastly, my current motherboard has an agp slot and the card isnt doing so well. ( i bought black and white and cant even play it at a fps of 20 at medium settings and a reso. of 1024x720 )

 

[Poizen22]

1) PCI Express. Agp is dead.
2) Go Intel (conroe). Get the e6300 for under 250.
3)$500 is a LOT for a video card. You can get a 7950GX2 [best card out there] with that

If you go conroe, you will need a conroe-compatible mobo. There are few out and all of them are too expensive. Wait a while for more companies to enter the fray and drop the price. Second, you will need two gigs of DDR2 ram with that conroe. I highly recommend OCZ DDR2-800 [under 200].

PM me if you have questions.

EDIT: Whoopsy. Is $500 your total budget??

the 6300 isnt the conroe from what i know the conroe is only the e6800 correct me if im wrong

 

[TimBlanchard]

conroe is from the e660 upwards but it is kind of used as a name for all the new intel core 2 duo cpus.... so i belive

 

[JoshSB]

There is no actual difference from the two cores, the 6300 and 6400 run the Allendale core (which is 1mb each L2 cache I believe) while the 6600 and above are the Conroes which have 2 MB each L2 Cache.

If I am wrong please correct me.

 

[bmxfreakrider]

hmm no buget? lol. k if u want to do a system overhual, first what r ur specs(like mobo/cpu/ram/ps/hdd/vid) and is ur case a full atx or a matx? is it a dektop or a tower? how old is it?