Gen. Info on a 64 bit system

[tertiusoculus]

I know I'll probably sound like a newbie, but I was hoping to upgrade my system to a 64 bit one. I don't have a screaming system (AMD Athlon XP 2500+, Nvidia FX 5200, 512 PC2700 DDR, and a 200GB 7200 RPM Harddrive) My sound card is fine (Soundblaster X-Fi Platinum) so the only thing I need to know is what kind and how much memory I need, and what processor is good. I'm not hoping not to spend a heap of money, but I'd be willing to spend more than $500 if necessary, and I have a feeling that I'll have to spend more than that. So far, the system that I've put together with some online research is an AMD 64 3500+ and a 6600GT.

 

[TRDCorolla1]

The parts you suggested above is good for starters. I have that same processor, but an older core. The 6600GT does a pretty good job for today's standards. Those parts added together should cost you less than $500 definitly. You realize you need a new motherboard right? Get at least a gig of RAM and get then in pairs so you have dual channel capability. But if you want to spend $500, try this:

Only $320 for this video card? Looks good.

eVGA 256-P2-N563-AX Geforce 7900GT CO 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130281

If that's too much, you can try this too:

eVGA 256-P2-N391-AX Geforce 6800GS 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130265

ASUS A8N5X Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131569

OCZ Gold Series 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit System Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227211