PC upgrade--Need Ideas (couldnt find a better place to post)

[neo776]

hello everyone ,

Before i start, i just want to say im sorry if i posted this in the wrong place, i just dont see a forum board to ask about a complete system upgrade.

after recently planning to purchase a guitar amp ($1200), i'd a lot of money left over ($800aus), and since i'd have nothing else to fix up, ive decided to fix up my pc!

so here's my problem:

i wanna get stuff that's better than what's in my pc now, but i dont really want to go over $800(i can go a bit over, like maybe $100).

heres my pc specs :giddy: :
AMD Athlon XP 2800+
1Gig DDR-400 Dual Channel RAM
270GB Total H.D.D Space (2 Normal Primary ATA, 2 RAID Secondary ATA)
2 DVD-ROM Drives
2 CD-R-R/W Drives
Nvidia MSI Starforce FX 5700 VT2DR256
Sound Blaster Live! 5.1
Gigabyte GA-7N400 Pro2 Rev.2.0 Motherboard
I'D rather to focus on just the motherboard, graphics card and the CPU.
The rest is fine (and yes i know the SB Live could be upgraded but it sounds fine to me, and plus I wouldnt have any money left over)

Here's what im thinking on getting:
AMD Athlon 64 3500+ (939 Pin) $400.00
MSI 128MB NX6600GT-TD PCI-Express $329.00
Gigabyte GA-K8NXP-SLi $369.00

I realise i would need an extra $200 for these, but i can fork out the money somehow.

Also, please tell me would this upgrade be any good (i know it will be fast, i just want to know if it would be worth the money and if its any different to installing parts?)

Another q, since its a 64bit processor, would i need a 64bit windows to run? and would all my other software and games run on a 64bit pc or would i be able to use my 32bit windows xp??

Also, say i didnt purchase the other item (guitar amp) and i have $2000-$2500 to blow on a pc...what would be good choices to buy( think complete system upgrade except for h.d.ds and ram and CD Drives)?

Regards,
Neo776

(P.S: Also, for the graphics card, It would be fine with one just a little better than my current one...i hope you can understand this post as i dont think im making much sense, id rather now waste so much on a graphics card, also sorry for such a long post)

 

[zephead]

the msi k8n neo2 board would cut your costs and it gives the best performance currently available for a socket 939 based system. it uses an agp slot so you can keep your old card if desired. here it's going for about $120 (USD). read a review and see benchmarks against other 939 boards at:
http://www.tomshardware.com/motherboard/20050103/socket_939-15.html

 

[vnf4ultra]

64 bit cpus can run 32 bit windows and 32 bit programs. But once 64bit windows comes out they will be able to run 64 bit windows and 32 bit and 64 bit programs.

You probably will need to reinstall(or maybe repair) xp since you're changing mobos. You may need to buy a new copy of xp, if your computer doesn't have a full xp cd, but has a restore cd instead.

I'm not really sure what to recommend for parts because I don't know how an austrailian dollar relates to an american dollar and also parts may be cheaper or more expensive in austrailia(I don't know).

The parts you chose look ok. You may need a better power supply since the a64 and sli need more power. Look for ~450w and with a strong 12v amperage (25a+, 30a+ even better.)

 

[Merc14]

That looks like a good way to go. The only thing that would worry me is the 6600GT. 2x6600GT PCIe in SLI equal one 6800GT. If you could swing the 6800GT I think you'd be a lot happier a year down the road. I was faced with the same dilemma when I built my new SLI rig and opted to go the 1x6800GT route. I didn't want to buy 2x6600GT's to get the performance of one 6800GT and then a year later, when I wanted a performance gain, have to sell both 6600GT's and then buy two 6800GT's to get it. I settled for the single 6800GT, and when I have some leftover money, and SLI has matured, I'll get the second 6800GT and see a real performance boost without selling two card at a loss and buying two cards at huge cost. Considered it an investment for the future and spent the extra $200 for the single 6800GT.

 

[Finchy]

Do remember that 2 SLI cards have to be identical, so write down everything about the card you get, even down to model number.

 

[Finchy]

Also remember to switch the SLI bus to the 2 card setting when and if you get the second card, or it wont be used